This quick, easy, homemade melkkos is made from dough crumbles and can be served with a healthy sprinkling of cinnamon sugar within 25 minutes. A quintessential South African comfort food.
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What is Melkkos?
Melkkos (or milk food) is a traditional South African, Afrikaans dish that is basically a porridge made from milk, flour, butter and salt. It is served with a generous portion of cinnamon sugar and sometimes with a pat of butter.
Melkkos can be made in two different ways. This particular recipe or resep uses the dough crumbs method in which crumbs made from butter and flour are added to the milk and whisked until cooked.
The second method is also known as melksnysels and basically made by boiling a type of handmade noodle or dough cuttings in the milk. Let me know if I need to add a recipe for these as well!
Now - melkkos can be eaten by themselves as a standalone dish for lunch or supper, but can also be served as a pudding. Best eaten when curled up under a cosy blanket on a cold winter's evening!
Where did Melkkos originate?
Melkkos is a South African food, that was traditionally made during the calving season when the farmers had excess milk about.
However, similar recipes have been around since 7BC Persia (modern day Iran), and have also been documented by the Romans in the 15th century.
Milk and Cinnamon and Sugar...
I have quite a few recipes on Salty Ginger that rely quite heavily on milk and cinnamon and sugar. So if you want to try something else in the same realm of flavours be sure to check out:
Ingredients
Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.
- Milk - I like to use whole or full-fat milk.
- Butter or margarine can be used to create the dough crumbles.
- Salt to add flavour to the flour.
- Sugar - white, granulated or brown sugar can be used in this instance.
- Ground cinnamon to flavour the sugar.
Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.
Weighing Ingredients
Weighing ingredients is more accurate than measuring cups overall, and this is my recommendation for my recipes as they are all developed and tested using grams only. However, I have activated the US customary conversions on the recipe card, these are based on generally accepted conversions. Cups are equal to 236mL/ 8 fluid ounces, tablespoons are 15mL and teaspoons are 5mL.
For this particular recipe, cups and spoons will work perfectly fine as accuracy is not necessary for a perfectly perfect melkkos.
Measuring cups and spoons are an essential addition to every kitchen! Especially if you don't use a kitchen scale. For accurate measuring invest in a set to make sure you are adding the correct amount of ingredients. When in doubt - always use a level spoon or cup measure.
How to Make Melkkos from Dough Crumbles
Step 1 - Stir together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside for serving.
Step 2 - Decide on how thin or thick you want the melkkos to be. At 90g (¾ cup of flour) the melkkos is rather on the thinner side, while at 180g (1½ cups) the melkkos is thick, closer to the thickness of a set milk tart.
Step 3 - Cut the butter into small cubes, and add to the flour and salt. Rub the butter into the flour until you have a crumbly dough mixture.
Step 4 - Bring the milk to a boil. Once the milk is boiling and frothy turn down the heat to low.
Step 5 - While the milk is barely simmering, add in the dough crumble a spoonful or two at a time and whisk to combine. Once all the dough has been incorporated into the milk, allow cooking for a further 5 to 10 minutes, whisking or stirring occasionally.
TIP - If you like bigger lumps in your melkkos, stir with a spoon instead of a whisk.
TIP - For those who prefer a smoother texture, or can't handle food with differing textures, whisk the mixture vigorously and then blend the mixture using an immersion blender to give a smooth finish.
Step 6 - Once the melkkos has cooked, turn off the heat and allow it to stand for 5 minutes before serving with a healthy sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and a pat of butter.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
This recipe calls for a range of flour to be added to the milk during the cooking time. How thick you want the melkkos is dependent on how much flour you add to the milk.
If you prefer lumpier (terrible word) melkkos, then stir the milk with a spoon when adding in the dough crumbles.
If you prefer a smoother melkkos, especially if you or someone you know doesn't like textures in something like porridge, then carefully use an immersion blender to really smooth out the melkkos.
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📖 Recipe
Melkkos
Ingredients
- 100 grams sugar (caster/white/brown)
- 1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 90-180 grams plain flour (standard-grade/all-purpose)
- 30 grams butter
- 1.5 L milk
Instructions
- Stir together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside for serving.100 grams sugar, 1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Cut the butter into small cubes, and add to the flour and salt. Rub the butter into the flour until you have a crumbly dough mixture.90-180 grams plain flour, 30 grams butter
- Decide on how thin or thick you want the melkkos to be. At 90g (¾ cup of flour) the melkkos is rather on the thinner side, while at 180g (1½ cups) the melkkos is thick, closer to the thickness of a set milk tart. The more flour the quicker the melkkos will thicken up when cooking.
- Bring the milk to a boil. Once the milk is boiling and frothy turn down the heat to low.1.5 L milk
- While the milk is barely simmering, add in the dough crumble a spoonful or two at a time and whisk to combine. Once all the dough has been incorporated into the milk, allow cooking for a further 5 to 10 minutes , whisking or stirring occasionally.
- Once the melkkos has cooked, turn off the heat and allow it and for 5 minutes before serving with a healthy sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and a pat of butter.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs,I earn from qualifying purchases.
Christy says
This is such an interesting technique for making what's basically a custard, and it's really delicious. I'm an American living in Europe, so I've gotten used to the many uses of custard here, both European and British, but Americans primarily only eat it as "pudding," which for us is not any kind of sweet thing eaten after a meal but is only a very thick, spoonable custard, usually vanilla or chocolate, eaten as-is as a dessert. It is definitely not lumpy. If it is, we've made it wrong. But we also eat a wide variety of hot grain cereals for breakfast, from classic rolled oatmeal to finely ground grains cooked to a grainy custardy texture (called Cream of Wheat or Wheathearts or other things depending on the brand or sometimes just "hot cereal"), and for me, this melkkos is like an exact middle ground between pudding and hot cereal. It has a homey, comfortable feeling to it. I also put both nutmeg and vanilla in it, so the taste profile was probably a bit different. Thanks for the recipe. It will probably go in my file of comfort foods.
Mary-Lou says
Hi,
Yeah, it's crazy how different words and techniques are used across the globe.
Custard is so loved in South Africa, you will find it "fresh" in the fridge area, as well as UHT treated custard that is kept with the long-life milk products on the shelf. And then we use it on all "puddings".
But yeah, I think melkkos is definitely a unique approach to a custard base! And is definitely a comfort food.
Growing up, we also had American-type puddings, but they were more instant (adding milk to a powder) but smooth, coming in choc, vanilla and also butterscotch. There are probably more flavors by now.
Thank you for your comment, it's always great to hear about foods from different cultures!
Vicky says
Easy to follow and delicious recipe
Millie says
It worked 100%. The only thing I did different is add the sugar cinnamon after I added the wheat mixture to so that the sugar could melt in. Thank you
Vicky says
Love this recipe. So easy and delicious