I’m not a huge carb lover or bread eater. It’s not that I don’t love it, I do but it doesn’t always agree with me. My face always ends up looking a bit puffy and pale the next day and for someone as vain as me, that can be a dealbreaker. I could possibly even be slightly gluten intolerant but a part of me doesn’t really want to confirm that diagnosis in case it means that I have to give up my beloved pastry. Ignorance is bliss…sort of.
My favourite breads are a fresh naan or Turkish bread. I have learned recently that Pide bread which is what we called Turkish bread is not what the Turkish call their regular bread. Pide is trotted out once a year for Ramadan for one month whereas a traditional Turkish bread is more like a Vienna bread. I however am glad that we seem to have embraced pide wholeheartedly and I can imagine that if I did live in Turkey, it would necessitate buying a huge freezer and stashing away a year’s supply of pide in it.
With my lesson in pide learnt, I picked some up in a Turkish supermarket along with a jar of fig jam. This fig jam is different from the usual kind that we get in the supermarket where the figs come in a pureed form. This one is filled with unripened small green figs suspended in a viscous green syrup. It is entirely different from the other fig jam or any other jam come to think of it. But it is good and reminds me of candied fruit. Of course if you can’t find it you could always use another fig jam-Bonne Mamam do a very nice one.
When I saw this jam, I recalled Johanna’s Turkish Fig Pudding that I had wanted to make and realised that I had in my hot little hands, the two main ingredients to make it. It was dead easy, all it involved was a bit of sawing of the bread and whisking of ingredients. In fact the hardest thing was letting the Turkish bread go slightly stale and refrain from gobbling the whole lot.
Oh and did I mention the flavour and texture? Goodness, it was heavenly. The figs, the rosewater and the custard are divine together but the bread had the most divine light butter soaked caramelised crunch at the top and the bottom was eggy but never soggy. It speaks to the sweet, buttery pastry lover in me. And perhaps in you too!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you have any food allergies or intolerances?
Turkish fig pudding
Adapted from Three ways with…stale bread, and 99 other ingredients you’ll find in your pantry, fridge or freezer by Ross Dobson
Serves 6-8
- half a large oval of stale-ish Turkish bread
- 40grams/1.4ozs softened butter
- 4 tablespoons fig jam (I used the fig jam with whole unripe figs in it from a Turkish store but you could use regular fig jam)
- 1 cup pouring cream
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ teaspoon rosewater
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- Icing sugar to dust and cream to serve
1. Grease a medium oven proof dish.
My beloved Westgold NZ butter stash
2. Slice the Turkish bread in half to make two thinner pieces. Combine butter and jam (if you need to melt the butter a bit that is fine) and then spread over pieces of bread and place in prepared dish.
3. Combine cream and milk and add sugar and rosewater. Lightly whisk in eggs and pour the mixture over the bread. Press the bread pieces down so that they get dunked into the cream. Leave to absorb for 10 minutes or so while the oven is preheating. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Press down on the bread pieces to soak them in the cream
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is crisp on top and the custard is set. Serve with extra cream.
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68 Comments | Add your own
This looks gorgeous Lorraine! Yum, I feel like some right now
I am so lucky not to have any allergies, but my poor partner is going through some trial diet which has made me experiment a lot with gluten-free recipes! It’s been a very interesting & delicious experiment, mind you!
Fortunately I don’t have any food allergies nor any other allergies, I am completely blessed
. This pudding is something new to me, but sounds good and beautiful photography!!
Looks delicious! Fascinated by the unripe fig jam, must go looking for that!
Sigh. I feel your pain. I love bread. I adore it. I crave it. I would eat bread, pancakes, waffles, rolls, stuffing, bagels, pasta…all day if I could.
But it does not love me in return. We have a very turmulous relationship.
This looks eminently doable… you have piqued my interest with this Turkish Fig jam… and the green is startling in the soft fluffy pudding. Lovely dish, Lorraine…is the bread like Italian ciabatta? I don’t know this Vienna bread you refer to…American girl needs translation!
Oh wow, wow, wow! This looks amazing! Yum! Just like you, I am not a huge bread fan – but not because I am intolerant… Although I bought a fig and apricot Noisette at Queen Vic Market on the weekend and have been eating it for brekky – delish.
I must try figs this autumn, I haven’t had them ever! On another note, I *love* your spoons!
Oh oh oh. How delicious does that look! Not my usual combinations which make it even more enticing.
Ooh, that sounds delicious Lorraine! I love rose water. I am supposed to be intollerant to coffee, but nothing stands in my way of a delicious cafe latte!
My face gets a little red when I drink red wine, but I’m like you, never will I give up red wine…lol
I love your pudding and the addition of rosewater, how perfect for a nice Sunday brunch, with a glas of wine..lol
sweetlife
That looks so good! I love Turkish Ramadan pide. We live quite close to a Turkish bakery and they produce Turkish Ramadan pide fresh everyday, hot out of the oven…
Your bread puddings are always lovely, Lorraine! I’m going to have to see if I can get my hands on some fig jam!
