Oats have long been hailed as a superfood for their numerous health benefits. With so many ways to incorporate oats into your diet, the options can be overwhelming. Today I’ll focus on two: oat bran and oat flour. Read on to find out how these two compare and how to use each most effectively in your baking!
Oat bran or oatmeal (that has been ground to flour consistency in a food processor or blender) can replace up to one-fourth of the all-purpose flour. For example, if a recipe has 3 cups all-purpose flour, use ¾ cup oat bran or ground oatmeal and 2¼ cups all-purpose flour.
Comparing oat bran vs oat flour
While both are derived from oats, they are two distinct ingredients:
Oat bran is made from coarsely ground groats – the outer layer of the oat grain that is separated from the rest of the grain during the milling process. Oat bran is typically consumed as cereal or added to baked goods.
Oat flour is a flour made from ground oats. It is a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour and is often used in baking to add fiber and nutritional value to baked goods.
Both are gluten-free – just make sure to check the label to make sure oat bran or oat flour was made from certified gluten-free oats. However, they should be avoided on keto or paleo diets because they are high in carbs and made from grains that are not paleo-friendly.
How to use oat bran vs oat flour
Oat bran can be cooked with water or milk to make a hot cereal, similar to oatmeal.
Since oat bran is high in fiber, adding oat bran to baked goods increases their fiber content, making them a more satisfying and nutritious snack.
Oat bran has a slightly nutty flavor and a coarse texture, making it a popular ingredient in cereals, bread, muffins, and other baked goods. It can also be used as a topping for yogurt, oatmeal, and smoothie bowls to add some extra crunch and nutrition.
Oat flour is a great gluten-free alternative to wheat flour and can be used in any recipe that requires regular wheat flour – you’ll need 1 ⅓ cup of oat flour for every 1 cup of all-purpose.
Keep in mind that oat flour tends to be highly absorbent, which may result in drier recipes or batter. To prevent this, it might be necessary to add extra wet ingredients to your recipes, such as eggs, to help bind the ingredients together.
Since oats do not contain gluten, the elastic protein that gives traditional baked goods their chewiness, it may be necessary to adjust the other ingredients in the recipe to provide structure. If you are new to using oat flour, it may be helpful to start with recipes that specifically call for it.
Oat flour has a mild flavor and works well as the base ingredient in pancakes, muffins, cookies, and fruit crisps. Try these gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies!
How to use OAT BRAN – Dr Chan suggests 5 ways.
FAQ
Can oat bran be used for baking?
Can you use oat bran as oat flour?
Can I use oat instead of flour?
Can bran be used as flour?
Can I use oat bran instead of all purpose flour?
I also use both oats and oat bran in place of all purpose flour. If a recipe calls for three cups of flour, I’m pretty comfortable using one cup of oat bran or oat flour ( I just run my oats through my food processor to create my “flour” most of the time) and two cups of white whole wheat flour.
What are the alternatives to oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils?
Possible alternatives are psyllium, brown rice flour, corn flour, rice or corn meal, buds, quinoa and passion fruit peel flour. Depending on the type of restriction, it is possible to replace foods more appropriately.
Can you use oat bran instead of wheat bran?
You can use a cup of wheat bran for a cup of oat bran in your cooking. Further, easily make the swap when preparing pancakes, cookies, muffins, and some other baking goods. When using wheat bran you need to know that the texture may be slightly different. But there is no need to worry, the taste and the final results will be outstanding. 2.
Is oat bran better than oat flour?
Oat bran is coarser and higher in fiber than oat flour, making for a healthy breakfast or wholesome baked goods. On the other hand, oat flour is finer and better suited for use as a gluten-free flour substitute in baking. Can I substitute oat bran for oat flour? Not really.