Oats, Pear and Hazelnuts! Tender Little Rolls with No Wheat Flour
Oats, ripe pear, hazelnuts and plain yogurt turn into tender little oven-baked rolls with no wheat flour and no added sugar. These are soft oat portions with fruit inside, rather than chewy yeast rolls. A single egg helps them hold together once they have cooled.
Set out a parchment-lined baking sheet before mixing. This recipe makes 6 small rolls and takes 20 minutes preparation and resting, 25–30 minutes baking, plus cooling. Use 350°F (175°C) in a conventional oven, remembering that individual ovens vary. The visual checks below matter more than a timer alone.
Ingredients
- 180 g rolled oats, finely ground
- 150 g ripe pear, prepared weight
- 100 g plain unsweetened yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 40 g hazelnuts, finely chopped
- 7 g baking powder
- Half a teaspoon cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
Preparation
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Heat and prepare
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a sturdy baking sheet with parchment. Grind the oats into a fine meal and combine with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Chop the hazelnuts small enough to distribute evenly rather than leaving large pieces that split the rolls.
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Prepare the pear
Wash, core and finely dice the pear, then weigh 150 g of prepared fruit. Choose a ripe but firm pear that holds its shape. If it is extremely juicy, let the pieces drain briefly in a sieve. Do not squeeze them dry or puree them into a loose liquid.
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Make the dough
Whisk the egg and yogurt together until smooth. Stir in the oat mixture, then fold in the pear and hazelnuts. Scrape the sides of the bowl so no dry pockets remain. The mixture will seem soft initially; leave it for ten minutes before deciding whether it needs adjusting.
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Shape six portions
Divide the rested dough into six equal mounds on the lined sheet. With lightly damp hands, shape each into a short oval about an inch high, leaving space between them. If too loose to mound, stir in one tablespoon of ground oats and rest five minutes more. Avoid making a stiff dry dough.
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Bake until set
Bake on the center rack for 25–30 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and the bases release from the paper. A skewer inserted into the thickest roll should show no wet batter. Check two rolls if the oven browns unevenly, and rotate the sheet if needed.
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Rest and serve
Leave the rolls on the sheet for ten minutes, then transfer to a rack. Let them cool until barely warm before splitting. Their centers finish settling as they cool. Serve plain, or with a spoonful of unsweetened yogurt, allowing the pear flavor and chopped hazelnuts to remain the main features.
Tips for a reliable result
Fine oat meal gives the rolls a more even texture than whole flakes. Resting is essential because oats take time to hydrate. Add extra dry oats cautiously, one spoonful at a time, only after resting. Overloading the mixture makes a crumbly roll that breaks apart when opened.
Measure the ingredients before starting and use the same vessel size described above. A much deeper layer takes longer to cook, while a very shallow layer dries more quickly. Make only one adjustment at a time so you can understand the effect instead of changing several proportions together.
Simple variations
Use cinnamon sparingly or replace it with a little lemon zest. To make the portions round instead of oval, keep their height and weight similar so the baking time remains useful. These rolls contain hazelnuts; if avoiding nuts, omit them and expect a softer texture, without assuming that other ingredient substitutions behave identically.
Storage and reheating
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate in a covered container for up to three days. Avoid leaving the finished food sitting out for hours. For longer storage, freeze individual portions, well wrapped, for up to one month. Label the container with the date so the oldest portions are easy to use first.
Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator. Warm only what you intend to serve, using a moderate oven and checking the center. Covered reheating helps prevent the outside from becoming hard before the middle warms. If the food develops an unusual smell, visible mold or other signs of spoilage, discard it.
Frequently asked questions
Are these ordinary bread rolls?
No. They contain no yeast and no wheat flour, so their texture is closer to a tender savory-sweet oat bake than an elastic bread roll. The fruit keeps the center moist. Shape them as small portions and allow them to cool before judging whether they hold together well.
Can I use an underripe pear?
A firm ripe pear is ideal. A hard, underripe pear will taste less sweet and can stay noticeably crunchy during the short bake. Dice the fruit quite small and taste a piece first. Very soft pears bring the opposite problem: excess juice and a dough that spreads too much.
Why did my portions flatten?
The pear may have been especially juicy, the yogurt unusually thin, or the mixture insufficiently rested. Wait the full ten minutes before shaping and use only the prepared fruit weight listed. For the next batch, drain loose pear juice and add a spoonful of ground oats only if needed.
Can I make the mixture in advance?
It is better to bake after the stated short rest, while the baking powder is freshly mixed. For an easier morning, grind the oats and chop the hazelnuts ahead, storing them separately. Prepare and weigh the pear shortly before mixing, then follow the same texture checks and oven temperature.
Serve after the resting time, when the texture has had a chance to settle. Keep a note of the cooking time that worked in your oven so the next batch is easier to judge.