Muffins with Gluten-Free Oats?

[B'sgirl]

I want to make some applesauce muffins with oats but most recipes call for quick oats. My son has Celiac and can only eat gluten-free oats, which do not come in the form of quick oats. My son is 2 and can't chew his food very well. He can't chew carrots or apples or meats or anything like that so I need to make sure the oats are very soft after they are cooked. If I soak them first will they be too mushy? Do you guys have any recommendations for me?

[Michael in FtW]

Michelle - I did some checking on applesauce oatmeal muffin recipes and some using quick oats call for soaking the oats first anyway. Quick oats cook in 3-4 minutes, rolled oats only take a minute longer. So - you might try a batch using GF rolled oats in place of the quick oats. Bob's Red Mill produces GF Rolled Oats and you might be able to find them locally (grocery store, health food store).

There are other GF applesauce muffins that don't use oats.

Hope this helps.

[B'sgirl]

Thanks Michael. I've got some of Bob's GF oats. They seem to be tougher than regular oats, which is why I asked the question. I wanted the oats in there to add fiber to them. I went ahead and just substituted them (I soaked them a good while first). I guess I could also blend the oats into flour and use oat flour instead.

[dairyfreefoodie]

The whole oats will soften when baking, but it will help if you pulse the oats a few times in a spice grinder before using. I usually just use the whole oats without a problem, but the spice grinder trick works well too.

[linicx]

Oats do not contain gluten.

"Gluten is a special type of protein that is commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley. Therefore, it is found in most types of cereals and in many types of bread. Not all foods from the grain family, however, contain gluten. Examples of grains that do not have gluten include wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds."

Google the word gluten and look at the second article.

Make your own applesauce and cooked carrots. Process it into toddler food. Do the same with cooked meat. Your child can eat anything you can if you process it after you cook it. And it is better for him as it does not include food stabilizers or chemicals you cannot pronounce.

I ruined more than one cheap processor trying to do for a spouse that has a special diet. I finally bought a professional unit and the companion chopper. Do not feed your child corn as there is zero food value in it because the human stomach is not ruminat.

You can process any meet, veggie and fruit at home into a food your child can easily eat. And you can make your own bread.

My girl has a lot of food allergies. I spent considerable time learning. I kept all the information in a Food Allergy list. I will post it in this forum.

[B'sgirl]

Most oats actually do contain gluten although they do not contain them naturally. They are almost always grown/stored/processed with wheat and there is a large amount of cross-contamination. If you do not buy oats that are grown and stored separately they will almost always contain gluten.

[linicx]

I stand corrected.The way food is processed today, anything is possible. Its a shame. Maybe a health food store would carry gluten free oats. Kroger's grocer - where I live - does carry some Red Mill products.

[SF BOOMER]

I don't know the details, but I was watching the Martha Stewart show this week and her guest was making muffins...glutin-free...she used applesauce, no eggs...check Martha's website for details...I think the author wrote the book...Baby Cakes...good luck.

[B'sgirl]

linicx, you are right, Red Mill does sell some Gluten-free oats. They are expensive but that is just gluten-free life! lol.

Boomer, thanks for the idea. I will have to check that out.

[LPBeier]

I buy GF oats for DH and yes, they are very expensive. He usually has them as oatmeal in the winter and I have never made muffins with them (I have a muffin mix recipe that uses sorghum, bean and other flours (not rice) and can make various types from it, 6 at a time).

He likes the oats. The main difference is they don't have that powdery coating you find on regular oats and when you make oatmeal it is not as creamy, and soft - a sure sign of no gluten. But he really likes them.