Porridge, two ways

It has started to feel a little chilled some mornings*.  The heat in our apartment came on for the first time this morning (it is somewhat out of our control).  On those cold mornings, the ones where you stand shivering waiting for the shower to run hot, muesli doesn't cut it and it has to be porridge for breakfast.  Porridge is warming, inside and out.  It makes me remember eating it as a child - my sisters didn't like it so I was the baby bear, eating with my parents and golden syrup instead of Goldilocks.  It's best with golden syrup, but I can't find that here so have been making a cinnamon maple syrup version most recently.
There seems to be an incredible diversity of loves and hates when it comes to porridge - something so simple, or perhaps not: milk, water, cream, salt, time, oatmeal, oats...  This is my standard version.

(for one)
1/3 cup porridge oats
3/4 cup water
pinch salt

cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins, banana to add

Put water, oats and salt in a small pan and bubble (watch it doesn't boil over) until it is thickened - usually 10-15 min is enough, I think.

Eat with golden syrup.  Or, if that's not possible, add cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins and banana and mix up to taste.


I just read about baked porridge, and I like the idea of it.  It might be more of a weekend breakfast, so I haven't got around to it yet.  Perhaps it'll be good cold too like rice pudding.  My first iteration will be something like this:

(for 4)
1 cup oats
1 2/3 cups water / fake milk
2 tbsp sugar or maple syrup
cinnamon / nutmeg
raisins / dried apricots

Heat the oven to 350F.  Mix the ingredients and put in a heatproof oven dish.  Bake for 25-30 min.

Edit - I made the baked porridge at the weekend.  It was indeed simple and warming and great for a snowy October weekend.  Texture is slightly different from pan-cooked - more fluffy and less smooth?  Felt like eating oat crumble; everyone knows that crumble for breakfast is the best.

*subsequently shown to be a major understatement - it's snowing and there's an inch of slushy snow, in October.