Om Ali Recipe (Egyptian Bread Pudding)

serving of egyptian bread pudding in a red patterned bowl topped with pistachios.

Om Ali Recipe (Egyptian Bread Pudding)

Om Ali (aka Um Ali) is a delicious Egyptian dessert that’s the Middle Eastern version of bread pudding. My version is made with buttery croissants, milk and heavy cream, with a hint of cardamom. Add nuts in the pudding, or top it with some, it’s divine either way.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings

Calories 329kcal

Author Wajeeha Nadeem

Equipment

10 inch cast iron skillet
Stand mixer

Ingredients

4 medium sized croissants - roughly torn into bite size pieces about 2 cups
3 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch A pinch of cinnamon powder optional
1 cup heavy cream whipped to soft peaks or use eshta balady (clotted cream) or even cool whip
Assorted nuts for topping I used slivered pistachios

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200 C. Arrange the croissant pieces on a baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes or so, until they’re slightly crispy.
While the croissants are crisping up, add milk, heavy cream, sugar, and cardamom powder to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
Place the croissant pieces in an ovenproof dish and then pour over the hot milk mixture.
Now spread the whipped cream all over the surface of the om ali, and turn on the broiler of the oven.
Place the cast iron skillet in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes or so, until the top is golden brown.
Remove from oven and top with slivered pistachios or your favorite nuts and raisins.
Let rest for a few minutes, and then serve. Om Ali tastes best when warm, but its good to eat cold as well.

Video

Notes

Croissants: Traditionally, um ali is made with an Egyptian flatbread called roaa. However, you can use bread, baked puff pastry, or even palmiers for this recipe.
Milk: Use full cream milk for this recipe for the creamiest results.
Heavy cream: also known as whipping cream.
Sugar: I use white granulated sugar, but I think brown sugar should be okay too.
Cinnamon powder: Traditionally cardamom powder is used in this recipe, but cinnamon brings a lovely warmth too.
Whipped Cream: Add 1 teaspoon sugar to heavy cream, and whip until soft peaks have formed. You can also use eshta balady (clotted cream) or cool whip for the topping.
Nuts: Use your favorite types of nuts such as slivered almonds and chopped cashew nuts. Raisins are a lovely addition too. If using nuts in the pudding, add it to the milk mixture.
Baking notes: The whipped cream on top caramelizes really fast, so only broil for 2-3 minutes and keep a constant eye on the pudding to avoid burning it.

Nutrition