Just a couple delightful spring recipes

April 8, 2025

If you’re ready to start planning your Easter menu, I’m here to help! These cinnamon rolls are perfection at an Easter brunch. And the rizogalo, or rice pudding, that follows is a happy uncomplicated ending to an Easter dinner when you’re totally exhausted and need pure comfort.

Whole Wheat Caramel Rolls
Don’t let the name fool you–this lovely recipe from my old college friend Christy is neither whole-grainy-tasting nor healthy in the least. When I was in grad school, decades ago, we used to have these huge Easter brunches with my roommates and many friends. Once one of our guests was a fellow from France, not somebody I knew but one of my roommates’ friends. He was into these rolls. So much so that when he happened to pedal past me on the street a few days after our Easter brunch, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “I really love your buns!”

1 1/3 c whole wheat pastry flour

3 T sugar

1 t salt

1 pkg active or instant dry yeast

1 c milk

2 T butter

1 to 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

In a large stand mixer bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. In saucepan, heat milk and butter just until milk is warm. (To get the proper temperature, I always go by the guidelines on the yeast package, and I always use a thermometer.) (This is on account of destroying many yeast breads and rolls because of killing the yeast with too hot a liquid, or failing to get it going with too cool a liquid.) Add to flour mixture. Blend at lowest speed until moistened, then beat 2 minutes at medium speed.

By hand stir in the all-purpose flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on a floured board until elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn over to leave top greased. Cover and rise in a warm place until doubled–about 45 minutes.

While it is rising, prepare your pan. In a 9″ round pan, put:

1/4 c melted butter

2/3 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c chopped nuts

a good shake of cinnamon

Punch down dough when raise is finished. Roll it out into a 12″ x 16″ rectangle. Using a brush, spread with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Just do a nice healthy amount. The dough should be covered but not gobbed with sugar and cinnamon. I suppose if you wanted to add some raisins, now would be the time.

Roll the dough into a fairly snug cylinder starting on the 16″ side. Slice it into 1″ slices. Now place these into your prepared pan, cover, and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

With 15 or 20 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until nicely golden brown. Invert onto a plate immediately, and gobble up joyfully. These certainly need no icing.

(If you want them early in the morning, start the night before, and when you have your slices in the pan, cover and place in the fridge. The second rise will happen very slowly in the fridge and the pan will be ready to bake in the morning.)

Maria Ott’s Rizogalo
This recipe was a winner in a 1996 Los Angeles Greek Cooking Olympics covered in the Los Angeles Times. My marvelous grandfather sent me the clipping because I was about to be a new bride to a Greek. I’ve been grateful to this Maria Ott for her wonderful recipe ever since. I have altered it a bit by adding a cinnamon stick during the cooking. I like cinnamon.

1 c rice

2 c water

5 c plus 2 T milk

just under 1 c sugar

1 cinnamon stick

grated zest from 1 lemon

2 egg yolks

1 T cornstarch

Put rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until rice has absorbed water, about 7 minutes. Add 5 cups milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring constantly. (Drag a stool over to the stove for that part.)

Reduce heat to low. Beat egg yolks and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of milk. Add small amount of hot rice mixture to egg mixture and blend. Add egg mixture to saucepan with remaining rice mixture. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Pour pudding into a pretty serving bowl and chill.

[This is Julie now, not Maria.] The question of whether you should cover the top directly with plastic wrap as it cools, in order to avoid a skin forming, or leave it off for the express purpose of forming a skin, is entirely personal and will be left up to the reader. I have heard strongly-maintained opinions for both methods from committed Greeks of each camp. But no matter which method you follow, shake a good sprinkle of cinnamon on top before serving.

Wishing you joy at your shared table, whatever you celebrate!