Bread Halwa is a delicious and extremely simple dessert made from bread slices, milk, ghee and sugar. It is quite popular across India and in Tamilnadu, it is typically served in Muslim weddings but it is also famously served as a dessert with Biriyani meals. For real biriyani aficionados, this simple bread sweet is a must have with their favorite biriyani. We have been planning on making authentic bread halwa recipe at home for months now and finally made it happen. There are only four main ingredients and it does not take long at all, to make this sweet. But this recipe has no short-cuts and full disclosure, this is not a low-calorie dessert. It is rich, decadent and oh-so-delicious. In my honest opinion, nothing comes closer to the traditional, authentic way of making bread halwa where the bread slices are deep-fried slowly at low flame until crispy and golden. You can always check the substitutions and variations sections to make it without having to deep-fry, but the original recipe is an indulgence! Check out other halwa recipes – sooji halwa, carrot halwa, beetroot halwa, badam halwa, karachi halwa and kasi halwa.
Ingredients
Bread is the main ingredient for making the halwa. We will use white milk bread for best taste and texture. You can also use brown bread, but preferably sweet bread as it is used for making a dessert. Salted breads do not taste good for this sweet recipe. Ghee also known as clarified butter is used to fry the dry fruits used in the halwa, and also to flavor it. Milk is used to make the halwa creamier and to cook it to a perfect halwa consistency. You can choose to use any kind of milk or alternatively you can also use milk solids and unsweetened khova to flavor the bread sweet. Sugar is used to sweeten the bread halwa and you can use both white or brown sugar for this recipe. Cardamom Powder is used to make the halwa fragrant and it imparts a unique flavor too. Dry Fruits like Cashews, Almonds, Raisins and Melon Seeds are used to add texture to the halwa. I used only cashews as the dessert by itself is quite rich. For full list of ingredients and exact measurements, check the recipe below.
Step by Step Instructions
In a frying pan heat oil + ghee for deep frying. We add about 2-3 tablespoon ghee to mask the flavor of oil. As the oil gets hot, keep it on low flame. Meanwhile remove the edges of the bread and slice them into half. Gently drop 4-6 bread slices into hot oil for frying. Cook on low heat until the bread slices are golden brown. Remove from oil and drain off excess oil on a kitchen tissue. Repeat this with all the bread slices. In a heavy pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee. Add 10 whole cashews and fry until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. In the same pan add 1 cup sugar and add ½ cup water. Mix well until the sugar dissolves. Cook on low heat until the sugar syrup is bubbling. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, mix well. The sugar syrup should just be sticky, no need to check for string consistency. Now add the fried bread slices. Gently break them into smaller chunks and mix until the sugar syrup is well coated & absorbed by the bread slices. Next add 1.5 cups of milk and mix well. Cook on low flame until the bread starts to become soft, with a few crispy crunchy pieces around. The milk should be fully absorbed and it should begin to get to a halwa stage. It should take about 8-10 minutes. As the ghee + oil starts to ooze out from the sides of the halwa, remove from heat. Garnish with fried cashews or dry fruits (if any extra used) and mix well. Serve warm or cold as a dessert, especially with any biriyani.
Recipe Notes
This halwa is aptly sweet. Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness preferred.Do not use regular sandwich bread or salted bread. Milk bread or sweet bread should be used for this recipe.You can use any dry fruits and nuts in this recipe, depending on availability and preference.
Top Tip
Bread should be fried at lower temperature, making sure it is golden brown and crispy to get the halwa to the right texture. If the temperature of the oil is too hot, outside of bread gets fried soon but the inside will be still soft. Bread halwa has a softer texture but there are always tiny crispy bits of fried bread for the added texture. You can achieve it only if the halwa is not overcooked. Do not use any more than the amount of water and milk mentioned in the recipe. As the halwa gets to the right consistency, it starts to ooze out oil & ghee from the sides of the pan. This is the right stage to remove it from heat.
Substitutions & Variations
Deep frying bread is the authentic way for making bread halwa, especially muslim wedding style bread halwa recipe. However, if you prefer to make this recipe without deep frying, there are a few options –
You can use rusk in the place of bread slices. This will get you the right texture, but since the mixture will be too dry, add an additional ½ cup liquid – either water or milk. You should also add 1 or 2 tablespoons of ghee to get the halwa right.Bread slices can be shallow fried in oil or ghee. While this does not completely make the bread crispy, it takes away the raw taste and gets you closer enough results to the traditional bread halwa.Toast the bread slices in an oven or air fryer or in a pan – this method can be used if you prefer to use only 2-3 teaspoon of oil/ghee to cook the bread. But the result will not the same as the traditional recipe. There will be textural and taste difference.
I have used milk to bring the halwa together but to make a richer version, you can add ⅓ cup of unsweetened khova (milk solids). To make a vegan version of the bread halwa recipe, you can skip milk and replace it with water or use any plant-based milks as preferred. You can add any choice of dry fruits and nuts like cashews, almonds, pistachios, raisins and melon seeds. This authentic bread halwa recipe is flavored with cardamom powder but if preferred two drops of rose essence can also be added.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
Bread Halwa is traditionally served as a dessert alongside biriyani. It can be served both warm or chilled and it tastes equally good both ways. It can be stored at room temperature for a day and for longer shelf-life store in fridge in an airtight container. You can rest assured that there will not be textural difference at room temperature or when the halwa is chilled. If you prefer it warm, it can easily be reheated in a microwave for 20-30 seconds or on stovetop of 3-4 minutes.
More Quick Dessert Recipes
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