Old-Fashioned Set Semolina Pudding with Strawberries l Traditioneller Griesspudding mit Erdbeeren

Dessert is always popular at our house, no matter the season. But sometimes it’s nice to prepare a treat that doesn’t require you to pull out all your baking equipment and that doesn’t require you to pre-heat your oven. As an added bonus, should you find yourself with any leftovers, they are pretty good served at breakfast time.

While I enjoy my ice cream maker a lot this summer, I still enjoy a good Old-fashioned Semolina Pudding (Griesspudding) every once in a while. Love the taste and the texture this pudding has, it reminds me of my summers spent at my grandmother’s house up North that seemed to have been filled with summer heat, wonderful food and time spent in her garden picking berries and veggies.

Semolina pudding is popular in Germany (where it is known as Griessbrei, the softer variety or Griesspudding, a more firm variety, perfect for molds), but it is also a popular dessert in a other countries including the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. 

There are as many recipes as there are variations of the recipe. Some people use water and milk, or only milk, some use milk and cream (like I do), some add egg yolks and beaten egg whites, or butter, some like the pudding to have a more runny consistency, while my personal preference is a semi-firm or set pudding, first cooled, then chilled for a good four hours in the fridge to firm up, then carefully turned upside down onto a pretty serving platter. If you prefer a creamier pudding, you can add an egg and some butter. For this, simply separate one fresh egg. Add the egg yolk and 1 tbsp of unsalted butter to the semolina pudding (after it sat for the 5 minutes). Whisk the egg white until very stiff, then fold it into the pudding. 

Some like to eat their Semolina Pudding warm while others eat it cold.

While looking for a proper mold for my pudding, I came across some pretty and elegant vintage glass pudding molds that I have been using them ever since. And I made sure to banish all those plastic ones from my kitchen cupboards forever.

The recipe is easy and quick and will certainly be enjoyed by everyone. I like to serve this Semolina Pudding with lots of fresh berries, homemade vanilla sauce (Vanillesauce) or fresh seasonal fruits as well. Let’s face it, nothing beats a comforting bowl, or slice, of semolina pudding. You can top it with what you like, apart from fresh fruit, you can serve heated homemade jam or jelly or a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar (Zimt Zucker), a caramel sauce, or a local honey.

 

Old-Fashioned Set Semolina Pudding

Ingredients for the Semolina Pudding

• 1 vanilla pod, sliced lengthways and seeds
• 750ml milk (skim or full fat is fine)
• 250ml cooking cream (double cream)
• 75g sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 100g fine semolina flour*

Additional

• one Pudding dish (one large or a few small ones)
• saran (cling) wrap

*NOTE: In Germany there are two types of semolina flour, the Hartweizengriess (“hard wheat semolina”, a durum wheat semolina) and the Weichweizengriess (“soft wheat semolina”, a semolina that is not durum and has a slightly lighter color). The later semolina flour is the one commonly used for semolina pudding in Germany, a similar product can be found in North America under the brand name “Cream of Wheat”. But my recipe will work with regular semolina flour as well.

Preparation 

1. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds as well as the bean to a medium saucepan. 
2. Add the milk, cream, granulated sugar, and salt to the pan and bring everything to a boil while whisking regularly.
3. Once the milk/cream mixture is boiling, remove the pan from the heat, take the vanilla pod out of the milk mixture, and add the semolina flour while whisking the mixture.
4. Place the pot back on the stove and wait for the mixture to come back to the boil while whisking regularly. Let the semolina pudding cook on very low heat for a few minutes - to avoid lumps, do not stopü whisking.
5. Then just stir the semolina pudding in the pot with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps.
6. Transfer the semolina mixture to the pudding/dessert mold, place the saran (cling) wrap directly onto the mixture (to prevent a skin from forming), let it cool down before placing it in the fridge for about four hours or until set and is firm to the touch.
7. Turn the pudding out onto a plate and serve with the toppings of your choice.

Selbstgemachter Grießpudding

Zutaten für dem Pudding

• 1 Vanilleschote
• 750ml Milch (1,5 oder 3,5%)
• 250ml Sahne
• 75g Zucker
• ¼ TL Salz
• 100g Weichweizengrieß

Zusätzlich

• eine Puddingform (eine große Form oder mehrere kleine Formen)
• etwas Frischhaltefolie
  
  

Zubereitung des Grießpuddings

1. Die Vanilleschote auskratzen und das Mark zusammen mit der Schote in einen mittleren Topf geben.
2. Milch, Sahne, Zucker und Salz ebenfalls in den Topf geben und aufkochen lassen.
3. Den Topf von der warmen Herplatte ziehen, die Vanilleschote aus der Milch-Sahne- Mischung herausnehmen, dann  den Grieß zugeben und mit dem Schneebesen kräftig umrühren.
4. Den Topf zurück auf den warmen Herd geben und auf niedrigster Hitze weiterrühren und einige Minuten vorsichtig köcheln.
5. Die Puddingform mit kaltem Wasser ausspülen und nicht abtrocknen.
6. Den noch warmen Grießpudding in die Form füllen, mit Folie abdecken, abkühlen lassen und für zirka vier Stunden in den Kühlschrank stellen bis der Pudding fest wird.
7. Den Pudding aus der Form auf einen Teller stürzen und mit selbstgemachter Vanillesauce, frischen Obst oder Zimtzucker servieren.

• To take a look at my Fried Semolina Slices with a Cherry Rhubarb Compote (Gebratene Grießschnitten), go HERE