Saffranspannkaka – Gotland saffron rice pudding

Prepare a rectangular ovenproof dish measuring about 30 × 20 cm and at least 4 cm deep. Of the weighed 25 g of butter, use 5 g to lightly grease its bottom and sides; keep the remaining 20 g for the porridge. Finely chop the almonds. Crush the saffron in a mortar with a small amount of the weighed 65 g of sugar, and keep the rest of the sugar. Weigh the rice, water, milk, cream, and salt. Crack and weigh the eggs just before mixing the batter. Allow about 10 minutes for this step.

Put the rice, without rinsing it, and the salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan that holds about 2–3 liters, and pour in all 200 g of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 3–4 minutes, making sure the rice does not stick and does not dry out. Add all 700 g of milk and 20 g of butter. Slowly bring back to a gentle boil, watching that it does not boil over. Cook, covered, over very low heat for about 45–50 minutes, stirring along the bottom occasionally and more often toward the end. The grains should be completely soft and the porridge thick and creamy. Do not drain the liquid. This entire step, including bringing it to a boil, will usually take about 60–65 minutes.

Transfer all the porridge to a wide bowl and spread it into a fairly shallow layer so it releases heat more quickly. Let it cool for about 30–45 minutes, stirring a few times. Before adding the eggs, the mixture should have stopped steaming and be no more than slightly lukewarm; if it is still hot, wait longer. Toward the end of cooling, preheat the oven to 225°C with top and bottom heat. Preheating for about 15–20 minutes overlaps with the porridge cooling.

Add a little of the weighed cream to the saffron crushed with sugar and mix. Lightly beat the weighed 200 g of eggs without shells. Add all the cream, the saffron mixture, the remaining weighed sugar, the eggs, and all the chopped almonds to the cooled porridge. Stir with a spoon until evenly combined, keeping the rice grains intact. Do not blend the batter and do not whip it into a foam.

Transfer all the batter to the greased dish, scraping it out of the bowl with a spatula. Spread evenly and smooth the top. The layer should be fairly shallow, usually about 2–3 cm, depending on how thick the porridge is. Do not add a topping or any extra fat. Allow about 10 minutes in total for combining the ingredients and filling the dish.

Place the dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 225°C without convection for about 25–30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden, the edges are set, and the center is no longer liquid. When the dish is moved gently, the mixture may still wobble slightly as a whole. If the top browns too early, cover it loosely with aluminum foil for the rest of the baking time.

After taking the dish out of the oven, let it stand for about 15–20 minutes so the mixture sets and is easier to cut. Divide into 8 portions and serve warm; cutting the portions will take about 5 minutes. Allow about 3 hours and 5 minutes from starting with the uncooked rice to serving, including both cooling stages.