Some mornings are well, just plain tough. As hard as I try to have a hot breakfast ready for my kids in the morning, I sometimes miss the mark. And then there's the husband. His days begin at a brutal 4:30 in the morning when he gets his biking gear ready for his commute to work. I try to prepare his breakfast the night before and that usually consists of a quart size mason jar of bone broth, sometimes some sort of egg muffin or two, and sometimes a breakfast bar of sorts. Like this one.
It is completely sugar free. If it seems a little bland to you, you are more than welcome to dunk drizzle these bars with chocolate ganache, but I prefer to keep them plain as they serve their breakfasty job well that way.
[Tweet "Well soaked oatmeal, lightly sweetened with overripe bananas makes for a simple breakfast win!"]
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Soaking Oats?
Grains, nuts and legumes are seeds and seeds are meant to pass through our system undigested because of the built in anti-nutrient property. These anti-nutrients are called phytic acid and they are designed to make seeds difficult to digest. These same compounds hinder active enzyme activity during digestion making it hard to absorb all the nutrients in the seed. When you soak grains, nuts or legumes, you are essentially kick starting the sprouting process and makes the seeds more digestible and helps your body to obtain all the nutrients in the food.
Traditionally, the process of soaking and sprouting has been the golden standard in many cultures. Some argue that there really is no need to go through the trouble of soaking and sprouting. Whether or not soaking grains provides any benefits may be debatable but I know that personally, I fare better when grains are soaked prior to cooking. Oats, in particular are notorious for being very hard on the digestion, for us anyways. I always, always soak them for at least 12 hours, often more. If they're not soaked, I go with an easier to digest grain like white rice or buckwheat.
Speaking of buckwheat....
Because oats are low in enzyme phytase, they are unable to break down the phytic acid that binds to the nutrients. Enter buckwheat. This humble seed is high in phytase and helps the oats neutralize the phytic acid making for better nutrient absorption and easier digestion.
If using whole buckwheat groats, go for the full 24 hour soaking to give the phytase enough time to do its job. Or you can slightly grind or crack the buckwheat groats in a coffee grinder and get away with soaking for only half that time.
Breakfast Bars
This can be prepared the night before and left in the refrigerator overnight to be tossed in the oven the next morning for a hassle free breakfast. You do want to time it right, though, considering the process of soaking the oats and buckwheat. If you are cooking them straight from the fridge, add an additional 5-10 minutes to the cooking time and be sure not to put the cold pan/dish in the oven. I would place the dish in the oven first during preheat and allow it to warm up to temperature along with the oven so to avoid drastic temperature change in the pan. I learned this the hard way.
About 12-24 hours before you want to bake these, rinse and soak your grains in slightly-warm water with some acidic medium (yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar). This will help the phytase to break down the phytic acid in the oats. After soaking, rinse them well in a colander and drain water well. I usually let them sit in a sieve while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Beat eggs on medium-high speed until foamy which should take you about 4 minutes. Add bananas and continue to beat until combined well. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order that they are listed and mix for another minute. Add soaked grains and mix for another 30 seconds, just enough to combine well. Add the raisins and stir by hand. Pour contents in a greased 9X13 dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
You can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container or freeze them and pull them out as needed. I cut them into bars and stack them in a tall tupperware container with parchment paper between the layers. They freeze well for hectic mornings. Either pull a few out the night before to thaw out or toss them in a convection oven for 10-15 minutes.
Printable Recipe
Soaked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (Sugar Free)
Ingredients
For soaking the night before:
- 1 ½ c. gluten free steel cut outs
- ¼ c. raw buckwheat groats
- 2 T yogurt OR 1T lemon juice OR 1T apple cider vinegar
- 4 c. room-temperature water
- 4 eggs
- 2 overripe soft bananas
- 1 c. milk of choice
- ⅓ c. coconut flour
- ⅓ c. melted butter
- 2 t vanilla
- 1 t baking soda
- ½ t real salt
- 1 c raisins
Instructions
-24 hrs before making Breakfast Bars:
- Rinse oats and buckwheat groats well under running water. Place into a large bowl (grains will expand), add yogurt and water. Mix well and set aside for 12-24 hours.
Breakfast Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9X13 pan with coconut oil or butter.
- Drain grains well. Rinse them again from the acidic medium under running water. Leave them in a mesh sieve over a bowl while preparing remaining ingredients.
- Mix eggs on medium-high speed until foamy (approximately 4-5 minutes). Add bananas and mix for another minute to combine well.
- Add the grains and rest of the ingredients, except for raisins. Combine well but don't overbeat. Fold in raisins by hand.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into bars.
