History books recount that as early as the 11th century, English cooks reused leftover bread to create a pudding that later became known as ‘poor man’s pudding’. At a time of widespread food shortages, it was prepared simply with boiling water, sugar and spices. Only in the 13th century were eggs and milk added to the recipe. Over time, bread pudding evolved into a beloved dessert, including in fine dining restaurants.
I first tasted bread pudding 20 years ago while staying at London’s Dorchester Hotel, and I have been hooked ever since.
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At first it was a special, but it sold like crazy. Gouje & Danielle, Bnei Tzion
(Photo: Daniel Lailah)
For years, bread pudding was rare on Israeli menus, but that has changed too. Over the past decade it has steadily gained a foothold. In the past year, during my travels across the country, from the Western Galilee to the Negev Desert, I noticed bread pudding appearing prominently on menus.
"In recent years the bakery scene has exploded, partly thanks to Instagram and TikTok, which are full of people showing how to make bread pudding at home from leftover challah", explains pastry chef Ofri Rahav of ‘Claro’ in Tel Aviv. "People are traveling more, dining out more, discovering bread pudding and realizing it is delicious and very easy to make. You don't need to reinvent the kitchen for it. It also fits perfectly with the leftovers trend. Bread pudding is the ultimate way to use leftovers, taking dry bread from the weekend and slightly 'tired' fruit and turning them into a new dish."
Pastry chef Tom Maoz of ‘Wild Bread bakery and coffee shop in Kfar Daniel agrees. ‘Everyone loves bread pudding. I don't meet people who do not order it, and almost everyone already knows what it is. It is not really a solo dessert. It is meant for sharing and is a wonderful way to end a meal."
Pastry chef Barak Cohen of Vicino Fratelli Italian restaurant in Netanya says bread pudding is especially suited to winter. "Even though we barely have a winter here, it is a comforting dessert, and Israelis really need comfort right now."
Following this nationwide journey, here are some standout bread puddings:
Haifa: The creative one
In Wadi Salib, near Haifa’s flea market, Sally, described as a "cooking bakery," has been operating for about a year. Founded by brothers-in-law, chefs Tomer Rosenfeld and Yahel Abrahams, along with Shadma, the woman connecting them, it offers one of the best bread puddings I have tasted.
"I grew up eating bread pudding because both of my parents came from England", Abrahams says. "At home it was always made from leftover challah. At Sally we use leftover olive oil brioche, mixed with a rich custard of eggs, sugar, cream, vanilla and milk. It soaks overnight in a cast metal pan, is baked, then reheated in the stone oven and finished with seasonal fruit, herbs and anglaise sauce. In summer we used grapes, now strawberries."
"People come especially from central Israel and Jerusalem for it,’ he adds. ‘One day we ran out of brioche leftovers and could not make bread pudding. People were genuinely upset."
Sally, 4 Omar Ben Al-Khattab Street, Haifa
Also in Haifa, ‘Zafririm 1’ serves a warmly spiced, cinnamon bread pudding.
Haifa: The savory
The most impressive savory bread pudding I encountered was at Café Coco in Haifa’s port complex. Pastry chef Adam Ali prepares it from leftover croissant dough, cheeses, spinach and caramelized onion, seasoned with sumac and spices, and served with tzatziki.
Ali also offers a sweet version combining croissant dough, dark chocolate, whipped ganache and berries. ‘I take it in a more French direction. Many customers do not know what bread pudding is, so the waitstaff explain it. People end up loving it. It is very tasty."
Café Coco, 33 HaNamal St, Haifa
Netanya: The chocolate lover’s choice
Barak Cohen became known for his pastries at Magazzino restaurant in Tel Aviv. A year ago, he partnered with Sharon Yishai of Fratelli in Netanya to open Vicino Fratelli, a patisserie café next door to the restaurant.
Among the extensive selection is a take-home bread pudding loaf. ‘I save unsold babkas and chocolate pastries in the refrigerator and turn them into bread pudding over the weekend,’ Cohen says. ‘I sell it as individual cakes. I lean heavily into chocolate, unlike other places that focus on fruit. You can also order it at the restaurant with cream or ice cream."
Vicino Fratelli, 17 Giborei Israel Boulevard, Yachin Center, Netanya
Bnei Tzion: The pioneer
At Gouje & Danielle, a bistro set among orchards on a hill in the moshav of Bnei Tzion at the Sharon area, bread pudding has been on the menu for years. Chef Snir Eng-Sela recalls that when he arrived 13 years ago after a long stay in New York, he saw cooks eating unsold yeast cakes at the end of Fridays.
"One day I got annoyed, took all the leftover cakes, soaked them in custard and baked them. At first it was a special, but it sold like crazy. Since then, we bake 80 yeast cakes every week just to make bread pudding. It is our best-selling dessert by far."
