Proof of bread’s versatility lies in the many ways in which one can prepare bread and the uncountable food combinations it can be combined with. Here are some of our favorite bread desserts!
Bread is a staple, found in most kitchens all over the world. Its popularity cannot be overstated. It can be baked, toasted, cooked, fried and treated in a variety of other ways. So, of course, people have experimented with this humble food item. From French toast to shahi tukda, over the years, several desserts have evolved that use the simple bread slices as their base. Here are some dessert recipes using bread as the hero ingredient, which highlight the versatility of this food item as an ingredient.
1. French Toast
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (Optional)
- salt to taste
- 6 thick slices of bread
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or more as needed
Directions:
- In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- Dunk the bread in the egg mixture and soak on both sides.
- Cook the soaked bread on a hot pan with simmering butter for a few minutes until it’s golden.
- Serve with toppings of your choice.
2. Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 cup milk
- Raisins, handful
- 4-5 bread slices
- 2 -3 tsp marmalade
Directions:
- Break two eggs in a bowl and whisk.
- Add the sugar, vanilla and milk, and mix them altogether. Add the raisins in the mixture.
- Line a dish with the bread slices cut into cubes.
- Add the mixture over the bread. Glaze with some marmalade.
- Put the dish on a steamer and place it in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Or bake for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy warm.
3. Shahi Tukda
Ingredients:
For the Rabdi:
- 3 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
For the shahi tukda:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- Ghee, for deep frying
- ¼ tsp saffron strands
- 4 slices white bread
- 100 gms dried apricots, soaked overnight and drained
- 2 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped
Directions:
For the rabdi:
- Heat milk in a pan until it comes to a boil. Keep stirring until it thickens.
- Remove from heat and add the sugar and cardamom powder.
- Set aside. It will thicken as it cools.
For the shahi tukda:
- In a pan, add 2 cups of water and add sugar to it. The heat will cause a syrup to form. Keep stirring till it has a one-string consistency, aka when pressed between two fingers, which are then brought apart, it creates a single string between the fingers.
- Add the apricots to the syrup and cook till they are tender. Remove them from the syrup and set both aside.
- In another pan, combine the milk with saffron. Add the prepared sugar syrup and let it simmer. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Heat butter in a pan and deep fry the bread slices till golden and crisp.
- Soak the fried bread in the warm milk for a few minutes.
- Sandwich the cooked apricots between the bread.
- To serve, add the rabdi on the apricot sandwiches. Sprinkle pistachios on top and serve warm.
4. Creamy Bread Roll
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup hung curd
- Sugar as per taste
- 2 slices bread
- 2 tbsp butter
Directions:
- In a bowl, mix together the hung curd and the icing sugar.
- Take two slices of bread with the crusts cut off. Roll them out.
- Add the hung curd mixture to the flattened bread and roll it up.
- Spread butter over the rolls and bake them for a few minutes, till golden brown.
5. Bread Halwa
Ingredients:
- 5 kiwis
- 8 brown bread slices
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp cashew nuts, chopped
- 1 tbsp almonds, chopped
- 1 tbsp pistachios, chopped
- 1 tsp green cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp raisins
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup khoya/mawa, grated
Directions:
- Peel and chop the kiwis. Blend until they’re the consistency of a puree.
- In a pan, add the kiwi puree and sugar, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens.
- Parallely, toast the bread and then cut it into small, inch-long pieces.
- In another pan, add some ghee, cashews, almonds, pistachios and raisins, and saute them.
- Add the cardamom powder to the kiwi mixture and mix. Add the bread pieces to this and mix.
- Add the milk and khoya to the pan and continue cooking.
- Add the sauteed nuts and mix.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve hot.