This Easy Bread Gulab Jamun recipe takes less than half the amount of usual effort and just 6 ingredients to make one of the most beloved South Asian desserts. They taste exactly like gulab jamun, and have a soft, bread pudding like texture. I honestly could not believe that they are made using bread!
This is a great recipe for beginners, because normal gulab jamun are a lot trickier to get right (even with my easy gulab jamun recipe made using milk powder).
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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WHAT ARE GULAB JAMUN?
Gulab jamun are a popular dessert that originated in the Indian subcontinent and is now enjoyed all over the world, especially in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and even Mauritius.
Traditionally, gulab jamun are made from khoya, a type of milk solid, which is kneaded into a dough and shaped into small balls which are fried until brown. They are then soaked in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom and rosewater, which gives them their signature sweet, floral taste and soft, moist texture.
WHAT ARE BREAD GULAB JAMUN?
Bread gulab jamun are an easier version which use bread crumbs instead of khoya or milk powder to make the dough balls. The rest of the recipe is the same - you deep fry the balls and soak them in a sugar syrup.
Even though this is a significantly simplified version of gulab jamun, the flavor is surprisingly similar to traditional gulab jamun. The texture is slightly different, however. Traditional gulab jamun have a more chewy texture, while bread gulab jamun are softer and have a bread pudding like texture.
WHAT BREAD YOU SHOULD USE FOR THIS RECIPE
I make these gulab jamun with King's Hawaiian's Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. However, you can use any kind of plain white bread. It does not need to be stale or dried out. You can remove the crust if you like, too, but I did not bother to do that.
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Before we dive into the recipe, I recommend watching this quick video where you can see everything in action:
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PROCESS WITH PHOTOS
The detailed recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
Pulse the bread in a food processor until it forms very fine crumbs:
Add baking powder and milk to the crumbs, and use a spoon to mix them:
Gently knead the dough to remove any big lumps for just 1-2 minutes. You don't need to knead for longer, in fact it may make the gulab jamun a bit rubbery:
Oil your hands and form small balls from the dough, making sure there aren't any cracks in them:
Heat 2" of oil in a wok. Alongside, mix the sugar, water and cardamom in a pan to make the syrup. Simmer until the sugar dissolves, then turn off the heat and cover:
Carefully add the gulab jamun to the hot oil and fry them, twirling them around so they cook evenly on all sides:
Transfer to the hot syrup, and soak for 15-20 minutes:
Serve and enjoy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can use any kind of plain white bread for these gulab jamun.
Yes, you can prepare them 1-2 days in advance and keep them in the fridge. However, please note that they become a lot softer in syrup than regular gulab jamun.
Since these gulab jamun are made with bread, they soak up syrup easily and become softer than regular ones You should handle them with care after soaking them as they will be prone to breaking.
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EASY BREAD GULAB JAMUN RECIPE
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 12-14
Description
Easy Gulab Jamun made using bread instead of milk powder or khoya. They taste just like gulab jamun and have a delicious bread pudding like texture
Ingredients
Gulab Jamun dough:
- 8 Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (240g; you can substitute for 240g of any plain white bread)
- ⅓ tsp baking powder
- 5-6 tablespoon whole milk
Syrup:
- 1 ⅓ cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2-3 cardamom pods
- Optional: rosewater if desired
Frying:
- Vegetable / canola oil to deep fry
Instructions
- Blitz the bread / rolls in a food processor until they form a fine crumb
- Transfer to a bowl and add the baking powder. Whisk it in. Then add milk, starting with 4 tbsp. Mix with a spoon
- Gently start to knead the dough with your hand, and add a little more milk as needed so the dough just comes together (I added about 5 ½ tbsp). Knead for just 1-2 minutes to remove any lumps. Do not over-knead
- Oil your hands and divide the dough into 12-14 balls. Shape each ball properly so it does not have any cracks on it
- Place a wok with 2" of oil on medium-high heat to start heating the oil
- Alongside, add the water, sugar and cardamom pods for the syrup to a pot / pan. Ideally, the pan should be wide enough to fit the gulab jamun in 1 layer, but not so wide that the syrup does not have any depth and is spread too thin
- Put the pan with the syrup ingredients on the stove on medium heat. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. The syrup should not be thick. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid
- Once the oil is hot (~350F), fry a test gulab jamun ball to begin with. The oil should be hot enough that the gulab jamun becomes a brown color in 3-4 minutes without expanding too much, but not so hot that it immediately starts to color and burn
- Once the oil is at the right temperature, carefully add half of the gulab jamun balls. Use a large spatula to gently swirl the balls around as you fry them so they cook evenly on all sides. They should develop a brown color in 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil and set aside while you fry the remaining gulab jamun
- Once the gulab jamun are fried, add them to the hot syrup in the syrup pan. Lift the pan and gently swirl it so the gulab jamun turn and soak the syrup on all sides. Cover with a lid and wait for 15-20 minutes, turning the gulab jamun halfway
- After 15-20 minutes, the gulab jamun should be soft and ready to eat. Be careful while handling them as they can break easily
- Serve and enjoy!
Video tutorial:
Notes
- If you want, you can remove the crust of the bread. However, make sure you have 240g after removing the crust
- You can serve the gulab jamun warm or cold depending on your preference
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Pakistani
Jewelz says
I made these for Eid and they are delicious! Light and airy. They are very delicate so handle with care. I’ve never made Jamum before but the recipe was so easy that I didn’t feel intimidated. Love love love! ❤️
Zoha says
Amazing! Thank you so very much for your kind review, and belated Eid mubarak!
Annoyed says
Horrible. It tasted fine but don’t call it gulan jaman; total disappointment and wouldn’t have bothered if the end redilt was just deep fried sweet bread. Come up with a more accurate name. Highly misleading