One of the most popular questions I get via email is:
"How can I convert your [recipe] to be gluten-free?"
My go-to response has always been "Maybe try a commercial gluten-free all purpose mix?" which, of course, I'd feel bad giving, but I really didn't have much else to offer. Gluten-free baking isn't my forte or even something I have much experience in. To be perfectly honest, gluten-free baking has always intimidated me.
I think what scared me off, more than anything else, was the long list of unfamiliar flours that accompanied every gluten-free recipe. Sure I keep things like chickpea flour on hand, but I don't have millet flour or almond flour or coconut flour, etc.
But then I discovered oat flour!
You see, I was in the middle of working on a recipe for rum cake (in my new cookbook!) when I realized I was out of whole wheat flour. I searched my cabinets, my freezer--even my fridge-- hoping and praying I had flour stashed somewhere. I didn't, but I also wasn't about to abandon my cake.
So... I pulled the oats from my pantry and ran them through my blender for a minute or so until the consistency was soft and flour-like. I then carefully measured out the amount I needed and finished my cake.
The result? Exceptional. The oat flour gave my cake a wonderful lightness and a slight nuttiness. Naturally, this led to more experimentation.
I used oat flour to make muffins and cookies (both recipes ended up in my new cookbook!) and then I started substituting oat flour for whole wheat flour in other recipes.
It all worked so beautifully that I started to wonder... is it really this easy? Is oat flour the simple gluten-free substitution I've been waiting for?
Now, I should preface that not all oats are truly gluten-free. I mean, yes, oats themselves are gluten-free, but some oats can be cross-contaminated with wheat, rye, barley or gluten so if you have a sensitivity or allergy, you should take care to purchase oats (or oat flour) that are certified gluten-free. (There is also an oat controversy in gluten sensitivity over avenin that Coeliacs should be aware of).
Otherwise, if you're just trying to avoid wheat or gluten, regular ol' oats and oat flour should be fine.
I am really excited about this 'discovery.' I have a number of wheat and/or gluten-free friends who have been trying it out in their kitchens as well and so far all of us have had great success using it as a substitution.
I'm sure there will come a time when it won't work so beautifully and the adaption won't be a you-can't-tell-the-difference result like it has been, but for now it seems to be a fairly easy, straightforward and inexpensive way to replace whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flours in my recipes.
In the meantime, I made these "oatmeal muffins" this morning. I used 100% oat flour and the flavorings I use in my morning oatmeal (banana, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg). It's hot oatmeal meets muffin and YUM.
By the way, Scott loves to add a dab of peanut butter to his oatmeal and as soon as I'd stuck the muffins in the oven I thought pb would make a wonderful addition if you eat peanut butter.
Anyway, enjoy these muffins &if you've had any experience with oat flour (good or bad), please share your thoughts!
