Soaked Oatmeal Two Ways

I know if you read this blog you're already wondering, "how many ways can there be to make oatmeal?" but hear me out. Awhile back I was reading about soaking your grains and why you can absorb more nutrients that way and how difficult grains can be to digest when they haven't been soaked. Check out this for a good, easy explanation.

I wanted to try it, starting small. I began with soaking oats overnight before making oatmeal in the morning and the result was great - we liked the texture and flavor and the regular rolled oats cooked really quickly.

Soaked Oatmeal (2 servings)

1 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cups of water
1/2 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons of wheat or spelt flour
1 cups of water
a dash of sea salt

The night before (12 to 24 hours before) place your oats, flax seeds, wheat flour and 1 cup of water in a quart size mason jar or bowl. Mix it all together and cover.

The next morning, dump into a pot with 1 more cup of water and a dash of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook just a few minutes and it’s done! I like to add cinnamon and dried fruit (cranberries or raisins) to the water when I simmer it that morning and serve it with some honey on top.

The second thing I've been making is an oatmeal pancake recipe that I just found. It's sort of the same idea - soak the oats overnight in buttermilk before making the pancakes. While oatmeal pancakes sound a little heavy, these aren't and I think that's partially due to the soaking. I just got turned on to this blog by my sister and that's where I originally found the recipe.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes (4 servings)

Stir together 2 cups rolled oats and 2 cups buttermilk and put in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, melt 1/4 c. butter, let it cool, and stir it into the oats with 2 eggs.

In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 c flour, 2 T sugar, 1 t baking powder, 1 t baking soda, 1/2 t ground cinnamon and 1/4 t table salt. (You could also mix the dry stuff the night before . . . ). Add flour mixture to oat mixture and stir until moist.

Heat a griddle or pan and use about 1/4 c. batter for each pancake. When you see air bubbles, flip the pancake. It makes about 12-14 pancakes (sometimes I halve it for 2 servings). Serve with your favorite pancake toppings!

Buttermilk Substitute: Combine 2 T white vinegar or lemon juice with 2 c milk and let sit for five minutes.