World's Best Rice Pudding

This recipe is creamy and yummy. I like it so much that I double it. It seems like a lot of milk, don't worry it cooks a long time and all will be absorbed to a creamy pudding. YUMMY

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup medium or short grain white rice
4 cups milk
Pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat butter in a 4 quart saucepan. When butter is frothy add rice and cook for a minute.

Slowly add milk, pinch salt, sugar, vanilla, and bring to under a boil.

Transfer to a 9 inch baking pan or casserole and set in oven.

Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours stirring every 15 minutes.

Then bake undisturbed for 30 minutes. Stir again and cook undisturbed for 30 more minutes. Total time 2 1/2 hours.

Variations: you can add heavy cream in the last half hour of baking. Or if you want a crusty topping, reduce sugar in recipe to 1/4 cup. Once out of oven, crumble brown sugar and butter over rice pudding and run the pudding under the broiler until melted and bubbly.