Baked Rice Pudding is delicious as it sounds, but this gratin-style sweet rice pudding is way more fancy with golden, crunchy bites of bread on top, yes, not the classic one you know, but it is rich and creamy and could be the the best rice pudding recipe ever, and a one most requested dessert from family and friends. Cooked on the stovetop and then baked in the oven and served with orange blossom scented sugar syrup. With a detailed video tutorial below.

Baked Rice Pudding with Breadcrumbs

This isn’t a dessert to make when you are in a hurry. There’s a lot of stirring involved, but please don’t let that intimidate you.  It’s more time-intensive  than complicated, it is that slow method what makes it so remarkable. if you give it all your  attention, it will transform into an stunning creamy and dreamy dessert.

By gradually cooking and adding the milk to the rice  the process delivers a decadent rice pudding that’s bursting with flavor. I can’t imagine anything creamier, or more subtly flavored. The addition of breadcrumbs add a crunchy topping and attractive golden color.

Ingredients needed:

• Short-grain rice: Using short-grain rice gives full-bodied thickness to the milk because it releases more starch than a long-grain variety would.
• Whole milk: Whole, full-fat 3.5% b.f. milk is best and don’t use less than 2%, for best results.
• Sugar: Use granulated white sugar. It is used here to make sugar syrup; the pudding itself has no sugar.
• Lemon juice: a squeeze of lemon juice is added to the sugar syrup upon boiling to prevent it from crystalizing.
• Heavy cream: Although adding it to the pudding is optional, a dollop of whipped cream can impact the end result to the maximum in terms of richness and creaminess.
• Water: to make both sugar syrup and to cook the rice.
• Breadcrumbs: Add an agreeable toasty flavor to the pudding. Use panko breadcrumbs to add a crunchy topping to casseroles
• Mastic: Adds so much flavor. I love mastic in puddings and oriental sweets.
• Orange blossom water: Adds a rich floral scent and flavor to the pudding.
• Melted butter: To grease the oven dish or ramekins.

Hadia’s Tips:

• The trick is to add the milk gradually to the cooked rice, yes the rice has to be cooked seperatly, then the milk and cream will be added in a gradual fashion.
• While Egyption rice is most popular and traditional for rice pudding in the Middle east, it can also be made with  arborio, bomba or sushi rice if all that’s you have on hand. Using short-grain rice gives full-bodied thickness to the milk because it releases more starch than a long-grain variety would.
• The pudding itself has no sugar, it is sweetened upon serving with orange blossom scented sugar syrup,which makes it a perfect to adjust the sweetness to your liking.
• I usually make my breadcrumbs from scratch, homemade tastes so much better than store-bought. To make them from scratch follow the recipe in the note section below. Or alternativly, use panko breadcrumbs.
• How to Store: Keep leftover rice pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven over low heat upon serving.
• Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing the baked rice pudding since it can change the texture of the rice, making it grainy.

To make the baked rice pudding, you need to make the sugar syrup, breadcrumbs and rice pudding!

• Make the sugar syrup: Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Once it boils reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes. Do not cover the saucepan. Add the orange blossom water and simmer for 1 more minute. Set aside to completely cool down.
• Make the breadcrumbs or alternativly, use panko breadcrumbs: To make the breadcrumbs from scratch: Preheat the oven to 250° F /120° C. Slice the white bread ( I used here 5 slices of white bread). Place bread slices directly on the oven racks in the preheated oven. Bake until hard and golden brown, about 25 minutes; remove bread and cool on a wire rack.  Place in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to achieve fine crumbs.

To make the rice pudding:

• Cook the rice: Rinse the rice under running cold water and drain. Transfer to a pot, add the water and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover up and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is totally cooked.
• Make the rice pudding. Return the rice pot to the stovetop, and working ½ cup at a time, add the milk to your rice, and cook over medium low heat. Stir the rice continually until all the liquid is absorbed, then add the remaining milk, a ½ cup at a time, into the rice until the 8 cups of milk are all absorbed by the rice. Add the heavy cream and stir to homogenize the mix and continue cooking until the rice has absorbed the cream. Add the orange blossom water, stir well. The process takes about 30 minutes for the rice to absorb the milk and cream in that gradual fashion. The mixture at this stage should be thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Assemble the rice pudding before baking: Preheat oven to 170°C/ 340°F. Grease an ovenproof dish or individual ramekins with butter and evenly sprinkle half of the breadcrumbs. Laddle the rice pudding in the oven dish or individual ramekins, sprinkle the surface with the remaining breadcrumbs.
• Bake: Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until the surface of the rice pudding turns golden. Serve warm.

More Lebanese puddings to try

• Ashtalieh
• Muhallabieh wit Apricot Coulis
• Moufataka
• Layali Lubnan

Ingredients:

To make the rice pudding:

• I cup rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 8 cups whole milk, whole, full-fat 3.5% b.f. milk is best and don’t use less than 2%, for best results.
• 1 /3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon mastic gum, otional but highly recommended, and can be substituted  with 1/2 teaspoon sugar vanilla
• 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
• 1 teaspoon butter, to grease the oven dish
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs to add a crunchy topping to the pudding, or make your own from scratch by following the recipe below in the note section.

For the sugar syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons orange blossom water

Directions:

To make the sugar syrup:

1. Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar.
2. Once it boils reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes. Do not cover the saucepan.
3. Add the orange blossom water and simmer for 1 more minute.
4. Set aside to completely cool down.

To make the rice pudding:

1. Rinde the rice under running cold water and drain. Transfer to a pot, add the water and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover up and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is totally cooked. If the rice has made a thin crust of slightly browned  bottom, transfer the rice to another stockpot.
2. Return the rice  pot to the stovetop, and working ½ cup at a time, add the milk to your rice, and cook over medium low heat. Stir the rice continually until all the liquid is absorbed, then add the remaining milk, a ½ cup at a time, into the rice until the 8 cups of milk are all absorbed by the rice.
3. Add the heavy cream and stir to homogenize the mix and continue cooking until the rice has absorbed the cream. Add the orange blossom water, stir well. The process takes about 30 minutes for the rice to absorb the milk and  in that gradual fashion. The mixture at this stage should be considerably like a thick soup. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 170°C/ 340°F.
5. Grease an ovenproof dish or individual ramekins with butter and evenly sprinkle half of the breadcrumbs. Laddle the rice pudding in the oven dish or individual ramekins, sprinkle the surface with the remaining breadcrumbs.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the surface of the rice pudding turns golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. Note that it will thicken more as it sits. With a detailed video tutorial above.

Note: To make the breadcrumbs from scratch: Preheat the oven to 250° F /120° C. Slice the white bread ( I used here 5 slices of white bread). Place bread slices directly on the oven racks in the preheated oven. Bake until hard and golden brown, about 25 minutes;  Remove bread and cool on a wire rack.  Place in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to a chieve fine crumbs.

If you make the "Baked Rice Pudding with Breadcrumbs", leave a comment below, or share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!! Hashtag, #Hadia’s lebanese Cuisine