Feeding Your Oats

For many of us, morning oatmeal is a passion as well as a preparation. I prefer old-fashioned rolled oats slowly cooked into a thick, flowing consistency--neither thin nor lumpy-thick. Serve it to me steaming hot, sprinkled with brown sugar and topped with hot, foamed 1%-milk from a cappuccino machine and I’m in heaven. It’s also a healthy, satisfying way to start the day.

Oats, the most nutritious of the cereal grasses (an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals such as iron and calcium), can be found in many forms. Whole oats are used as animal fodder, but once cleaned, toasted, hulled and cleaned again, they become oat groats, hard, berry-like grains that can be cooked and served as cereal or as you would prepare a rice dish. They are delicious in casseroles, stuffings and salads. Oat groats can be found in health-food stores and some health sections of supermarkets.

Old-fashioned rolled oats are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened, while quick-cooking rolled oats are groats that have been cut into several pieces before being steamed and rolled into thinner flakes. I prefer the taste and texture of old-fashioned rolled oats although the two can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Instant oats, on the other hand, are different. They have been precooked and cannot be safely substituted for the old-fashioned or quick-cooking varieties.

So much for oat talk. The proof is in the recipes that follow. They capitalize on the natural, nutty goodness of oats. The mostly oatmeal cookies with currants are at least 90% oat flakes; as a result they are chewy and crisp at the same time. The rolled-oats yeast bread is a dense loaf that toasts perfectly, absolutely delicious spread with preserves. The oatmeal banana hotcakes are a quick and tasty way to enjoy rolled oats, a little more creative than a bowl of steaming oatmeal but just as easy.

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Crunchy and chewy at the same time, these cookies are almost all oats. You can omit the currants or substitute the same quantity raisins or chopped nuts.

MOSTLY OATMEAL COOKIES WITH CURRANTS

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

2 cups rolled oats, quick or old-fashioned

1/4 cup cake flour

1/2 cup currants

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large egg whites

In skillet melt butter until hot. Stir in brown sugar. Cook mixture until sugar is smooth. Add dark corn syrup and oats and combine thoroughly with wooden spoon. Stir in cake flour, currants, maple flavoring, salt and egg whites last. Stir until well combined.

Form cookies in 2-tablespoon balls each, spacing 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Flatten somewhat with back of spoon. Bake on center oven rack at 375 degrees until medium-brown on edges (do not bake until very dark as currants will taste burned), about 10 minutes.

Let stand at room temperature 1 minute. Use metal spatula to remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool cookies completely. Can be made several days ahead and kept in airtight container at room temperature or frozen as long as 3 months. Makes 16 (3-inch-diameter) cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

166 calories; 89 mg sodium; 15 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

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When the batter is freshly mixed, these flapjacks have a little crunch to them. They can also be held a day or two in the refrigerator; their texture becomes softer and moister even though they are thoroughly cooked. I love them both ways. The banana complements the oats, just sweetening them a bit without adding a distinct banana flavor.

OAT BANANA HOTCAKES

1 medium ripe banana

2 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

2 cups rolled oats, quick or old-fashioned

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Butter

Warm maple syrup

In 1-quart bowl mash banana with fork. Add buttermilk and eggs. Whisk until well blended. Add dark-brown sugar, oats, cake flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and unsalted butter. Whisk well. Batter can be made 2 days ahead, covered tightly and refrigerated. Stir well before using.

Butter griddle and heat until very hot. Pour batter in 3-inch rounds. Cook over medium heat until bubbly on top, about 3 minutes. Turn over and lightly brown other side, about 3 minutes more. Keep cooked hotcakes warm in 200-degree oven while cooking others. Serve with warm maple syrup. Makes 18 to 20 (3-inch) hotcakes.

Each serving contains about:

118 calories; 110 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.15 gram fiber.

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Dense with oats, this mild loaf makes perfect breakfast toast. The allspice just brings out the oaty flavor without being dominant.

OATMEAL BREAD

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

2 cups bread flour

Rolled oats, quick or old-fashioned

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 large egg mixed with 1/2 teaspoon salt for glaze

2 tablespoons rolled oats

In bowl stir yeast and 1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar into warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put remaining dark brown sugar, bread flour, 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, dry milk powder, allspice and salt into processor fitted with metal blade. Turn processor on. With processor running, pour yeast mixture through feed tube, then butter. Process dough until supple, elastic and sticking slightly to sides of work bowl, about 1 minute. If needed, add more water or flour by teaspoon if dough is too dry and hard or too soupy. Dough should be slightly sticky. Alternately, use mixer fitted with dough hook to knead dough, about 8 minutes.

Transfer dough to large plastic food bag. Squeeze out air. Seal tightly at top of bag so there is enough room for dough to expand. Set bag in bowl and let dough rise in warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour, 20 minutes.

Oil baking sheet, preferably black steel. Punch dough down. Form ball by pinching bottom of dough together. Place, rounded side up, on prepared pan. Drape loosely with oiled plastic wrap, oiled side down. Let dough rise in warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Brush loaf with egg beaten with salt (remaining glaze will last up to 1 week, refrigerated). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rolled oats.

Bake on bottom oven rack at 375 degrees until loaf is deep golden-brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 35 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf, or about 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

264 calories; 474 mg sodium; 27 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 0.27 gram fiber.