315 – Oum Ali – Arabic Bread Pudding Recipe / أم علي – حلوى خبز المكسرات

Ingredients :

• 4 large croissant (preferably 1 day old)
• 2 cups and 1/4 cup (500 ml) milk
• 1/3 cup (67 grams) white sugar
• 2 cups (500 ml) of heavy cream + 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 2 cups mixed chopped nuts ( almonds, pistachios, walnuts)
• 1 tablespoons of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup of raisins (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar

Directions :

Step 1: Preparing the Ingredients
1- If you are using fresh croissant, toast it in the oven for 10 minutes for it to be crunchy. If you are using a 1 day old croissant, you can skip this step.
2- Chop the nuts into small pieces
3- Soak the raisins in hot water for 30 minutes
4- Preheat your oven to 360 F / 180 C

Step 2: Preparing the Milk Mixture
1- Place the milk in a sauce pan. Add the sugar.
2- Heat the milk on medium heat, while stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved the milk reaches a boiling point.
3- In the meantime, place the heavy cream in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Beat the heavy cream using an electrical beater for a few minutes until it becomes thick and white (like clouds). Make sure not to overbeat, otherwise, the heavy cream can curdle. Also, make sure the heavy cream, bowl, and whisks are cold (place them in the fridge 1 hour before).
4- Once the milk is ready, remove it from the heat. Let it cool down a bit and add the vanila extract.

Step 3: Assembly of Oum Ali
1- I am using a medium round baking pan. Use the pan of your choice (medium size).
2- Cut the croissant in medium-large pieces and place a first this layer in the baking pan.
3- Cover the croissant with the chopped nuts, raisins (that you drained from water), and sprinkle the unsweetened shredded coconut.
4- Cover the nuts with a second layer of the croissant pieces.
5- Pour the milk evenly over the croissant. Make sure all the surface of the Oum Ali gets soaked with the milk. Gently push down on the Oum Ali, so all the croissant get soaked.
6- Cover the top of Oum Ali with a thick layer of whipped cream.
7- Dust powdered sugar on top of the whipped cream to get the nice golden color of Oum Ali.

Step 4: Final Steps
1- Bake the Oum Ali for 20 minutes or until done. The surface of Oum Ali should have a beautiful golden brown color when done.
2- Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Serve in small bowls and top with the remaining whipped cream – top with chopped nuts. The whipped cream will melt and create a nice milky liquid that gives even more moisture to the Oum Ali.
Bon Appetit!