A classic Egyptian dessert with puff pastry base soaked in sweet creamy hot milk, topped with nuts and raisins, baked to perfection. Umm Ali is deliciously creamy and rich bread pudding that is truly a comforting dessert.
A decadent bread pudding dessert made from Crispy puff pastry and it’s smothered with a sweet cream and milk mixture and topped with nuts, raisins and coconut. Its delicious, creamy and comforting and is perfect dessert for a gathering. It is especially popular dessert to make for Ramadan and Eid !
What is Umm Ali ?
Umm Ali is traditional version of Egyptian bread pudding and it’s the national dessert of Egypt. Umm Ali literally translates as Mother of Ali. It was named after Sultan Ezz El Din Aybak’s wife, back in the 13th century. She prepared this bread pudding to celebrate her victory and distributed it amongst the people. Thats how this dessert got named after her.
You can make this recipe using either puff pastry or croissants. I have used puff pastry in this recipe. But if you have stale croissants lying around, the best way to use them is to make Umm Ali.
Ingredients For Umm Ali
The ingredients for Umm Ali are quite basic.
- Milk – Use Full cream milk
- Puff Pastry – ready rolled puff pastry sheets.
- Cream – you can use thickened cream or Double cream. I prefer to use Nestle Reduced Fat cream. flavor low fat but the flavour and texture it brings to the milk is great,
- Sweetened condensed milk. It not only add sweetness but also makes the milk slightly thickened and it taste decadent.
- Granulated Sugar I use raw sugar, you can also use white sugar. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to your liking. I prefer less sugar.
- Cardamom and Cinnamon – i used whole cardamom and cinnamon powder to flavour the milk.
- Almonds, Pistachios, Raisins and desiccated Coconut – Handful full of all these. I used almond flakes and chopped pistachios. They are added in the layers and then some are sprinkled on the top. All of these will be layered in the pudding plus added on top when serving!
How to Make Umm Ali
- Thaw puff pastry and cut it into squares. Bake it until its golden and crispy.
- Add milk, cardamom, cinnamon, sugar and condensed milk in a pot. Bring it to boil. Add cream and mix well. Once its boiling simmer it to for few minutes and then set aside. But don’t let it cool down.
- In a baking tray break apar the puff pastry and arrange it in a layer. Sprinkle some almonds, pistachios, raisins and coconut. Pour half of the milk mixture over. Arrange second layer of remaining puff pastry followed by nuts and coconut. Pout the remaining milk mixture over.
- Bake in the oven at 180 C for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Watch How to Make Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding
Can You Make Umm Ali Ahead ?
Umm Ali is best served fresh and hot, straigh t from the oven. But when you are planning to host you can definitely make some prep and bake it later.
Prepare the puff pastry and then layer in the baking dish. Leave it on the benchtop covering it with cling wrap.
Prepare milk mixture as well and set it aside. When you are ready to assemble the pudding heat up the milk again until its hot. Pour it over the puff pastry, top with nuts and bake.
Other Desserts to Try
Basbousa
Baklava
Walnut Kataifi Rolls
Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 Sheets Ready Rolled Puff Pastry Sheets See Notes
- 700 ml Milk
- 200 ml Thickened Cream See Notes
- ⅓ Cup Sugar See Notes
- 300 g Condensed Milk
- ⅓ Cup Almond Flakes
- ⅓ Cup Chopped Pistachios
- ⅓ Cup Raisins
- ⅓ Cup Desiccated Coconut
- 2-3 Cardamoms
- Pinch Cinnamon Powder
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry and cut it into squares. Bake in the oven until puffed and golden brown.
- In a pot add milk, cardamom, cinnamon, sugar and condensed milk. Bring it to boil while stirring it. Turn the heat low and add cream. Stir it and bring it to boil over medium heat. Simmer for 5-7 minutes and then set aside. The milk should remain hot.
- Break the puff pastry into small pieces and layer half of them in a oven proof dish. Pour half of the milk mixture over and sprinkle some nuts, coconut and raisins.
- Layer the remaining puff pastry over and pour the remaining milk mixture and nuts again.
- Bake it in oven at 180 ℃ for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve it hot.
Notes
- Store Bought croissants can also be used as an alternative. Break them apart and layer them over following the same procedure above.
- You can use thickened cream or double cream. I prefer to use Nestle reduced fat cream.
- You can adjust the quantity of sugar to suit your taste. You can also add more condensed milk instead of sugar.