The dessert combines ricotta yeast cake with chocolate and hazelnut yeast cake, served warm with salted caramelized almond toffee and vanilla ice cream.
Gouje & Danielle, 39 Anshei Bereshit Street, Bnei Tzion
Tel Aviv: Fruit version
Tel Aviv offers countless versions, from upscale restaurants like Turkiz to neighborhood cafés, such as Cafe Zorik (where it appears on the menu as "David’s legendary bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and toffee sauce"). But a special place is reserved for Claro, chef Ran Shmueli’s restaurant, where pastry chef Ofri Rahav signs the bread pudding.
"Claro was among the first to serve bread pudding", Rahav says. "It is fairly classic with our interpretation. I make it from leftover sweet challah from fruit brunch, then finish it briefly in the taboon oven. It reflects the restaurant’s seasonal, fresh approach. In summer it featured plums, now in winter it's strawberries. On top I add sour cream ice cream, creating a wonderful hot-cold combination."
At Claro’s weekend brunches, Rahav also serves a savory bread pudding with pumpkin and cheeses such as cheddar and labaneh, made from leftover savory brioche, tomato paste, sweet potato cubes and caramelized onions. The exact composition is decided by head chef Tal Feigenbaum, guided by his own inspiration and the season. "Savory bread pudding with cheese is very big in London right now. That is where the inspiration came from."
Claro, 23 HaArba’a Street, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv: A Halloween tribute
In October, Tzach Shakruka and Asaf Erde of the neighborhood bakery The Little Bakers created a festive Halloween bread pudding made from butter croissant scraps and house-made pumpkin jam.
"It started as a Halloween pop-up, but it was such a hit that we kept it on the Friday menu,’ Erde says. ‘There is a real buzz in Israel around imported food ideas with a local twist, and bread pudding is part of that. Young people from across the Tel Aviv area come especially for it."
The bakery sells bread pudding in disposable trays to take home, with additional versions during the week based on cinnamon yeast cake or sweet yeast pastries. Their other venture, ‘Beit Lechem’ bakery in north Tel Aviv, offers a classic bread pudding slice for dine-in at an accessible price (15 shekels).
The Little Bakers, 25 Emek Bracha Street, Tel Aviv
Kfar Daniel: The elegant one
Chefs Eyal Freund and Tom Maoz spent several years working in a high-end London restaurant before returning to Israel. They founded Wild Bread, now operating a bakery café in Kfar Daniel in the Modi'in area.
"Almost everywhere in London you will find bread pudding", Maoz says. ‘At St. John, where we worked, it was the flagship dessert. We decided to develop our own version using pain suisse croissant dough with pastry cream and quality dark chocolate. People love that it is crisp on the outside, soft inside and not overly sweet.’
They serve it with ice cream and seasonal fruit. "We never bake with fruits inside the pudding itself, as it doesn't suit the dessert, in our view. In summer it is served with peach or mango, in autumn with pineapple, and in winter with strawberries. Once I even made bread pudding from sufganiyot, and it was incredible."
Wild Bread, Kfar Daniel
Mitzpe Ramon and Arara: The Egyptian answer
The Arab world has its own version of bread pudding. Known as khumaiaa in Jordan and Iraq and Umm Ali in Egypt, it dates back to medieval times and became Egypt’s national dessert. Umm Ali contains no eggs and is traditionally served during Ramadan.
In Israel, Umm ali is among the most popular desserts at Mijana restaurant in Arara, where chef Omar Elwan presents baked puff pastry with Qishta cream, baked milk, pistachios, coconut and pistachio ice cream.
At Sumsumiya in Mitzpe Ramon, chefs Avishai Nagar and Sharon Brick use leftover croissants mixed with nuts, pistachios, cardamom and olive oil. The cardamom adds a "Bedouin aroma", the chefs say.
In 1983, writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron published ‘Heartburn’, her autobiographical novel about the breakdown of her marriage to journalist Carl Bernstein, who originally reported on the Watergate scandal. The book (which was adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson), includes recipes, among them the bread pudding from Chez Hélène in New Orleans.
"It is the best I have ever eaten", Ephron wrote. "It tastes like caramelized mashed potatoes. The restaurant’s owner gave me the recipe:
"Whip 2 cups of sugar with 230 grams of butter, then add 2 1/2 cups of milk, 380 milliliters of condensed milk, 2 tablespoons of grated nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract, one soaked loaf of white bread torn into chunks (any bread will do and the simpler the better), and 1 cup of raisins.
"Mix everything, pour into a deep, greased baking dish and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for two hours, stirring after the first hour. Serve hot with an alcohol sauce made from whipped butter, rum, brandy, whiskey, sherry and vanilla extract."