Made with phyllo pastry rather than chunks of stale bread, Omm Ali: Egyptian bread pudding is a delicious dessert option.
Think of a Different Bread Pudding
Every other bread pudding recipe is made with little cubes of stale bread. Sometimes it is sourdough, sometimes croissants, sometimes raisin bread, but nevertheless it's basically the same hard bread squares. Let's try something different here. Let's try making some Omm Ali: Egyptian bread pudding.
What makes this bread pudding different is that it uses phyllo pastry. Phyllo pastry is sometimes difficult to work with. If you are trying to make Baklava or almond fingers or apricot parcels and you let the phyllo sheets get dry, working with them will be like trying to piece together the Dead Sea scrolls. But this flaky, tasty pastry that can lead you to madness can, in this case, lead you to a unique version of bread pudding.
Ingredients
To make Omm Ali: Egyptian bread pudding, you are going to need:
- 12 sheets phyllo pastry
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup cream
- 1 beaten egg
- 2 tablespoons rose water (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Crème Anglaise
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Using two baking sheets, bake the phyllo pastry for 15 minutes.
- Remove the phyllo from the oven and turn the oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Scald the milk and cream by bringing them to a simmer.
- Temper in the beaten egg and add the rose water.
- Cook over low heat until it thickens to nappé stage.
- Crumble the phyllo pastry.
- Layer the phyllo, nuts, and raisins in a casserole dish ending with a layer of phyllo.
- Pour the custard mixture over the contents of the casserole.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Dust the top with the cinnamon.
- Serve with the Crème Anglaise.
Omm Ali: Egyptian Bread Pudding
If this is your first time using phyllo, then this really is a good place to start. Phyllo has a tendency to dry quickly and then crumble when you touch it. This recipe will give you some experience working with the delicate pastry without having to worry about keeping it perfect. I think that once you taste your Omm Ali: Egyptian bread pudding you will make it your go to bread pudding.
