Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding

Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding

Umm Ali  (Om Ali, Omali, Oumm Ali) is a traditional Egyptian Bread Pudding, made with Puff Pastry, a variety of nuts and/or dry fruits, and cream. The name  ‘Umm Ali’  translates to Mother of Ali. This is a warm dessert, which was first prepared during the Mamluk Era and named after the wife of a Sultan. Although the history of this dessert is entangled in a dark, tragic, revengeful story, the dessert has remained popular over the centuries.

The sweet,  warm, and milky dessert with a gorgeous mix of textures, is especially popular during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Scroll down for the Complete Recipe.

Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding

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Watch the Video  (to be uploaded soon ) or click to read Complete Recipe – Below. 

The dark history of the centuries-old bread pudding, Umm Ali.

During the Ayyūbid dynasty (the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt), there was a slave Shajarat al-Durr. She was purchased as a slave by As Salih Ayyub who later went on to become the Sultan. He had a son with Shajarat, and later freed her as a slave and took her as his wife.

10 years after he came to rule, he died of illness. Shajarat and the Chief of the Army decided to keep the death secret since the country was under attack by Crusaders at the time. She went to great lengths and turmoil to maintain her power.

The dead Sultan’s son – Al-Muazzam Turanshah, and Shajarat fought over the power, wealth, and jewelry of the late Sultan. She complained to the Mamluks (slave soldiers, and freed slaves who were assigned high-ranking military and administrative duties,). This led to the assassination of Turanshah. He was the last of the Ayyubid Sultans.

Shajarat, went on to rule Egypt as the Sultana for three months. However, when she failed to get recognition from the Caliph as was customary, she first married Izz al-Din Aybak (a commander who served in the court of the late sultan As Salih Ayyub), then abdicated and passed the throne to her husband, hoping to silently have power over her husband and sultan.

With this also came the death of the Ayyubid dynasty and the birth of the Mamluk state.  (The Mamluk Dynasty was  the first to be born of these slave soldiers.) But Shahjarat and Aybak were always trying to overpower each other. Shajarat who was a strong, former Sultana and quite able, always wanted to be in power. She forbade Aybak from meeting his other wife and often concealed Sultanate affairs from him. Aybak, in his quest for supremacy, decided to marry the daughter of a strong Emir, who could help him in his efforts. When Shajarat learned of this, she ordered her servants to murder him. She was arrested by Aybaks mamluks who wanted her killed, but she was rescued by the Salihiyya Mamluks who kept her safe at the Red Tower.

The 15-year-old al-Mansur Ali, son of Aybak became the new Sultan. The new Sultan and his mother had Shajarat beaten to death in revenge for killing Aybak.. The Sultan’s mother, Umm Ali (Mother of Ali) celebrated the death of Shajarath by making a special dessert. It is said that the dessert was distributed amongst the people to celebrate, and each dessert contained a gold coin. The people were overjoyed and chanted, “Umm Ali, Umm Ali!”. And that is how the dessert was forever known. It remains popular to this day.

How to make Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding- Recipe at a glance:

• Bake the plain puff pastry, or use ready-made substitutes. See notes under recipe.
• Prepare a hot milk mixture.
• Chop assorted nuts. Gather dried fruit
• Layer baking dish with the puffs and assorted ingredients, in layers.
• Pour over the hot, sweetened milk. Rest for 5 minutes to soak up some of the milk.
• Prepare whipped topping.
• Dollop over the top of the dessert.
• Pop back in the oven. Get the top golden. Garnish with nuts and dried fruit.
• Detailed recipe below…

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Ingredients:

• 500 gm Puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions
• 1 Egg, beaten (for Egg wash)
• 500 ml Milk
• 200 ml Kara Coconut Cream
• 200 ml Kara Coconut Cream (chilled in the fridge for more than a day)
• 190-200 gms Mascarpone ( soft cream cheese, used for cheesecake may be used  if Mascarpone is not available)
• Sugar, to taste 3-4 Tbsp
• Powdered /Icing Sugar to taste 3-4 Tbsp
• 4-6 tsp Vanilla extract, divided
  1/3 cup Pistachio kernels (plus 2 Tbsp for sliced garnish)
• 1/3 cup Cashew nuts (plus 2 Tbsp for sliced garnish)
• 2 Tbsp Almonds (for sliced garnish)
• A handful of Black and/or Golden Raisins
• Optional ingredients:( Roasted hazelnut, walnuts, and Coconut flakes or desiccated coconut)

Same Recipe Video is available on the Recipe page⇑.

On Laptop, is recommended that you open the recipe page and keep this page going if you like to WATCH / LISTEN to the video alongside the written instructions.

Key Ingredients: Puff Pastry, Milk, Coconut Cream, Mascarpone, Sugar, Dried Fruit and Nuts.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried – Umm Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding