Bread Gulab Jamuns in Jaggery syrup is a quick and easy Indian dessert using just bread slices, milk and jaggery/sugar!
Bread Gulab Jamuns are the easy and instant way to enjoy the quintessential dessert/sweet of India, “ gulab jamuns”, made traditionally with milk solids and soaked in a sugar syrup! With just a few bread slices, some jaggery/sugar and milk, you are on your way to biting into one of these juicy, scrumptious delights!
I always love to give a healthier twist to most of my dishes and why not this one! Instead of refined sugar, I have used jaggery, an unrefined version of cane sugar which not only tastes amazing, but has a bunch of nutrients (iron, minerals like Potassium, Calcium, Zinc etc. as well as antioxidants!).
WHAT IS GULAB JAMUN?
It is a decadent, juicy, melt-in-your mouth deep fried whole milk solids dumpling or ball of dough steeped in a saffron/rose water and cardamom infused sugar syrup!
Every bite of this syrupy Indian dessert transports you into an exotic dessert world!
You can make your own gulab jamuns using “khoya”/milk solids or “paneer” (Indian cottage cheese). For a quicker version, an instant mix is available easily in any Indian store!
BREAD GULAB JAMUN:
This is another instant variety of this mouth-watering Indian dessert but using only a few bread slices instead of milk solids! It may not taste as decadent as the traditional gulab jamun, but on days when you are craving for one, nothing is easier to make than with bread slices which everyone has in their kitchen!
When I served these to my guests, they were astounded by its texture and flavor! They could not believe it was made with bread!
Make sure you use soft bread slices (white/whole). Remove the sides, crumble and then powder in a blender into fine crumbs.
Sprinkle a few spoons of milk to form a soft, smooth dough. DO NOT KNEAD as kneading will make for dense gulab jamuns! Just gather the crumbs and form a soft dough.
Make small lemon-sized balls and fry on medium low heat in ghee/oil until golden brown. Once fried, they are soaked in jaggery syrup.
JAGGERY SYRUP:
Instead of sugar, I have used jaggery, easily available in any Indian store or online. I love the nutty, earthy flavor of jaggery and it is healthy for you too (has more nutrients than regular sugar)! I almost always sweeeten my coffee/tea or any dessert with jaggery syrup! Love the flavor it imparts to any dish.
Boil jaggery with equal amount of water for just 5 minutes.
Flavor the syrup with powdered cardamom/rose essence and/or saffron strands. Soak the fried jamuns for just about an hour in hot syrup and enjoy warm, luscious, melt-in-mouth gulab jamuns!
Once refrigerated (if there are any leftovers!), you can reheat it and serve warm!
As Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and if you are tired of serving the same old chocolate and cakes, how about this decadent, scrumptious, melt in your mouth Instant Bread Gulab Jamuns in Jaggery Syrup! Quick to make and super delicious to share with your Valentines!
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
LOOKING FOR MORE EASY TREATS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY?
- Easy Chocolate Walnut Fudge
- Heart-shaped Tea Sandwiches
- Mini Heart-shaped Chocolate Cake Bites (Eggless)
- Cinnamon and Cardamom Green Tea Shortbread/Cookies
- Coffee Cream and Peanut Butter Filled Chocolates
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE INSTANT BREAD GULAB JAMUNS:
TO MAKE THE JAGGERY SYRUP FOR THE JAMUN:
In a saucepan, heat jaggery and water on medium heat, stirring in between until the jaggery is fully dissolved. At this stage, if you feel the jaggery may have some impurities, strain into another saucepan.
Bring the syrup to a boil and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
Add cardamom powder and set aside.
TO MAKE THE BREAD JAMUNS:
Remove the sides from bread slices.
Crumble or tear the slices into smaller pieces to make it easier to powder.
Place them in a blender jar and whiz to make fine crumbs. Please ensure you have fine crumbs or else your jamuns will not be smooth and round.
Remove to a bowl and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk, adding each tablespoon one by one until you can gather the crumbs to form a dough.
