Oat flour

Yes: blend rolled oats in a clean, dry blender or food processor until they become a fine powder, then sift out any coarse bits. Grind only what you need, as homemade flour can be less finely milled than shop-bought flour.

For a reliable result, replace about a quarter of the plain flour by weight in recipes for muffins, pancakes or biscuits. Oat flour has no gluten-forming proteins, so replacing all the flour in bread or a cake can leave it crumbly or dense.

Whisk it into the wet ingredients and let the batter stand for about 5 minutes so the flour can absorb liquid. Cook small pancakes in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat; turn them when bubbles appear and the edges look set.

Keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry cupboard, away from strong-smelling foods. For longer storage, seal it well and keep it in the fridge or freezer; bring it to room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense in the flour.

It gives pancakes, waffles, muffins and crumble toppings a mild, slightly nutty flavour. In biscuits and shortcrust pastry it can make the texture tender, but the dough may be more fragile than one made with wheat flour.

Yes: oat flour has 10 g of fibre per 100 g, compared with 3.5 g in plain flour. Its protein is 15 g per 100 g, compared with 10 g in plain flour.

Oats do not naturally contain wheat gluten, but oat flour can be contaminated during growing or milling. If you need to avoid gluten, choose flour specifically labelled gluten-free and check that the recipe’s other ingredients are suitable too.