Gluten-free Soaked Baked Oatmeal

This is a departure from my normal grain-free posts, I know.  And that's ok.  Have you ever had baked oatmeal?  I grew up on it as a kid, since they would serve full sheet pans of it at the camp where I grew up living.  We would gobble it up, kids and staff included.  Today is no different (it's still delicious), but I was wanting to make my beloved baked oatmeal healthier.  No refined sugar, no rancid vegetable oil, and grains properly prepared.

I posted the original camp recipe way back one summer when my blog was just beginning.  That recipe is the scaled down version of the full sheet pan camp size.  For some reason, the recipe doesn't quite work, as the liquid pools in the bottom.  I think this is because when you bake with full sheet pans you use "cake guiders" which you place on a sheet pan to give the pan temporary sides.  Excess liquid commonly finds itself seeping out the sides, if what is being baked isn't completely homogenous.  This would happen in the large pans at camp.  When the baked oatmeal would come out from the oven, steaming, golden brown and smelling of cinnamon, between the guiders and the small edges of the sheet pan there would be this wonderful crispy and delicious crunchy cake like stuff that tasted of sweet baked oatmeal and cinnamon.  It tasted even better once the pan cooled and I could snap off a piece.  Crispy baked oatmeal heaven.  But pans that home cooks use do not come in commercial size or use cake gliders, so the recipe had to be edited.

The reason you see a post on this isn't because I made it for myself (although it's so delicious I could find myself doing that minus the fact I typically avoid grains), it's because I wanted an easy recipe that I could whip up and share with others.  These past few weeks have shown me that the majority of people don't plan ahead with their food, so they end up eating whatever is convenient.  (This sounds like a no brainer, but I'm guilty of forgetting how "regular" people eat).  I am hoping to get some good, nourishing food into people by making this more often and bringing it around campus to share with my co-workers, friends and professors. 

I wasn't happy with the idea of adapting the original recipe to a real food, WAPF approved version.  Instead I scoured the internet, consulted my favorite real food bloggers recipes and engaged in some serious recipe reconissance.  This version is heavily adapted from my friend Jami.  I can not thank her enough for helping inspire this recipe!  I am very happy with the end result, though I may tweak it in batches to come, and rest assured I will share those updates with you here.  But for now, here's the best baked oatmeal I've ever made.  And best part is, it's completely gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free, possibly dairy-free, WAPF approved, and completely digestible.

 
Gluten-free Soaked Baked Oatmeal
    makes one 9 x13 pan

    4 cups gluten-free rolled oats - soaked: with 2 Tbsp whey, and covered with water for 8-16 hours or overnight - source
    1/2 cup  organic coconut oil, melted - source
    1/2 cup  coconut sugar - source
    4  eggs
    2 tsp  cinnamon
    2 tsp  baking powder
    2 tsp  vanilla
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt

To make your baked oatmeal:
  1.  The night before you plan to make your baked oatmeal: measure 4 cups oats in a glass bowl, cover with lukewarm water, stir, and add 2 Tbsp of whey or for a dairy-free version use apple cider vinegar. Cover lightly with a dishtowel and let soak on the counter overnight, or for 8-16 hours.
  2.  In the morning, or sometime the next day, strain out the water from your oats using a fine mesh colander. Lightly tap the colander with the side of your hand to shake out any more liquid. Plop strained oats into a large bowl. Add cinnamon, baking powder, vanilla, and sea salt to the oats and fold together with a large spatula.
  3.  In a separate small bowl, whisk eggs by hand until glossy yellow.  Mix sugar with melted coconut oil, and add this slowly to the eggs. Make sure coconut oil is not hot, or the eggs will curdle.
  4.  Add coconut oil and egg mixture to the big bowl with the oats. Fold together to combine.
  5.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with coconut oil or butter. Pour batter into the pan. Bake at 375 (mine is non-convection) for about 25 minutes or until top is set, and sides are just beginning to pull away from the pan and become golden brown.
  6.  Let cool, slice into squares and enjoy :) If needed, this freezes very well too.

When the recipe originally came out, I contemplated baking it longer, using less oil and or using less eggs in subsequent batches.  However, now I am not so sure.  I like it how it is, and it received rave reviews from everyone I shared it with.  Like I mentioned previously, I'll continue to play around with the recipe and share any other edits I find.  If you want the baked oatmeal to taste more on the sweet side, add another 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup sugar.  The current amount of sugar gives it just a bit of sweetness, but some might like more.  I like to keep the sugar content lower, since you can always smear it with some raw honey, or even some peanut butter, or top it with yogurt, maple syrup and berries for breakfast.  Since it's sliced into squares it makes a great portable breakfast and snack option, also.  Baked oatmeal is very versatile.  Feel free to add more spices, dried fruit like raisins or even fresh blueberries to the mix!
 
Happy soaking!

