I am a huge fan of rice pudding–always have been! I get a lot of conflicting opinions about whether the best rice pudding is made on top of the stove, or baked in the oven. I ran an opinion survey on our Facebook fan page Gluten Free Houston , and the stove top won by a large margin. Here is the recipe I like to use, from Cook’s Illustrated:
It’s best to use long-grain rice. Avoid aromatic rices like Basmati and Jasmati.
2 cups water
1 cup long grain rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in the rice and salt. Cover and simmer till all the water is absorbed, about 15 – 17 minutes.
Microwave the milk for about 1 – 2 minutes, until steaming hot. Stir the hot milk and the sugar into the rice and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring frequently until mixture is thick and a spoon can just be able to stand in the pudding, about 45 minutes.
Off heat, stir in the vanilla extract. Serve hot, warm or cold. Cover with plastic wrap when you refrigerate the pudding. It’s great to sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on top!