My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Umm Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding)
Umm Ali is a rich, creamy Egyptian bread pudding that’s as indulgent as it is easy to make. Layers of crispy puff pastry are soaked in sweet milk and cream, then topped with toasted nuts, raisins, and coconut for the ultimate texture and flavor combo. This authentic Middle Eastern dessert is perfect for gatherings—and guaranteed to impress! Follow the easy step-by-step recipe below.
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I actually didn’t love Umm Ali growing up… I never really gave it a chance and it was my least favourite amongst the middle eastern desserts I grew up on. But now as an adult, I can appreciate the milky soft pudding texture, the crispy outside, the sweet bursts from the raisins, and the crunchy nuts.
But really the best part about making this dessert is 1) how easy it is to make and 2) how fun the name is! I used to giggle as a child whenever I’d hear a dessert referred to as “umm Ali” which translates to “Ali’s Mother”.
You can make this recipe using either puff pastry or croissants. I’ve tested both ways and loved both, but my preferred method is using puff pastry. I found it has just a bit more body to it after soaking. But when you have stale croissants lying around, this is also one of the best ways to use them.
How to Make Umm Ali
Grab your ingredients! Note that you can use any nuts you love, and if you’re not a fan, the raisins are optional.
This recipe is usually made with sugar, but after testing it with sweetened condensed milk, it’s now the only way I make it. It adds more depth and a caramel-like flavour.
Finally – if you can’t find thick table cream that usually comes in small cans, you can skip it. This is for dolloping on top, but it’ll work without it too.
Start by thawing your puff pastry in the fridge overnight if its frozen, or leave it on the counter for a few hours. Then, bake it per package directions until it turns golden brown and gets really crispy.
Next, in a medium sauce pan, mix together the milk, whipping cream, spices, condensed milk and sugar. Place on medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring often.
Once boiling, remove from the stove. Time this process so that your milk mixture is hot when the puff pastry has cooled down.
Next, break up the puff pastry into smaller pieces and pile them into your baking dish. You can use any oven-safe baking dish; for this recipe amount I typically use a 9×13 inch dish.
Add some nuts and raisins in between the puff pastry layers, so that the nuts are dispersed across the whole pudding and not just on top.
Next, pour the milk mixture and spread it evenly all over the puff pastry. The pastry will start to soak up the liquid.
Top it with more nuts and coconut, but don’t add any raisins yet, otherwise they will burn (I learned this the hard way while testing!). Instead, add them when its almost finished baking. Add the thick cream in spoonfuls all over, smearing them slightly.
Bake then broil the top for 5-10 minutes. Add the raisins just before you take it out by a few minutes. Load it with more of the nuts and raisins, then serve immediately while piping hot.
How to make Umm Ali with Croissants
If you don’t have puff pastry, or more importantly, if you have stale croissants lying around, then use them! All you have to do is cut them up into large chunks, then bake them in the oven to dry them out until crispy.
This step will make it easier for them to hold up in the milk mixture. Then, just follow the rest of the recipe steps.
Make Ahead Instructions
If you are hosting or taking it to a friend’s house, I recommend you bake the puff pastry and tear it up, then layer in the baking dish. Leave it on the counter, loosely covered with plastic wrap.
Then, separately, mix the milk mixture and bring to a boil. Set it aside. Thirty minutes before you are ready to serve, warm up the milk mixture on the stove, then pour it over the puff pastry, top with nuts and bake.
The main thing to keep in mind is to serve it right out of the oven; you definitely don’t want to delay that. Once it cools down it tends to get more soggy.
More Middle Eastern Recipes You Will Love:
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Authentic Homemade Umm Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding)
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry , (400g, 15 square pieces)
- 1.5 liter milk, 2% or 3%
- 473 ml 35% whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk, (300ml)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 can table cream or ashta (nestle/puck brands), (170g)
- 1 cup almonds, chopped
- 1 cup pistachios, chopped
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Start by baking the puff pastry per package instructions until golden and crispy. If your puff pastry is not already cut, roll it out and cut into squares. Lay them on a large baking sheet and bake until puffed and crispy (roughly 15-20 minutes).
- Meanwhile mix together the milk, whipping cream, condensed milk, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon then place in a saucepan on medium heat and cook until just boiling (stirring frequently). Remove from the heat after a few seconds of boiling.
- Once the puff pastry has cooled, break each square into small pieces and place in a large casserole (9×13 inches).
- Layer with the nuts and shredded coconut, reserving some of each for garnish. Don't add the raisins yet or they will burn.
- Pour the hot milk mixture over the casserole, spreading evenly.
- Spread the can of table cream over the surface, placing dollops and smoothing them out as best as you can.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 15-20 mins until hot and bubbling, then broil for 5-10 mins until the surface is golden brown. Add the raisins a few minutes before removing from the oven to toast them.
- Serve immediately, with more nuts on the side for topping.
Notes
- If you don’t have puff pastry, feel free to use croissants. Especially if you have some stale ones lying around. Cut the croissants into large chunks and dry out in the oven until crispy, then follow the same steps
- You can make this ahead of time and re-bake just before serving (check the make ahead instructions section in the post), but it is the best freshly out of the oven!
- You can use many different types of nuts, make it your own!
Um Ali – Recipe is very tasty.,
Hi,
I have been leaving in the Middle East for the past 12 years and always loved this dessert. I had always thought it as a complicated dish only until few days ago when my teen asked if I can make it.
