Delicious wheat-rich Arabic bread pudding recipes for you to try

Arabic cuisine, especially desserts is more than the sticky baklava or cheesy kunafa studded with the signature green hue of pistachios or walnuts. So, we took a little detour and picked the comforting dessert of them all – Arabic bread pudding. Two of these recipes can be made with stale bread while the other does use wheat but not in the bread form. Try them all and share them with your loved ones.

1. Umm Ali (Serves 12)

Ingredients

• 400 gm puff pastry (15 squares)
• 1.5 liter full-fat milk
• 475 ml heavy cream
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• 300 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 200 gm granulated sugar
• 170 gm clotted cream
• 120 gm almonds
• 120 gm pistachios
• 120 gm raisins
• 60 gm shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. If using whole pastry sheets, cut them into 15 equal squares, and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Ensure that the squares don't touch each other.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and puffed. Check for a deep golden color and crispiness and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. Add milk, heavy cream, condensed milk, granulated sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon to a large pot and heat on medium flame, while stirring. Once it starts to boil, remove from heat.
5. Break the cooled pastry into bite-sized pieces and arrange in a neat layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle most of the nuts and coconut, saving some for garnish.
6. Pour hot milk mixture evenly over layers and add dollops of clotted cream on top. Smoothen the cream with the back of a spoon.
7. Place in a preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbling, then switch to broil for 5-10 minutes and watch for the top to turn golden-brown. Add raisins in the final 2-3 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven carefully and set aside for five minutes. Then sprinkle with reserved nuts and serve warm.

2. Aish El Sharaya (Makes 18 pieces)

Ingredients

Sugar Syrup:

• 375 ml granulated sugar
• 240 ml water
• 1 tsp rose water

Ashta (Cream Layer)

•  600 ml half n' half
•  600 ml heavy cream
•  180 gm granulated sugar
•  120 gm cornflour
•  1 tsp vanilla extract
•  1 tsp rose water

The base and garnish:

•  10 Pieces of White Sliced Toast Bread, trimmed of crust & toasted
•  60 gm Pistachio, crushed

Instructions

1. For the simple syrup, add sugar and water to a pot, stir, and let it come to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes and simmer for another 10 minutes for the syrup to thicken. Stir in the rose water and set aside.
2. Layer the nicely toasted white bread at the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Add ¾ of the syrup over the bread, making sure every piece gets to soak. Set aside.
3. Add the heavy cream, half n' half, sugar, and cornstarch to a pot and whisk. Once lump-free, put the pot over medium heat simmering for 15 minutes, while stirring, until it thickens.
4. The constant stirring helps to prevent a scorched bottom. Once the cream concoction is thick, set aside for five minutes then add the rose water and vanilla extract, stirring to mix.
5. Spread the ashta or cream layer over the soaked bread to form a thick coating.
6. Cover the pan with cling film or a lid and refrigerate for four to six hours.
7. Top with the crushed pistachios in a neat even layer over the cream and serve.

3. Ashura (Noah’s pudding) (Serves 12)

Ingredients

• 120 gm wheat berries
• 60 gm chickpeas
• 200 gm sugar
• 60 gm white beans
• 30 gm rice
• 120 gm raisins
• 60 gm dried figs
• 60 gm dried apricots
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• For garnish: ground cinnamon, pomegranate seeds, fresh figs, pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1. Just the night before cooking, soak the wheat berries, beans, chickpeas, and raisins in separate bowls with water. At least eight hours before you cook them.
2. Drain the water from the soaked wheat and transfer it to a big pot or kadhai. Pour 1.5 liters of water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low, and discard the foam with a spoon. Simmer for 40 minutes until tender.
3. Cook the strained beans and chickpeas in another pot until tender.
4. Add rice to the wheat vessel and cook until the rice is soft, adding the sugar gradually. Then add the cooked legumes, adding more hot water as needed. You should have a creamy concoction.
5. Add the lemon zest, raisins and chopped dried fruits, cooking for another five minutes.
6. Once all cookies, pour into serving bowls and let the Ashura cool to room temperature.
7. Then refrigerate until chilled, and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon sprinkle, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and fresh fig slices and serve.