Fruity Vegan Oatmeal Bake

This is another recipe that I whipped up last summer. Last summer I was widely experimenting with vegan baking, because I had a friend who needed it, and because I also was experimenting with veganism. I was vegan for about 6 months, and I do not recommend it. It is soo unhealthy! Click the link here.

Nevertheless, my experiments yeilded some VERY tasty results! (And I did buy a very good vegan cookbook that has very useful tips and tricks for vegan baking, as well as for regular baking!) There is proof in this recipe. It is soo moist and has a lovely texture. It is similar to baked oatmeal, but is smoother, moister and has a different flavor (you can thank the spices for that).

I love to eat this for breakfast warmed in the microwave and then broken up and topped with bananas, blueberries, flaxseed, peanut butter and RAW milk, cream or butter. It's so delicious!

Meagan's Fruity Vegan Oatmeal Bake

1 large banana - mashed

3/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 cups GF steel cut oats*

1/4 tsp EACH: baking soda and powder, cinnamon, nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup medium shred coconut - organic always

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or nut of choice)

1/2 cup organic raisins

To make your fruity bake:

1. Beat banana, applesauce, vanilla and maple syrup briefly.

2. Sift together spices, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and oats.

3. Add to beated mixture and beat together until just combined.

4. Fold in coconut, walnuts and raisins.

5. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until done. The middle should spring back when lightly pressed.

*If you are using soaked oats, be sure to rinse and drain them in a metal strainer before using them in the recipe. If the batter is not coming together very well, add 2 Tbsp coconut flour. Keep adding an additional 1 tablespoon as needed.

While I did create this recipe in the summer, it would be a great winter recipe too! It is very satisfying when warm and hearty, so it would be sure to warm you up in those snowy (depending on where you live) winter months!

On another note...

Now I am starting school again, so I will be very busy, MUCH more so than last semester because I am taking a very difficult class (along with several GE's). I will try to show you some of my creations, but I plan to spend less time in the kitchen than I did last year. And while that makes me a bit sad, I know it is for the best... May all my creative juices store up and be ready at Christmas!! (I already can't wait to make another gluten free yule log!) I might have to make TWO this year ;) I also might post some of my older recipes that I haven't shared that are in my computer archives. As always, stayed tuned for recipes that might pop up!

Baked Oatmeal

I have remembered eating baked oatmeal ever since I can remember anything. At camp in the summer there was always a fresh batch one morning of the week. And every week when that certain day rolled around, we swarmed the kitchen when it was our turn. Going up to get one piece, go back, sit down, devour and go back for seconds. Ask for a third piece. Wish for a fourth piece. Get one if your lucky. It was that good.

Since going gluten free, I can't have the same baked oatmeal as everybody else since the camp stuff is made with tainted oats, but I can make my own. Oh, it is so easy and soo good. If you never have made baked oatmeal before, nows your chance. No excuses. None.

This recipe is different than all the other "baked oatmeal" recipes you can find on the internet. This recipe is tried and true. Passed down lovingly from baker to baker through the generations of summer after summer at camp. Even the self proclaimed "oatmeal haters" love this recipe. And you will love it too.

Brookwoods Baked Oatmeal

3/4 cup oil - you can use butter but it's never been done so I don't know about the taste, I use coconut oil

1 cup sugar - I use maple syrup

3 eggs

4 1/2 cup GF steel cut oats

2 3/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons + 2 tsp milk or alternative - I use almond milk, coconut milk or a raw milk

1 tsp cinnamon - feel free to add more, I usually do

To make your baked oatmeal:

1. Combine oil, sugar, eggs, and beat until glossy yellow.

2. Add remaining ingredients.

3. Add cinnamon.

4. Pour into a 9x13 sprayed/greased pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

6. Let cool at least 5 minutes before enjoying.

Baked oatmeal tastes great and will taste even better as it sits in the fridgerator waiting to be eaten. I make up a batch and use it for breakfast for the week. I think a 9x13 pan might be a little bit too big. The end result should be 2 inches thick, and mine has been a little thin lately. If you have a slightly smaller pan it might work better. The weird measures in this recipe are because the recipe has been scaled down from two large sheet cakes. I personally think the texture and taste is better from those huge batches, but that's just what I have grown up eating. This is a great way to get some nutritious oats into kids that don't like it! Be sure to warm it up in the microwave and top it with some nuts, peanut butter, berries, milk or yogurt. My all time favorite used to be baked oatmeal and Stonyfield farms vanilla lowfat yogurt. And of course, you can eat baked oatmeal intact, that is, still in the square form, or you can break it up with your spoon. Everyone has a certain way they do it each time.

But it's so much more than food. So much more than a recipe, or getting your kids to eat something they would rather die than touch. It's the cold camp morning and the anticipation of warm baked oatmeal goodness and wondering if I'll get a second piece. It's about a memory and the nostalgia I get when a warm bowl of baked oatmeal is nestled between my fingers.