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This post has been shared on: Funtastic Friday | FoodieFriDIY | Let's Get Real Friday | Sweet & Savory Saturdays | Simply Natural Saturdays | Thank Goodness It's Monday | Homemade Mondays | What'd You Do This Weekend | Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural | Anti-Procrastination Tuesday | Homestead Blog Hop | Raising Homemakers | Allergy Free Wednesday |
Easy Peasy Life Matters says
This sounds like the perfect on the go Breakfast!! Can't wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing on the Let's Get Real link up 🙂
Anya says
Yep - it's great for that. Glad to share it. 🙂
rachel @ athletic avocado says
I need to try soaking oats, I've never heard about that before, thanks for sharing that info. I always appreciate grab n' go breakfasts in the mornings like these, simple and nutritious. These look really good!
Anya says
I've found that taking the extra step to soak oats is good for my digestion. Hope you enjoy these.
Stefani says
These look great! I wonder if I can even sneak some veggies into the batter so my kids don't suspect anything healthy 🙂
Deborah Davis says
Hi Anya,
Preparing in advance for an easy to make and eat healthy breakfast is such a great way to start the day soI am so delighted that you shared your delectable soaked oatmeal breakfast bars with us at the Healthy Happy Green and Natural Party! I am also pleased that you explained the importance of soaking and/or sprouting! Many of us forget to do that! Thank you so much for sharing your gems and for your support! I'm pinning and sharing! All the best, Deborah
Anya says
Thank you Deborah for the sweet words. Always fun to party.
twochicksandamom/Donna says
Great recipe and great photos. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!
Tessa@TessaDomesticDiva says
I am SO making these! I am a huge fan of soaking...both for the texture and the digestibility! Thanks for sharing your recipe, I am featuring them on Allergy Free Wednesday this week!
Anya says
Thanks Tessa for the feature. 🙂
Deborah Davis says
Who can resist this yummy recipe! I love that fact that it can be made ahead of time and portable! Thank you for sharing this Soaked Oatmeal Breakfast Bar recipe with us at the Healthy Happy Green and Natural Party! Pinning and sharing this!
linda spiker says
Pinned! Sp pretty and they sound delish!
Anya says
Thanks Linda. 🙂
T says
Excited to try this recipe, especially because a zero sugar breakfast bar is practically extinct! Question: when soaking the oats mixture ahead of time, is the bowl meant to be at room temperature or refrigerated?
Anya says
Always best to have at room temperature. It'll be fine! 🙂
Tracy says
Have you ever added peanut butter to a bar like this?
Anya says
I have not Tracy. If you do please let me know how it turns out.
Raia Todd says
I think I'm gonna give these a try for my kiddos breakfast tomorrow! Yum!
Anya says
Enjoy!! We love them as snacks too.
Yacon Root says
Awesome Website. Really enjoyed reading.
Doreen says
I'm allergic to coconut. Can I replace it with gf flour, or wheat flour?
Anya says
Coconut flour behaves differently in recipes. Wheat flour is fine, provided that you tolerate gluten, but I would probably use 1/2 cup of flour. But without testing, I have no way of knowing what the result will be.
Chels says
DEEEEELICIOUS. I freezed half and we ate some immediately they were that tasty. I subbed dried cherries and some almonds instead of raisins. I suggest adding a chopped but it makes for a nice crunch. Love this recipe thank you’
Dina says
Hi Anya, I have made bars, they taste good, but mixture came out too watery. What did I do wrong?
Anya says
Hi Dina,
Did the bars come out watery *after* baking? Did you drain them well after soaking? If next time the batter is still too runny, I would try adding another tablespoon of coconut flour to thicken it some more. Hope that helps.
Kelly says
I just made these and they came out well, but still quite moist in the center. I doubled the recipe and maybe had more moisture in the oven with two pans cooking. I put them back in twice, and it ended up being about an hour total cooking time. Might have taken less time (45- 50 minutes) if I hadn't opened the oven and pulled them out twice to check.
Also, I almost added the four cups of water as an ingredient, but I realized, in time, that it was meant for soaking the grains.
We really liked them and will add this to our personal recipe book! Thank you Anya!
Meghan says
I'm going to try this minus the buckwheat, because it's hard to come by these days. Hope this still works! I've been looking for soaked oats breakfast bar ideas for the kids and I.
Theresa says
Do you think it would work with rolled oats?
Anya says
Hi Theresa! Yes - it should work with rolled oats but cooking time will be less.
Theresa says
I used the rolled oats but it was actually very moist after 40 minutes. I didn't have time to wait so pulled them out, but I'm guessing it would have taken another 10 minutes at the least to firm up center - though top was good and brown to crisp at very edges and I'm not sure it would have taken 10 more minutes. I'll try the additional coconut flour next time. Also used coconut milk for the milk, would that have had made it moister?
Anya says
Theresa!! Yes, the coconut flour was still necessary even with rolled oats because it binds everything together. The coconut milk shouldn't have made a difference. Sounds like you needed more binding.
Yolanda says
Can you use just the buckwheat?
Anya says
I haven't tried just buckwheat but I wouldn't recommend it. Oatmeal also helps the bars bind together. 🙂