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Margaret told me that in England you can split any family in two by asking one question: who gets the skin on the rice pudding? Baked rice pudding is the pudding of British school dinners and grandmothers’ kitchens, and it has very little to do with the rice pudding Americans stir on top of the stove. It goes into the oven with nothing but rice, milk, sugar, a few pieces of butter and nutmeg grated over the top, and then it bakes so low and so slowly you almost forget it is in there. The rice drinks the milk until the whole dish turns thick and creamy, and on top forms a golden brown speckled skin. Margaret’s brother would have eaten the whole skin by himself. Her father said it was the best part and nobody was allowed to argue.
The answer to a good baked rice pudding is the oven temperature. It must be low, 300 degrees at the most, so the milk never boils hard. A hot oven makes the rice tough and the milk split; a low oven makes it melt into cream. Use short, round pudding rice or arborio, never long-grain, because the starch from short grains is what thickens the milk. Stir it once after half an hour, before the skin forms, so the rice does not settle in a clump, and then leave it alone. Margaret serves hers warm with a spoon of strawberry jam stirred into each bowl.
Why this baked rice pudding works
- A very low oven. At 300 degrees the milk barely trembles for two and a half hours, so the rice cooks soft and the pudding stays creamy instead of grainy.
- Short-grain rice. Round pudding rice or arborio gives up starch slowly and thickens the milk without any eggs or cornstarch.
- Whole milk, plus a little cream. The fat is what makes it silky. Skim milk turns watery and thin.
- One stir, early. A stir at the half hour mark keeps the rice from sinking in a lump. After that the skin forms undisturbed.
- Nutmeg on top. Grated over the surface, it toasts into the skin and flavors the whole dish.
Ingredients
Serves 6. Bake it in a 1 1/2 to 2 quart (1.5 to 2 liter) shallow baking dish. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the pudding
- 1/2 cup short-grain pudding rice or arborio rice (100g)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (65g)
- 4 cups whole milk (1 liter)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (120ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in small pieces (28g), plus more for the dish
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
To serve
- strawberry or raspberry jam
Do not rinse the rice. The starch on the grains is what thickens the pudding. In Britain the rice is sold as pudding rice; in America arborio is the closest and works perfectly.
How to make baked rice pudding
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees (150°C). Butter a shallow 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish generously.
- Scatter the rice and sugar over the bottom of the dish.
- Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan just until steaming, then stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour it over the rice and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
- Dot the pieces of butter over the surface and grate the nutmeg all over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then take the dish out and give it one good stir from the bottom to loosen the rice. Grate a little more nutmeg over the top.
- Return it to the oven and bake for about 2 hours more, without stirring, until the rice is very soft, most of the milk has been absorbed and a golden brown skin has formed. It should still look loose and creamy under the skin.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. It thickens as it stands.
- Serve warm in bowls, with a share of the skin for whoever wants it and a spoon of jam on top.
Tips that make the difference
- If your oven runs hot, drop it to 275 degrees and add half an hour. If the milk bubbles hard at the edges, it is too hot.
- Use a wide shallow dish rather than a deep one. More surface means more skin and a more even cook.
- If it looks dry before the rice is soft, pour a splash of warm milk down the side without breaking the skin.
- It will look thinner than you expect when it comes out. It sets as it rests, and it thickens a great deal when cold.
Variations
- Bay leaf. Tuck one bay leaf into the milk for a gentle savory note, the way many older British recipes do.
- Lemon zest. Add a long strip of lemon peel to the milk and remove it before serving.
- Golden raisins. Scatter a handful of golden raisins over the rice before the milk goes in.
- Brown sugar top. Sprinkle a spoon of brown sugar over the skin for the last 20 minutes for a sweeter, caramel crust.
Storage and make-ahead
Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Cold rice pudding is thick and firm, and many people prefer it that way.
To warm it, stir in a splash of milk and heat gently in a saucepan or the microwave until loose and creamy again.
Rice pudding does not freeze well; the texture turns grainy when thawed.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should baked rice pudding be cooked at?
Low: 300 degrees (150°C), or even 275 degrees in a hot oven. The milk should barely move. A hot oven makes the rice tough and the milk split.
What rice is best for baked rice pudding?
Short, round-grain rice: British pudding rice or arborio. Long-grain rice stays separate and never turns creamy.
Should I stir baked rice pudding?
Once, after the first 30 minutes, to stop the rice settling in a lump. After that, leave it alone so the skin can form.
Is the skin supposed to be on top?
Yes. The golden speckled skin is the famous part of a British baked rice pudding. Whether you eat it is a family argument.
Put it in a low oven, stir it once, and forget about it. Then decide, before you serve it, who in your house gets the skin.
Baked Rice Pudding (The British Way, with the Brown Skin on Top)
Old-fashioned British baked rice pudding: short-grain pudding rice, whole milk, sugar, butter and nutmeg baked low at 300 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours until thick and creamy, with a golden skin on top.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup short-grain pudding rice or arborio rice
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in small pieces (28g), plus more for the dish
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- strawberry or raspberry jam
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees (150°C). Butter a shallow 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish generously.
- Scatter the rice and sugar over the bottom of the dish.
- Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan just until steaming, then stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour it over the rice and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
- Dot the pieces of butter over the surface and grate the nutmeg all over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then take the dish out and give it one good stir from the bottom to loosen the rice. Grate a little more nutmeg over the top.
- Return it to the oven and bake for about 2 hours more, without stirring, until the rice is very soft, most of the milk has been absorbed and a golden brown skin has formed. It should still look loose and creamy under the skin.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. It thickens as it stands.
- Serve warm in bowls, with a share of the skin for whoever wants it and a spoon of jam on top.
