Baked apple pie oats

I’ve made this recipe a few times now and this is my most favourite version, a completely comforting breakfast meal for those cooler months.

Baked apple pie oats Credit: Heidi Sze

• serves

  2-3

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  48 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

The melted butter really is a stupendous addition, and indeed I do notice a difference in texture and flavour when it is absent. Soaking the oats for 30 minutes while your oven preheats and you do a little yoga or take a shower really does see a better, creamier dish, too. Soaking is now mandatory oat behaviour in my house. Other than that, have fun with the ingredients – mix up the nuts, perhaps, add a touch more spice if you like, throw in some sunflower seeds, as you wish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup full cream milk, plus 2 tbsp
• 250 g apples (see Note)
• 20 g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the dish
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp chopped, toasted almonds
• 1 tbsp organic sultanas
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch ground ginger
• pinch sea salt
• Greek yoghurt (optional)

Soaking time 30 minutes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180˚C and soak your oats in the milk for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl. Lightly grease a 17 cm pie dish with butter.

Meanwhile, slice your apples into thin rounds as per the picture, without coring but removing seeds as you go. Heat a large frypan over low-medium heat and add half of the butter. You’re going to want to cook the apples in as much of a single layer as possible, so they evenly brown and don’t stew (you might need to do this in 2 batches). Cook the apples on both sides until soft and golden and sweet, about 2 minutes each side. Place them in the bottom of the pie dish in a flat layer, reserving a few for the top of the dish.

Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan, then add to the milk and oat mixture. To the same mix, add the egg, 1 tsp of maple syrup, the almonds, sultanas, spices and salt and stir to combine. Pour this mixture over the apples, smoothing it out so it's flat.

Top with the reserved apple slices and drizzle with the remaining maple syrup, then bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and plump. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving alongside some Greek yoghurt if you like.

Note

• Apples - I used a mix of little Jonathons, Golden Delicious and Johnny Golds (a cross between Jonathons and Golden Delicious), as that was leftover from my parents’ cider adventures.

Recipe from Apples Under My Bed by Heidi Sze, with photographs by Heidi Sze.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

The melted butter really is a stupendous addition, and indeed I do notice a difference in texture and flavour when it is absent. Soaking the oats for 30 minutes while your oven preheats and you do a little yoga or take a shower really does see a better, creamier dish, too. Soaking is now mandatory oat behaviour in my house. Other than that, have fun with the ingredients – mix up the nuts, perhaps, add a touch more spice if you like, throw in some sunflower seeds, as you wish.