Oat milk is a delicious type of milk that is easy to make at home. As a purely plant-based product, it is a great alternative to dairy milk.
Culinary uses:
Oat milk is used by vegans, ovo-vegetarians, as well as by individuals who are lactose-intolerant or who have a milk protein or soy allergy. If oat milk is processed without heating, then it is also suitable for a raw food diet. Since oat milk is pareve, it can be used in the context of the Jewish dietary laws.1
Making homemade (raw) oat milk:
Ingredients: To make one liter of oat milk, you will need 80–120 grams whole grain rolled oats (if possible, an organic variety), 1 liter water, a good blender (or immersion blender), a storage container, and a filter (a fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag).
Preparation:
• Soaking (optional): First soak the rolled oats in water so that they are easier to blend. The soaking time can be anywhere between 3–12 hours (overnight). The longer the oats soak, the easier the following step will be. If you are using a high-speed blender, you can skip this step.
• Blending: You can either drain the rolled oats after soaking and place them in a blender along with fresh water or you can use the soaking water directly. Start by adding only part of the water. Blend well and then gradually add the remaining water.
• Straining (optional): If you have a good blender and are not bothered by little pieces that haven’t been completely liquefied, you can now pour the oat milk into a storage container. Otherwise, you can strain the oat milk using a filter of your choice. (In my own experience, however, the flavor decreases a little if the filter is more fine-meshed.)
• Bottling and storing: Transfer the oat milk to a storage container and close well. The oat milk can be stored for 3–4 days in the refrigerator.
Note: If you omit the soaking step, you can also quickly make the oat milk fresh each time (in smaller batches). For sweetening and flavor, you can add 3–5 pitted dates, vanilla, and/or cinnamon during the blending process.
Nutritional information:
Oat milk consists of 7 % carbohydrates, around 1 % fat and 0.6 % protein.1
General information:
From Wikipedia: Oat milk is a form of grain milk made using oats, water, and sweetener. Since milk substitutes in the EU may not be marketed under the name of milk, descriptions such as oat drink and oat beverage are common.1
Industrial production:
Oats are the main ingredient used to make oat milk. They are dehusked before further processing and then mixed with water and finely ground. Depending on the process, fermentation may also be used. Finally, the mixture is homogenized and the solid components are filtered out. The remaining oat pulp, including the oat bran, can also be eaten.
The liquid mixture can be emulsified by adding vegetable oil, which produces the typical white milk color. Depending on the desired flavor, you can add sweetener, salt, and/or other flavors during the blending process.
The final product sometimes contains other substances such as preservatives, thickeners, acidifiers, vitamins (e.g., vitamin B12), and minerals (e.g., calcium in the form of the alga Lithothamnium calcareum) Some oat milk also undergoes ultra-pasteurization (UHT) so that it can be stored longer and without refrigeration.
Other plant-based drinks:
Other plant-based drinks that can be used as substitutes for dairy milk include almond milk, rice milk, and soy milk.
Literature / Sources:
- Wikipedia. Hafermilch, de.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Hafermilch
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