I tried your recipe, followed it exactly and it came out very very nice- to be honest better than some restaurant ones.
Thank you for your recipe, it’s definitely a keeper.
Hi Nadia! Love hearing that you enjoyed the recipe and that you think it rivals restaurants! Thanks so much for leaving us a review 🙂
We just made this tonight and the flavor was great but the amount of liquid we had in our dish was so much. Is it really one and a half liters of milk? We had so much liquid in our dish after baking.
Hi Michelle, Humaira from the HP team here. Thank you so much for your comment! A few thoughts, Umm Ali is not supposed to be completely dry, it’s normal for there to be some milk mixture at the bottom of the pan when serving. Also, as it sits it will also continue to absorb more of that milk mixture. The final result will depend on if you used puff pastry or croissants (croissants are mentioned in the post as a good replacement for puff pastry) and the amount that was used. The amount of milk is definitely up to personal preference, if you prefer it to be less milky/have less liquid, you can reduce the amount of the milk mixture. Hope that helps!
Hi! I have mini and large croissants in the freezer. Could you share how many would be sufficient if I was to replace them with the puff pastry? Thanks!
Hi Areej – I don’t know the exact amount, but maybe use the same size pan I recommend cutting the croissants in large chunks and placing them in the casserole so that they cover the full surface area. You can sort of nestle them in so they form a nice tight layer. That would be enough! I would also say to use the same amount in weight as the puff pastry (which is 400g) but I think the puff pastry will be heavier due to more butter/fat in the dough so perhaps going with the volume route is safer. Let me know how it goes!
I first tasted Om Ali in one of the leading hotels in Cairo, loved it so much, and have been trying to match their recipe ever since. This at last is THE ONE! It’s at least as good, and possibly better. I made it in a number of small 4 oz single serving ramekins. Thank you so much.
Wow, what a compliment! Thanks so much John for sharing your feedback and so glad you enjoyed it! 😀
OMG this is such a hit! My husband had this desert at a middle eastern restaurant and requested me if I can try making it and I instantly searched for Amina’s recipe as there’s no one else I can blindly trust when it comes to trying new recipes. It’s so well explained breaking every step into chunk size so that you don’t have any doubts or questions while making and I honestly can’t tell how tastyyy this is! Thanks Amina once again!! Always grateful for your presence!!
Hi
I love umm Ali and want to make it but I don’t have a broiler. What can I do instead?
Thanks in advance
Hi – could you give me the gram equivalents for the ingredients in cups please?
Thanks Phil
Hi Phil. For both the milk and the whipping cream, use the same conversion from L/mL to Kg/Grams. For example, 1.5L of milk = 1.5kg of milk. And 473mL of cream is 473g of cream (very close approximation and will work for the recipe). For the condensed milk and table cream, those are sold in the cans. Hope this helps!
Hi Amina – thank you for the information. Could you please tell me the amounts in grams for:
Sugar
Almonds
Pistachios
Raisins
Coconut
Many thanks
Phil
Hi Phil! Sure thing. For the granulated sugar, its 150g. Almonds: roughly 110g. Pistachios: roughly 130g. Raisins: roughly 150g. Coconut: roughly 80g. You can also play around with these based on increase your favourites and decreasing what you don’t like. Let me know how it goes!
delicious!! made it and it didn’t last very long in our house!! Thank you for another amazing recipe!
I made this tonight for our family dinner and it was a big hit. Served straight from the oven so it was warm and creamy. I would tweak the recipe to use only half of the wet ingredients as it was more than enough to make 2 x Um Ali.
Dear Amina,
Made this last night and boy, did it turn out to be creamy, delicious and comforting…perfect for these cooler evenings!
I upped my recipe to another 1/4 (which serves 10 people), and for that, a 9”x13” sized baking dish worked perfectly. Didn’t change a thing and followed your instructions to a T.
Thank you for the recipe once again!
Hi Nazish! Sounds perfect! So glad it worked out great for you, thanks for sharing!
I wanna try this for potluck tonight. Is puck cream same as table cream?
Hi Sam – It’s a bit different. It is a “thick cream”. There is a Nestle and Carnation brand as well as Puck. Its a small can – you can usually find it at Walmart or in the international aisle of some stores. If you can’t find it, you can also skip it. Good luck!
As Salaamy Alaikum!
Amina, thank you for this delish-looking recipe, going to make it today, In Sha Allah.
When you say “large casserole”, would you mind giving us the size for it, please?
Thank you!
A 9×13 pan should work! 🙂
Omg, I ate this delicious dessert in Dubai for the first time and it was love at first bite. Back at home I really wanted to try and make this myself. So I found your recipe and it worked out really well! So good! Everyone loved it. Thank you
That is so nice to hear! I’m so glad you were able to re-live that memory 🙂
This looks wonderful.
What is the size of “1 can table cream”. In the US, heavy cream does not come in cans.
Hi Amy, you may struggle to find this in the US. The US heavy cream is a liquid so that’s not what is called for here. This can of cream is like a clotted cream. Feel free to skip it if you can’t find it!
Actually, Amy, you can find it here in the US, or at least where I’m at in CA. Our local Walmart carries it in the Mexican foods aisle. It’s called “Nestle Media Crema Table Cream” and is available in 7.6 oz size cans.
Thank you for the help!
Well done very good recipe