In my home town of Portland, Oregon, breakfast is a big social occasion. On weekend mornings, the popular breakfast eateries sport lines out the door. Nearly every one, including one of my long-time favorites, Cup and Saucer, features oatmeal on the menu.
When I moved to the East Coast, old-fashioned oats were, well, just old-fashioned. I longed for those Portland breakfast spots proudly offering up good, hearty bowls of oatmeal.
I first tried baked oatmeal in Alaska, a place even heartier and more staple-oriented than Oregon. I ordered it at a small little breakfast café in Ketchikan. The waitress brought the dish to my table steaming hot and crispy golden on top and served it with a small pitcher of cold milk. Sweet, crunchy, and soft in the center, it was delicious. Here’s my version. Enjoy!
Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups milk
1 egg
1 pint blueberries
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup real maple syrup
1 tablespoon refined coconut oil (for medium-high cooking up to 360 degrees) or melted butterPreheat the oven to 360 degrees (many conventional ovens are not set properly; always test the heat with a heat thermometer and adjust accordingly). In a glass 8 x 8 inch baking dish, fork-whisk the dry ingredients together: oatmeal, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and baking powder. Then stir in the milk, egg, maple syrup, blueberries, and coconut oil.
Bake for 45 minutes to one hour until all the liquid has been absorbed and it’s golden brown on top. Serve piping hot with cold milk (I love vanilla almond milk) and extra maple syrup if you like it sweeter. Drink coffee, and have seconds!
