Om Ali (also spelt Umm Ali) actually means Mother of Ali, and it's a dessert that you'll find at any feast or large gathering in Egypt. It's a very simple bread pudding that is made with a sweetened milk mixture, and generous servings of clotted cream. Unlike most bread puddings, this is instead made with pastry and once baked, it is topped with all manner of nuts, sultanas, and even coconut. Om Ali is truly a regal dessert in texture, flavour and potentially origins, and it's definitely something you should try out.
If you want to see how I make Om Ali, or prefer video recipes, check out the full video recipe here
What is Om Ali
The simplest way to describe Om Ali, is a bread pudding that uses pastry instead of bread. This is traditionally made with Goulash (A pastry similar to filo, not the dish I covered last week) pastry sheets, which are baked and then soaked with sweetened milk. The benefit of using pastry, is that it will absorb some of the sweetened milk without developing a soggy and mushy texture like bread does. Personally I forego the Goulash pastry, and instead make this with either Croissants or Palmiers, which I toast before soaking in the milk. I find that the puff pastry used in those goods ends up with a very similar texture to the Goulash, while the crispy-ness of it, helps to give the pudding structural integrity. When the pastry has been soaked, it's added to an oven proof baking dish then topped with a healthy amount of clotted cream. Before it goes under a broiler, it's sprinkled with sugar and then allowed to caramelize and form a crystalline skin on top. Once it comes out of the oven, it's topped with your chosen toppings then served while steaming hot.
It's an extremely simple recipe, that is easily customised by the toppings added to it. It's common to add lots of nuts to the dish, such as hazelnuts, flaked almonds and pistachios, which provide the pudding with a crunchy contrast to the soft texture. Adding sultanas or raisins is also common, and they provide a squishy texture with bursts of fruity sweetness. You'll commonly encounter Om Ali at weddings and parties in Egypt, as it's a common buffet food and easy to make in large quantities. My mother in law likes to make it for family feasts when we have a large number of guests, but in my household we make it when
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I can't be the only one. I get excited to try a beer and bam, pure sugar. How people drink any pastry style beer is beyond me. Not every beer needs to have lactose added as well. Just why?
Hello bakers!
I've been laid off for what feels like forever. Finding this sub has really helped with not only my mental health, but also keeping my mind sharp.
I have a disgusting large cookbook library at my disposal and plenty of free time, so please, ask away!
What's your baking question? Searching for recipe comparisons? Need help troubleshooting? I'm here for you!
Happy Holidays and happy baking!!
edit: my kids just got home so I'll be jumping on and off of here throughout the evening!
edit: the kids are basically feral tonight since it's the start of Christmas break here. I might be replying late/in the morning but I'm loving the questions. There's a few I'll be pulling books out for for sure!
And if you say greggs then you're a degenerate boglin
I might be overthinking this! I'm doing an online class later making profiteroles.
I have:
- large ordinary aluminium 'Dutch oven' like this:
- large cast iron Dutch oven like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076NOI7A/?tag=akoarticle-20
- small (6 inch) non-stick saucepan
Should I avoid using the cast iron as it will hold too much heat and overcook the creme patissiere/choux?
Edit: thanks everyone! I made both in the aluminium pot and it was no problems. Literally the best choux Iβve ever made. https://imgur.com/gallery/efmjQR0
Madison is severely lacking in savory pastries. Batch Bakehouse and Madison Sourdough is breaking in a bit but imagine if they pushed savory as much as everything else. There's a place in ABQ that focuses on savory and it's ridiculously incredible. I hate sweet stuff so I'm biased but this is a market opportunity waiting to happen!
