Traditional Baked Turkish Rice Pudding Recipe (Fırında Sütlaç)
The quintessential Turkish oven dessert: creamy, slow-cooked whole milk rice pudding baked in rustic clay bowls under high heat until a caramelized, blistered golden-brown crust forms on top.
Ingredients
Full-fat farm milk
Step-by-Step Method
Boiling the Rice
Rinse round rice and simmer with 2 cups of water over low heat until the rice is completely soft and has absorbed the water.
Infusing Milk and Vanilla
Pour in whole milk and vanilla sugar; bring to a gentle boil while stirring occasionally.
Dissolving Starch
In a small bowl, whisk wheat or corn starch with 1/2 cup of cold milk until completely smooth.
Cooking until Creamy
Add sugar and the dissolved starch slurry into the simmering pot; whisk continuously for 4-5 minutes until thickened.
Oven Broiling
Ladle the pudding into oven-safe clay bowls. Place in a baking dish with cold water reaching halfway up the ramekins. Broil on high until caramelized.
Chilling and Serving
Remove from oven, let cool to room temperature, and chill in the fridge before serving with crushed hazelnuts.
Chef's Tips & Tricks
Place the baking ramekins in a deep baking tray filled with cold water (bain-marie) so the pudding cooks gently while the top caramelizes under the oven broiler.