brown rice pudding

I’ve taken to eating pudding for breakfast. It was Deb’s idea, and it’s a very good one. After all, if we regularly heat one whole grain with milk to make oatmeal, why not do the same with rice? Somehow, oatmeal feels like winter food. Rice pudding seems lighter, more appropriate for warm temperatures and topping with strawberries.

This might seem obvious at first – you usually eat oatmeal warm and pudding cold. Except so far, I’ve been eating the rice pudding warm, so it’s more like rice porridge I suppose. But if I was organized enough, I think making it the night before and chilling it would not only save time in the morning, but make a great cool breakfast for the 100+ degree days we’ve been having around here.

Eating dessert for breakfast isn’t anything new – who hasn’t indulged in a slice of leftover cake with their morning coffee? But that isn’t what this is about. By using brown rice instead of white and reducing the sugar, rice pudding is actually full of fiber and protein instead of empty calories. Rice pudding has never been my favorite dessert, but it’s starting to become one of my favorite breakfasts.

One year ago: Brown Sugar Blueberry Plain Cake
Two years ago: Tender Shortcakes
Three years ago: Cappuccino Muffins
Four years ago: Baba Ghanoush, Falafel, and Hummus

Printer Friendly Recipe
Brown Rice Pudding (adapted from Joy the Baker)

Serves 4 to 6

This is a basic recipe that you can add all sorts of goodies to, from dried fruit and nuts to spices or a swirl of jam.

If you plan to serve this for dessert instead of breakfast, double both the sugar and the honey.

1 cup brown rice, rinsed
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ vanilla bean, split open (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and salt; reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Drain the rice in a strainer and return it to the pot, off the heat. Cover tightly and let set for 10 minutes.

2. Add the milk, sugar, honey, and vanilla bean to the pot with the rice. (If you’re using vanilla extract, add it just before serving.) Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the milk is reduced and the rice is creamy, about 30 minutes. If you’re using vanilla extract, stir it in now. If you’re planning to eat the pudding warm, serve it now. If you’re planning to eat it cold, transfer it to serving dishes to chill.