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1
Either cut the recipe in half or find a baking dish that holds at least 10 cups ungreased; cooking UNCOVERED is essential.
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2
Set oven temperature to 275 degrees F.
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3
Move shelf to low center and keep dish near the front so you can just reach in and stir.
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4
Stir all the raw ingredients together; the milk will be cold and take awhile to start cooking.
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5
Cook for 40 minutes, reach in with fork and stir.
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6
Cook for another 40 minutes, reach in and stir.
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7
By this time the rice might have started swelling.
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8
Cook another 35 minutes and stir, the rice should be swollen, sticking together in clumps so stir a lot, mash down with fork, get in bottom edges of baking dish, try to get as many grains separated as you can.
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9
Cook for another 30 minutes and stir, most of the rice will not have clumped again.
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10
Fairly early on a skin will form on top, just stir it all back in each time until the last.
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11
After another 30 minutes, it should be about done so stir once more.
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12
Some of the rice should be floating near the top and it will look runny.
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13
Bake another 20 to 30 minutes; I let skin form on the final cooking.
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14
Remove from oven and set on trivet to cool.
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15
It's best to wait until it's entirely cooled to room temperature or just slightly warm before digging into it with a spoon; this takes patience.
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16
If you do it while it's hot, it's very runny and you will get too much creamy and what remains won't be as nice.
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17
It thickens as it cools.
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18
Store covered in refrigerator; it will thicken more yet, get sticky, chewy and creamy in spots.
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19
If it works for you, you can add cinnamon, raisins, or try other ideas.
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20
I don't know what would happen if you warmed the milk first but I think it wouldn't be the same.
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21
The cooking time may be up to 1/2 hour more than stated.