I have a horribly annoying dairy intolerance – in the sense that if I indulge I annoy everyone else with a horrible wheeze and cough. Sometimes cheese and icecream is just worth it though!
“light butter soaked caramelised crunch”…omg yum! This looks incredible Lorraine. Do you reckon it would be good with some dried figs chopped up and added the mix? Or would it make it too figgy?
Ha! Where would I even start to list my InTolerances! But I believe you should find food that loves you and love it back. Make it work for you, and respect it for what it is. It may not be the best food, but it’s the best food for you. Viva la difference!
I am inspired by this elevation of B & B custard, will be on the lookout for those preserved green figs.
i’ve never seen anything like this! looks very interesting and yummy.
Ooh, this reminds me of a fig dessert I made at a cooking course in Istanbul that I’ve been meaning to recreate (it’s a super simple one). Thanks for the inspiration!
Love the ‘dealbreaker’ 30Rock reference
I love pide too, I have a whole freezer draw dedicated to it!
This makes me want to book a flight to Australia, come knock at your door, and beg for the leftovers.
You wouldn’t turn away a poor beggar like me, would you?
Gorgeous, Lorraine!!
You had my heart just with the words “Turkish” and “fig” in the title!!
Yum! I adore turkish pide bread – it’s wonderful! And I also love figs! I’ll definitely have to try this one!
I have a bit of a wheat intolerance too – but I can usually manage it if I don’t eat too much and keep the stress in my life low. I’m also allergic to a lot of seafood – some fish is okay but most isn’t and I can’t really eat crustaceans. C’est la vie!
Oh my – I would love to have some of that right now, for my breakfast.
Can’t wait to find the ingredients for that.
Oh my lordy… so many of my favourite things in one recipe! And yes, me too – I have the exact same problem with bread and Turkish pide is the worst culprit… I am all about sticking my head in the delicious, gluten-tastic sand…
What an incredibly exotic version of bread and butter pudding! Sounds and looks heavenly. I’ve got my bookclub coming up soon and I’m thinking this would go down very well for that occasion.
Lucky for me I have no allergies or intolerances (of food anyway
).
Hi Lorraine
This looks great!! My parents are in Turkey at the moment, and we are all missing them. So might whip this up and pretend we are on an exotic Turkish Beach.
Food alergies – i’ve found an intolerance to dairy lately. So i’m with you – ignorance, at least for the moment is preferable to giving up ice cream
Thanks again!!
Coooor, that looks good!
My eldest son has a serious allergy to one of my favourite foods – peanuts – and is supposed to avoid all nuts, although we have found that he is OK with almonds!
Only another 8 years to go before he goes to university (hopefully)… xxx
That fig jam, I want that fig jam!! Pudding looks awesome Lorraine.
My friend also thinks she may have a gluten intolerance but she doesnt want to get it confirmed because she loves her bread too much!
Maybe I shouldn’t visit this site when I’m craving for food and dying from hunger… =(
So glad I don’t have any intolerances! I think I would… die of starvation! Oooo it looks so pretty, have always wanted to make a bread and butter pudding but this version takes it to a whole new level! Yummo!
There are many things I wish I could not eat: chocolate for a start, plus anything sweet or fattening. I need to will myself to intolerance of the unhealthy, but do feel sorry for those with a true allergy. Half my daughter’s class seem to be allergic to either eggs or nuts!
I am making this tonite! It looks so great. Thank you for the recipe. If I could I would eat hot fresh bread with butter non stop, I am carb crazy!
Your ‘allergy’ reminds me of this Japanese cartoon character, An Pan Man,red bean bread man – a character with a bun face (LOL). You have alot of lovely ingredients in this… figs, rosewater and custard – divine flavours, indeed.
Looks yummy! I am allergic to grapes/raisins, flax, and pineapple makes my tongue bleed. (I have huge scars in my mouth from learning this.) Sadly, pineapple was my favourite fruit.Luckily none of them are really hard to avoid.
Oh wow, that fig jam looks and sounds amazing! And the bread pudding looks like a worthwhile carb-fest (I’m not huge on carbs, either, but this looks good)!
Oh, I want this! It looks so hearty and delicious!! And I love the Turkish flavors…
What a fantastic combination! I’m going to have to track down that fig jam though, it looks so pretty! I’m lucky that I don’t have any major food intolerence problems and no one should get between me and a good glutenous carb!
That looks divine! I might just use Turkish bread in all my puddings now, it’s my favorite bread too.
Ack! You can’t eat too much carbs? That sucks! I didn’t know that, from the fab food you always seem to enjoy. I’m loving the bread pudding though! Anything with carbs and egg and figs!
p.s. where’s the bacon?
