Toasting Oats for Homebrewing

I am always pondering my Oatmeal Stout recipe and recently was thinking about the toasting of flaked oats.

I have toasted oats myself before, but I don’t use any specific process.  I just like to lay out a pound of Old Fashioned oats on dry non grease cookie sheet.  I set the oven at 375, then put them in.  I look every 5 minutes or so.  The start to dry out, and sometimes you can even hear a little crackling like sound as it happens.  I’ll shake the sheet a couple times as they toast.

But you do have to keep a close eye on them, as once they start browning they go quick.

I find it rather useful to also have a handful of the untoasted oats on a plate near-by.  That way I can pull the sheet out, and compare the color side by side.  Once I think I’ve gotten a new color that isn’t too dark, I shut down the process.

I can’t say that I have done enough testing to compare side by side, but now that I feel like the base of my recipe is about done, I may start playing with toasting oats again.  The only problem I have with toasting/roasting grains yourself at home is consistency.  I find it improbable to expect to get the same results each time.  This like residual humidity and ambient temps probably effect the process considerably.  However, its still a fun thing to play around with.

Anyone else care to chime in on how they toast oats (or other grains, base malts).
I normally, toast my oats the day of brewing.  Some sources mention letting the grain sit in a paper bag to “off-vent” for a couple days. Thoughts on that?