oaty goodness

[kareina]

When I was a kid I really enjoyed things like crackers, chips, and other crunchy snack foods. Now that I'm responsible for my own food budget, I don't tend to buy those things, since pre-packaged foods tend to come with a fairly high price tag. Instead I tend to make myself unleavened quick "breads" of various descriptions when I want the sort of snack which would have had me reaching for a cardboard box or plastic bag when I was young.

The one I've been enjoying the past few days I call "oaty goodness quick bread". I melt a little butter in a small bowl (one sized for breakfast cereal, not a mixing-bowl), add 1/2 cup of oats and a dash of salt mix well, then add a bit of hot water and give it 30 seconds in the microwave. This results in a sticky paste, into which I stir in just enough wheat flour to turn the paste into a dough, roll it out thin and put it into the toaster over to bake and clean up the evidence whilst it cooks. 20 minutes from leaving the computer looking for something to eat, I'm sitting back down with a yummy snack, in a small enough quantity that I won't be tempted to over-eat (another problem with purchasing crackers or chips etc. If I've got it to hand, I'll eat more of it than my body needs to keep me going for the day, and I'd rather be slender, and I don't lead an active enough life to eat too much).

An even easier form of quick-bread is 1/2 cup of flour, with just enough water to make a dough (plus or minus salt) rolled out thin and baked in the toaster oven. This form tends to puff when you bake it, which can be fun to watch. Buy your flour in bulk, and this is *way* more affordable than the pre-packaged snack foods on the market...

Comments

[fjorlief.livejournal.com]

...and I suppose if you put some jam on them you'd have "Fruity Oaty Bars" (sorry, couldn't resist) Actually, I hadn't thought of making my own crispy snacks, and the oaty goodness does sound yummy...

[kareina.livejournal.com]

lol, you could call them that, or put currents in them before baking, or even use museli instead of oats, if you like the concept of "fruity oaty bars".

I first got the idea from a combination of a page in hrj's web page talking about "baking for one", and the fact that most bread-cook books say that bread, at its most basic, is naught more than flour, water and salt, everything else, including yeast, is extra.

Depending on what I do it ranges from soft, pita like breads to crisp cracker like things...

[fjorlief.livejournal.com]

Actually my apology for Fruity Oaty Bars is 'cos that is a reference to "Serenity" the movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doWOdB1d0mg

[beanolc.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I'll have to try this!