I am so glad you loved this as much as I did – and that green fig jam looks fantastic – I was wondering what the green in the pudding was when I first read the recipe
I didn’t know that about pide – though I don’t remember seeing it when in turkey – but I am glad we have embraced it and I can buy it down the local shops any time
I also am sympathetic to your refusal to not take a gluten test – my sister who is celiac says family members should do so but I resist because I love bread too much!
I’ve never been a big fan of figs but these ones sound intriguing. Alas I am allergic to eggs so I won’t be able to try this particular recipe but it sounds and looks delicious!
Oh! Great… I can make this for Mister. He cannot eat crab but actually it is more for me. I love FIG!
That pudding looks fantastic! What a lovely jam.
Cheers,
Rosa
I have always wondered, is pide pronounced as one syllable, as ‘pie-d’ or as two, like ‘pea-day’?
I love figs of any kind. I know i would love this dish.
YumO – this recipe is a food combination I haven’t tasted, so of course all I want to do now is give this recipe a run for its money. It sounds delicious.
Food allergies….., well, I’m a bit like you – I sort of steer away from too much bread for much the same reasons, but I’ve found if I don’t over indulge it makes the experience all the sweeter – so its a happy love hate relationship we’ve got going on there
Hi Lorraine…by now you would have worked out that I am gluten intolerant…but am having fun finding new recipes….especially since I found the pastry at the supermarket!!!
This looks awesome, I love your recipes!!
Intolerances are the biggest pain..I have a lactose intolerance and think I have an issue with rice and pasta..I enjoy being a little ignorant of this intolerance:)
More pudding- yay! And I’ve never seen figs in this form before- so green they almost look like olives!
A very unique bread pudding, sounds amazing and a must try!
This delicious treat would definitely satisfy the sweet, buttery pastry lover in me too. I’m definitely a carb lover. So sorry breads don’t agree with you. xoxo Mum
the only thing to which i am intolerant is not eating, and buddy, that ain’t pretty.
Oh this is marvelous, Lorraine! I never thought of adding figs to bread pudding, but now that I see it here my tongue KNOWS it is a divine addition.
I really enjoy your blog.I buy the most gorgeous Syrian fig jam.It’s like a conserve with large pieces of figs, whole almonds & sesame seeds.The brand is Al Waha.Available at Middle Eastern stores.
How fabulous, Lorraine! I am a total bread-lover, actually and will eat anything with it and it with everything! I actually recently realized that a summer of mild lip rashes was probably due to a sensitivity to mango skin. Apparently it contains a mild form of what we react to in poison ivy!
this is a terric recipe!
Nice!
I’m lactose intolerant but can’t stand soy milk which is a problem with take-away coffee. Still baffles me why you can’t get lactose free milk at any coffee shops. Doesn’t stop me buying coffee though
Turkish bread is perfect for this type of dish I think – all that surface area would lead to super crunchiness on top – yum!
No allergies or intolerances, thank god. Well, except for redcurrants making me gaggingly ill, but they’re not exactly rampantly used
Turkey has great fig jams…so I can certainly understand why you want to use it. I have a few dried figs that were bathing in Port…may just purée those and try out this lovely recipe ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
wow, fig jam and rosewater?! Sounds lovely! I’m a huge carb fan btw =P
You and your wonderful tasty & special desserts, dear Lorraine!
This one is no exception!! I love the style of it!! Must be pretty tasty!
It surely looks so appetizing! FAB FOOD!
Kisses from Brussels!
I was literally just salivating over a fig and strawberry tart on Martha Stewart (i’m so rock and roll…) thinking I need to get me some figs, and now you with this? It looks amazing!!
I got hooked on fig jam in Morocco earlier this year but have nearly dwindled my stash. But this green variety looks completely different – will go and have a look for it in my local Arabic supermarket. Anything with rosewater and you’ve got me, so i’ll definitely be trying this (it looks like bread and butter pudding meets Arabian Nights).
And I have the exact same dilemma with carbs – too much pasta or bread and I become bloated as if i’m pregnant! But I refuse to banish them, so just know my own limits and balance it out at other meals. The things we do…
Briony xx
Now that’s my kind of dessert! YUM
That fig jam looks like it would be hard to spread on toast, but perfect for cooking with. The rosewater custard sounds lovely too.
Wow, that looks really good (it probably helps that I’m a huge fan of fig jam
.)
Thankfully I was lucky on the allergy front, though the rest of my family is cheese-intolerant. I- I can’t imagine anything much worse really
I have been itching to try this recipe but can’t find Turkish pide bread anywhere and I have tried a few different recipes to make it myself with the outcome just disastrous. I was wondering, as the avid baker and explorer of new foods that you are, if you have ever attempted to make pide bread yourself? If so I would love to see a post of the recipe
~~this looks like food from “Heaven!” xxx OMG.
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