Porridge has been a cornerstone of the Scandinavian diet since prehistoric times. Nutritious and easy to store, it only makes sense that hearty grains such as oats, barley and rye would be important to people living in a cold, harsh climate. According to food historian Henry Notaker, porridge was once served as often as three times a day! While things have thankfully changed from the days of eating porridge for every meal, it has most definitely made a culinary comeback in recent years. Trendy porridge bars such as GRØD in Denmark have revived an interest in this ancient food by finding innovative and delicious new ways to enjoy porridge.
This Baked Nordic Oat and Rye Porridge is definitely a twist on your basic bowl of oatmeal. Baked in the oven, this mixture of rolled oats, rye flakes toasted almonds and blueberries is like a porridge casserole of sorts. It makes a nice addition to the breakfast or brunch table, or you can make a batch on Sunday to reheat for quick, nutritious breakfasts throughout the week.
What Are Rye Flakes?
Rye flakes are rye groats that have been steamed and rolled, much like old-fashioned rolled oats. They are highly nutritious and an excellent source of fiber. Studies have shown that eating rye porridge for breakfast leaves people feeling satiated for a longer period of time that other breakfast options. I really like the combination of rolled oats and rye: the softness of the oats and the heartiness of the rye really work well together. Rye flakes are available at some natural grocery stores or on Amazon.com.
The concept of baked oatmeal was made famous by Heidi Swanson in her wonderful cookbook, Super Natural Everyday. This Baked Nordic Oat and Rye Porridge is a take on that original concept. Rather than including all oats, my version contains a combination of rolled oats and rye flakes. No rye flakes? No problem! Simply use all oats instead. I've also omitted the sliced bananas included in the original version and added more blueberries, but you could certainly add a sliced banana or two to the bottom layer of fruit if you happen to have one languishing on your counter and are looking to put it to good use.
I hope you give this Baked Nordic Oat and Rye Porridge a try! If you are the kind of person who has a bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer, it's likely that you already have everything on hand to make this happen. Let me know how it goes in the comments below! I am always happy to hear from you.
Baked Nordic Oat and Rye Porridge
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup rye flakes or additional 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup sliced almonds toasted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 cups whole milk unsweetened nut milk or oat milk works just fine
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups blueberries fresh or frozen (no need to defrost)
Optional Toppings:
- Maple syrup
- Melted butter
- Skyr Icelandic yogurt
- Milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter the inside of an 8 x 8 glass baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, rye flakes, half of the almonds, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a second bowl, whisk together maple syrup, milk, egg, butter and vanilla.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the berries in the bottom of the prepared dish. Top with dry oat mixure.
- Pour wet mixture over the top of the oat mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to make sure that the wet mixture sinks all the way to the bottom and that the dry ingredients are completely submerged .
- Sprinkle remaining berries and ¼ cup of sliced almonds over the top. Bake until golden brown and oats are set, about 40-50 minutes. Serve warm with optional toppings.
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