Toast your oats! Substituting toasted oats in your favorite oat recipes imparts a nutty, rich flavor to your dish. To toast oats (or in this case, oat flour), spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway. The resulting flavor is well worth the extra time and effort.
Toasted Oatcakes with Berry Confetti
Makes 14 (4-inch) or 28 (2-inch) oatcakes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup stone-ground polenta
- 3/4 cup oat flour (see note)
- 1/4 cup untoasted wheat germ
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 cup canola, grapeseed, or light olive oil
- 1 3/4-2 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (any combination of cranberries, blueberries, cherries, currants, and raisins)
- Maple syrup (optional; see note)
DIRECTIONS
Combine the polenta, oat flour, wheat germ, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the whole egg, egg white, oil, and 1 3/4 cups of the buttermilk in another bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture all at once and whisk just until combined. Fold in the dried fruit. There will be about 3 1/2 cups of batter. Allow the batter to stand for about 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight. If the batter is too thick (it should be the consistency of thick cream), add as much as 1/4 cup more buttermilk.
Preheat a nonstick griddle. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Ladle or spoon the batter onto the preheated pan, using 1/4 cup of batter to make 4-inch oatcakes or 2 tablespoons for 2-inch oatcakes. Turn the oatcakes when the tops bubble and the outer edges begin to firm up. Serve immediately. Top with syrup if desired.
Note: To make your own oat flour, blend old-fashioned rolled oats in a blender or food processor.
Note: Two tablespoons of pure maple syrup per serving will add 80 calories.
Per serving (one 4-inch or two 2-inch oatcakes): 120 calories, 6 g total fat (<1 g saturated), 15 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 15 g total carbohydrates (2 g sugars), 2 g fiber, 3 g protein
Reprinted from Flavor First by Cheryl Forberg. Copyright (c) 2011 by Cheryl Forberg. By permission of Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.
