Baked Oatmeal - the weekend is here!

When I first heard about this dish, I was skeptical.  It simply sounded a little strange.  I finally asked a friend for her recipe, made small changes, and we have been enjoying it ever since.   Since it is now a staple to signify "the weekend is here", I figured it was time to share it.  Give it a try - you know you want to.

This recipe was influenced by http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3375.asp

Baked Oatmeal
* = see cook's notes below


2 cups Oats *
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans - chopped and toasted
1 1/2 cups rice milk or milk of your choice *
1 tbsp applebutter or you could use maple syrup *
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp canola oil
Fresh fruit to add before eating

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until the eggs are evenly mixed into the other ingredients.  Then add the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and nutsand stir.  Pour the batter into a large pie plate (10" or more) or a 9x9 cake pan or serving dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.  Allow it to sit for 10 minutes if you can wait.   Then slice and serve in a bowl with milk of your choice and fresh fruit.


 Cook's Notes:
Oats: I only use Old Fashioned Rolled Oats but you could use large flake.  Quick Oats would likely still work but may be a different texture.  Definitely do not use Minute Oats.

Milk: I like to use Rice Milk because it is naturally sweet (no added sugar) so it makes the dish sweeter without adding more sugars.  If you use regular milk, you may find you need to add more sweetness.

Applebutter options: if you do not have applebutter that is naturally quite sweet ( I only use Wellesley brand), you could use maple syrup in equal amounts.

Options to consider: I think this would be delicious with fruit added in before baking, like blueberries or raspberries or even sauted apples. 
I also found it worthwhile to mix up the recipe the night before and leave the it in the fridge.  I even set my oven to turn on automatically the following morning so I could be as lazy as possible - hey, it is the weekend!  So in the morning, all I have to do put the mixture in a room-temp baking dish and add it to the hot oven to bake.  During that time, why not get a little more sleep.  That sweet, warm cinnamon oat smell is a great thing to get your day going!!

Spelt Buttermilk Pancakes redone

I had a dream of the perfect family breakfast this morning with fluffy pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit and orange juice...but that did not quite happen that way.  Let's admit it, pancakes need to be eaten fresh once they are done cooking, not put on a plate and held until all the cakes are done.  Nooooooo.  So right there, it does not really work as a family sit-down meal.  But regardless, it is still an enjoyable breakfast even if the "chef" is the last to eat.

I thought I had a great recipe but then I was inspired by the buttermilk pancake recipe I found in Fine Cooking Dec09/Jan10 issue.  They looked so light and fluffy and delicious I had to try it - with spelt and no extra sugar.  Why do they add sugar to something we ladden with syrup?!?  So here is our new delicious recipe that will now be our staple.  Sorry I cannot take pictures like they do in the magazine.  Trust me, they are great.
See the notes below if you don't have spelt and xanthan gum.


Spelt Buttermilk Pancakes


2 cups spelt flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 cup milk or rice milk * see notes below
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 eggs - lightly beaten
3 Tbsp melted butter


Combine the milk and vinegar and allow to sit to "sour" before being mixed in.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, powder, soda, salt and xantham gum.

In a medium bowl, mix the "buttermilk" and eggs and pour into the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.  Add the melted butter and gently stir until the batter is evenly moistened (there will be lumps).  Let the batter rest while you heat the griddle.

Preheat the griddle (375F) or skillet (medium to medium low), lightly season the surface with butter.  Pour the batter onto the griddle for each pancake ( about 1/3 cup of batter for each).  Let them cook until the edges appear to be set and bubbles rise to surface.  The top surface should still look wet.  Flip the pancakes and continue to cook until the second side is nicely browned. 

 Transfer the pancakes to a waiting recipient so they can start eating while the pancakes are freshest and most enjoyable...or put on a platter and wait until the rest of the batter is cooked.

Serve with butter, pure maple syrup and fresh fruit!

Cook's notes: 
Milk:  The original recipe calls for buttermilk and one can substitute that with milk and vinegar as noted in the ingredient list.  I have also done this recipe with rice milk and yogurt (1 cup of each) and that works too.  Or you could do the original 2 cups of buttermilk if you have.
Xanthan Gum: If you don't have Xanthan gum, you can still make these successfully with spelt flour or white flour if you prefer, however, the texture is better and the pancakes stay fluffy when Xanthan is used with spelt.
Lumpy Batter: I saw a cooking show on the perfect pancakes and to my surprise, they insist on leaving lumps in the batter.  So I had to try it and am now a firm believer - lumps make better pancakes.   I think it works because the batter is not whipped like one would need to do to get  the lumps all out.  Be sure to leave the lumps.


Rating: 5 Star!
A basic recipe but they are delicious and easy too.  The perfect weekend breakfast!