Bread Halwa Recipe With Leftover Bread

Bread halwa is a soft, rich, and delicious Indian sweet which includes ingredients like bread, milk, sugar, and ghee. This bread halwa is a quick dessert recipe that can be prepared easily at home with simple kitchen ingredients. This sweet is popular because it tastes satisfying and wonderful and does not require much time to prepare. 

One of the best things about this recipe is that you can prepare it using leftover bread instead of throwing it away. If you have extra bread slices at home, you can turn them into this tasty homemade dessert for your kids, family, and friends. This recipe is simple and budget-friendly which does not require expensive ingredients in its making.

This dessert has a soft texture with a slightly creamy taste alongside. The roasted bread, milk, ghee, cardamom powder when mixed together create this warm and comforting flavour which is mouth watering. Adding dry fruits like cashews and raisins make this dessert even more tempting and delicious. This easy bread halwa recipe is perfect during festivals, special occasions, sweet cravings, or even simply as a dessert after meals. Since this dessert can be made in less time, it makes it a great option when you want to prepare something sweet but homemade without spending hours in the kitchen. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

This bread halwa recipe is very simple and does not include any complicated steps or skills. Even beginners can make this easily by following a few simple steps. Instead of throwing away the extra bread slices, you can turn them into this delicious homemade dessert which helps reduce food waste at home and make good use of ingredients which are already available at home. It is a great way to use leftover bread at home. 

Bread halwa takes very little time to prepare when compared to traditional sweets. It feels soft, rich, and satisfying at the same time. This recipe uses basic ingredients that are commonly found in most of the kitchens so you do not need to buy expensive items. Since this dessert is also easily customisable, you can add dry fruits like cashews, saffron, chocolate, or extra flavours based on your taste and preferences and make a variety of variations of the recipe. 

When this bread halwa is served warm, it tastes comforting and delicious, especially during rainy days and festive evenings. Now, let’s take a look at all the ingredients we require.

Ingredients To Make Bread Halwa

• 6 bread slices
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• Cardamom powder
• Dry fruits like Cashews and raisins
• Saffron strands (optional)

Helpful Ingredient Tips 

1. You can use brown bread or white bread for this recipe. White bread gives a soft texture to the bread halwa while the brown bread adds a slightly healthier touch to the results. You can also use leftover sandwich bread for this bread halwa.
2. If you want to give halwa a more natural sweetness, you can replace sugar. The best replacement for sugar is jaggery which adds natural sweetness to the dessert. Jaggery also gives the perfect colour to the halwa.
3. Adding a small amount of condensed milk to the bread halwa makes it creamier and more flavourful. 
4. Dry fruits can be adjusted as per your choice. You can add dry fruits like cashews, almonds, pistachios, or raisins based on your preferences and taste. If you do not want dry fruits, you can reduce the quantity of them or skip them completely. 
5. It is best recommended to use full-fat milk for a creamy and rich consistency bread halwa. It helps the dessert become soft and smooth. You can also use low-fat milk if you want a lighter version of this recipe. 

Step-by-step method

Step 1: Preparing the bread pieces

1. Take the bread slices and cut them into small pieces. You can also cut the edges if you want a smoother version but it is completely optional.
2.  Small pieces help the bread absorb milk properly and cook overall evenly. If you are using left over bread, this recipe will turn out the best because dry bread absorbs milk nicely. 

Step 2: Roasting the bread pieces 

3. Take a pan or a kadai and add two tablespoons of butter or ghee. Once the  ghee starts becoming warm, add the cut bread pieces into it.
4. Start roasting the bread pieces on both the sides until the colour of a turns golden brown and become slightly crispy while stirring continuously. 
5. Be careful not to burn the bread pieces because it can make the halwa taste bitter. 

Step 3: Preparing the milk

6. Then to the same pan add 2 cups of milk and mix everything gently and let the milk boil on low flame.
7. You will start noticing that the bread pieces absorb the milk and become soft. You have to frequently stir the mixture to avoid the bread pieces sticking to the bottom of the pan.
8. Once the bread becomes soft you can add sugar according to the sweetness required and a pinch of cardamom powder to the pan for flavour.
9. Mix everything well until sugar dissolves completely and if you want to add condensed milk you can add it at this stage for a richer flavour of bread halwa. 

Step 4: Continue cooking

10. Continue cooking the bread halwa on low flame while stirring it continuously. You will notice that the milk reduces in its quantity and the mixture will become thick and soft like a usual halwa. 
11. Now to it, add a few roasted cashews and raisins and cook the bread halwa for about 4 to 5 minutes until it starts leaving the sides of the pan.

12. Then you can turn off the flame and transfer the bread halwa into a serving bowl. Garnish it with some almonds, raisins, or saffron strands for an appealing look and serve it warm for the best taste. 

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Avoid roasting the bread pieces on high flame because it can burn the bread pieces and give a bitter taste to the bread halwa. Always cook the bread pieces on low to medium flame for perfect roasting.
• Be mindful of the amount of sugar you add to the bread halwa since condensed milk and few breads already contain sweetness, it is recommended to add sugar gradually while tasting it.
• Do not cook the halwa on high flame. Doing so can make the milk dry too quickly and may spoil the texture. 
• Do not add all the milk at once. Adding the milk and leaving the mixture without stirring can create lumps in the halwa. Always mix gently after adding milk so the bread can be cooked evenly. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How is bread halwa made?

Bread halwa is made by roasting the bread pieces in ghee, cooking the pieces with sugar syrup and milk until it becomes soft and finally garnishing it with nuts.

2. Are double ka meetha and bread halwa the same?

Yes, Double ka meetha and bread halwa are the same desserts. These both are popular Hyderabadi sweets which are made by Deep flying the bread slices or pieces in ghee then soaking them in sugar syrup with milk often with khoya.

3. What is the name of bread halwa in Hyderabad?

The name of bread halwa in Hyderabad is double ka meetha which is a traditional Hyderabadi desert arising from Deccani Mughlai cuisine.

4. What are 5 examples of quick breads?

Common examples of quick breads include banana bread, zucchini bread, muffins, scones, and biscuits.