Whole Oats

[pcrowder]

I am getting 100# of whole oats free - not rolled oats, like in the grocery store - but whole oats with the husks on them (like you feed to horses and other livestock). Can I go ahead and run them through my stone burr grain grinder as-is, or do I have to "de-husk" them first? Also, what about using them in a grain roller/flaker? Any help would be MUCH appreciated!
Thank you,
Pat

[pcrowder]

I forgot to mention that I wanted to use them for flour and possibly homemade "cream of wheat".

[annabella1]

There are different types of oats, and they have different amounts of "husk". I personally have only worked with naked hull oats. At that commercial oats are steamed before they are rolled. You can grind them in a mill but it will be more like flour than meal. If you have a special steal cutter you can make steal cut oats which are the only commercial way non steamed oats are prepared (unless you buy oat groats which are de-hulled whole oats).

[pcrowder]

Actually, I don't know if these are "naked" hull or not... I am primarily going to use them for flour for bread.

[AlchemyAcres]

Unless they're naked...the hulls are a problem...there's no practical way to remove the hulls at home. Without hulling the resulting flour isn't going to be palatable.

~Martin

[pcrowder]

Thank you Martin and Annabella -- guess the whole oats will be treats for the mules and horses all winter long.

[annabella1]

It wouldn't hurt to grind a cupfull or so and see what the results are, unless you know for a fact that these are not hull less.

[Rancher]

For many years, while I was growing up, our family ate oatmeal made from whole oats. It was my job on a regular basis to take a milk pail to the oats bin to get a pail of oats from the same bins that we used to feed our livestock.
The oats were first put through a fanning mill to clean them. Then I put them through the crimper, set to crush and flatten the oat kernals, making "rolled oats".
The rolled oats were then cooked in boiling water (two parts water to one part oats) with honey, a generous spoon full of butter and a dash of cinnimon, until the oats were cooked. We ate the oatmeal with heavy cream (not milk) and I remember it was much better than the bland oatmeal that is sold and served in reataurants today. It takes longer to cook raw oats that it does the commercial oatmeal sold today in stores. But when fully cooked they are ready to eat.

[MYellowRose]

I hate to tell you this but you can't get cream of wheat from oats! Just not possible.