This semolina pudding is a versatile meal that can serve as a quick breakfast, easy dessert or comforting snack. It's a quick, easy-to-make treat that brings back fond childhood memories for many.
⏳ 15 Minutes
👪 2 Servings
🍎 365 kcal/serving
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Semolina pudding, also known as semolina porridge or semolina dessert, has a rich history that can be traced back to the ancient civilisations in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
In Europe, the history of semolina pudding dates back to the Romans and their expanding empire. Different regions developed their own variations over time.
For example, in Italy, there is a dessert called "semolino dolce al latte", a sweet semolina pudding flavoured with vanilla or lemon zest. In Greece, a dessert called "halvas" was made by cooking semolina with sugar, water, and various flavourings such as cinnamon or orange blossom water.
Mid-European countries like Germany, Slovakia, Czechia, Austria and Hungary have their own version of semolina dessert made by boiling semolina with milk or a combination of milk and water. Ingredients like eggs, butter, and cream were often added to enhance the flavour and richness of the pudding and spices, fruits, and nuts were incorporated to create different variations.
Interesting fact: For some mid-European countries, it was common to serve semolina porridge as a main meal for lunch or dinner. It was even a part of school meal menus as a main dish when I was at primary school, and as you can imagine, it was one of those meals kids either love or loathe.
🍰 What is This Semolina Milk Pudding Like?
My recipe is a version of a Czech semolina pudding called "krupičná kaše". It has a creamy, smooth taste and texture, similar to a traditional British rice pudding.
We like the pudding consistency, not too thick and not too runny. The pudding should still be pourable when hot and thickens once cooled.
The choice of topping for semolina pudding can vary depending on personal preferences and regional traditions. We like having this pudding mainly sprinkled with hot chocolate, sugar, and a few thin slices of butter.
Other popular toppings include cinnamon, fruit compote, jam, dry fruit, nuts or honey; the choice is endless.
📃 Recipe Ingredient Overview and Easy Substitutions
- Semolina: You can buy fine or coarse semolina in the shops. Both are good for this recipe but expect a slightly grainier texture and extended cooking time for the coarse semolina.
- Milk: whole milk works best; however, semi-skimmed milk or a dairy-free alternative like almond or soy milk is a suitable substitution.
- Sugar: We use icing sugar to sweeten the pudding, which can be easily replaced with another sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
- Toppings: We recommend a combination of hot chocolate powder, sugar and butter - or grated chocolate instead of cocoa powder for a more luxurious feel. You can also replace the chocolate with ground cinnamon for a warming, spiced experience.
How to Make the Recipe Vegan
- For a simple vegan/lactose-free alternative: Replace milk with dairy-free plant-based milk like oat or soya milk and use plant-based butter and vegan chocolate.
For a more elaborate vegan recipe, we recommend this Creamy semolina pudding served with rhubarb and strawberry compote by Jasmine from Veeatcookbake.com.
How Much Semolina to a Pint of Milk?
Semolina pudding is made by cooking ground durum wheat and milk. The ratio of milk and semolina will affect how thick the pudding is. Not enough semolina and the pudding will be too runny; on the other hand, too much and the whole mixture will get too thick in the pot.
My favourite ratio is 75 g of fine semolina for 1 pint of milk. The pudding is still runny for pouring onto the plate while hot, but it sets nicely after it's cooled down a bit.
✏️ Methods
The recipe is simple, with only two main ingredients – milk and semolina. The total hands-on time is approximately 15 minutes, including cooking and assembling the toppings.
- Pour milk into the pot and add ground semolina.
- Stir semolina and milk to combine the ingredients and to brake any clumps before turning on the heat.
- Cook on medium to high heat, stirring continuously.
- Once bubbling, turn the heat down and cook for one more minute.
Tip: If you use coarse semolina, the ratio might differ slightly. You will likely need more semolina for the same amount of milk and cook it longer.
- Pour pudding onto plates and spread it over the plate in an even layer.
Tip: We like serving semolina porridge on a plate rather than in a bowl. It cools down faster, and it tastes better that way too (the same way sandwiches cut into triangles taste better).
- Scatter a few thin slices of butter over the top of the hot semolina.
- Sprinkle it with any topping you fancy (cocoa powder, grated chocolate, cinnamon, sugar).
- Serve while it's still warm.
⚡ What Can Go Wrong?
- Lumpy pudding: If you don't combine milk and semolina properly at the beginning or don't keep stirring continuously during cooking, the semolina likes to clump together, creating lumps.
Solution: Make sure to keep stirring while cooking.
- Burnt pudding: If the heat is too high or you don't stir enough, the semolina can stick to the bottom and burn.
Solution: Lower the heat and stir regularly.
🍽️ How to Serve This Semolina Pudding
Forget a bowl and serve this semolina pudding on a plate decorated with your choice of toppings. We recommend eating it while still warm. It makes all the difference.
If you like easy desserts and sweet snack ideas, check my other recipe for Roasted Bananas with Chocolate. It's another great treat we enjoy very much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use semi-skimmed milk or dairy-free alternatives like oat, almond or soy milk.
Absolutely! Feel free to mix in or top the pudding with your favourite fruits.
Stir the semolina and milk before turning on the heat and continue stirring throughout the cooking process to ensure a smooth texture.
Recipe Card
SEMOLINA MILK PUDDING
Ingredients
Semolina Pudding
- 1 pint Milk
- 75 g Fine Semolina
Topping Option 1
- 1 tbps Hot Chocolate Powder
- 1 tbps Icing Sugar
- 15 g Butter thinly sliced, scattered over the top
- 10 g Dark Chocolate to decorate chopped or grated; optional
Topping Option 2
- 0.25 tsp Cinnamon Powder around ⅓ of the teaspoon
- 1 tbsp Icing Sugar
- 15 g Butter thinly sliced, scattered over the top
- 10 g Dark Chocolate to decorate chopped or grated; optional
Instructions
- Pour milk into the pot and add ground semolina.Stir semolina and milk to combine the ingredients and to brake any unwanted lumps before turning on the heat.
- Cook on medium to high heat, stirring continuously.Tip: Do not stop stirring, otherwise the pudding can quickly burn or create unwanted clumps.
- Once bubbling, turn the heat down and cook for another minute. The mix will get thicker as the semolina swells.
- Pour pudding onto prepared plates and spread it in an even layer. Once the pudding cools down it should set and become thicker.
- Scatter a few thin slices of butter over the top (while it’s still hot so the butter can melt).
- Choose the topping you fancy (hot cocoa powder, grated chocolate, cinnamon, sugar) and sprinkle it over the top. Add as much as you desire.
- Optionally, decorate with chopped or grated dark chocolate.
- Serve while still warm.
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