Make a soft dough; DO NOT KNEAD! Kneading will make the jamuns hard and dense. We need a light, fluffy dough which has just been mixed smooth.
Using light hands make small balls of the dough, gently smoothening the outside without pressing too much!
TO FRY THE JAMUNS:
Heat oil/ghee on medium low heat.
Gently slide the bread dough balls into the warm oil and fry, tossing them in the oil to fry them on all sides.
The key to making perfect gulab jamuns is frying on low to medium low flame to allow them to be cooked and fried through and through. If you fry them on high heat, they will turn brown on the outside, but the inside will still be uncooked.
Fry until golden brown and then remove them onto a plate.
Do not overcrowd the pan to ensure even cooking and fry in batches.
Once the jamuns are fried, soak them in hot jaggery syrup, covered loosely for at least 1 hour for all the juicy syrup to permeate the whole jamuns!
Just before serving, top with sliced or slivered pistachios for more flavor and texture!
It is best enjoyed when warm. They go perfect with some ice cream too! Just scoop vanilla ice cream into a bowl, top with hot gulab jamuns and enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
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Bread Gulab Jamuns in Jaggery syrup is a quick and easy Indian dessert using just bread slices, milk and jaggery/sugar!
Ingredients
- 6 slices of whole wheat bread (or any bread you prefer; it should be soft)
- Milk; about 3 to 4 tablespoons
- 1 cup jaggery (unrefined cane sugar)
- 1 cup water
- 6 to 8 green cardamom seeds, powdered
- Ghee/clarified butter or oil for frying
- Chopped pistachios for garnish
Instructions
- TO MAKE THE JAGGERY SYRUP FOR THE JAMUN:
- In a saucepan, heat jaggery and water on medium heat, stirring in between until the jaggery is fully dissolved. At this stage, if you feel the jaggery may have some impurities, strain into another saucepan.
- Bring the syrup to a boil and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add cardamom powder and set aside.
- TO MAKE THE BREAD JAMUNS:
- Remove the sides from bread slices.
- Crumble or tear the slices into smaller pieces to make it easier to powder.
- Place them in a blender jar and whiz to make fine crumbs. Please ensure you have fine crumbs or else your jamuns will not be smooth and round.
- Remove to a bowl and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk, adding each tablespoon one by one until you can gather the crumbs to form a dough.
- Make a soft dough; DO NOT KNEAD! Kneading will make the jamuns hard and dense. We need a light, fluffy dough which has just been mixed smooth.
- Using light hands make small balls of the dough, gently smoothening the outside without pressing too much!
- TO FRY THE JAMUNS:
- Heat oil/ghee on medium low heat.
- Gently slide the bread dough balls into the warm oil and fry, tossing them in the oil to fry them on all sides.
- The key to making perfect gulab jamuns is frying on low flame to allow them to be cooked and fried through and through. If you fry them on high heat, they will turn brown on the outside, but the inside will still be uncooked.
- Fry until golden brown and then remove them onto a plate.
- Do not overcrowd the pan to ensure even cooking and fry in batches.
- Once the jamuns are fried, soak them in hot jaggery syrup, covered loosely for at least 1hour for all the juicy syrup to permeate the whole jamun!
- Just before serving, top with sliced or slivered pistachios for more flavor and crunch!
- It is best enjoyed when warm. They go perfect with some ice cream too! Just scoop vanilla ice cream into a bowl, top with hot gulab jamuns and enjoy!
- Happy Cooking!
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Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!!
Do check out these other delectable delights shared by my friends and have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
White Chocolate Pudding by Swaty
Beetroot Drink with a Fruity Touch by Sasmita
Chocolate Walnut Brownies by Rosy
Strawberry Mojita Mocktail by Jayashree
No Bake Custard Tart by Shalu
Spiced Pomegranate Spritzer Mocktail by Geetanjali
Mixed Vegetable Paneer Dosa by Priya
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!
Tried this recipe, came out really good. Though the taste is not like gulab jamun. It’s excellent, with so few ingredients & quite healthy too. I used rose water in the syrup & also made it with little bit more water than 1:1. Thank you for a great recipe
Thanks so much dear Nirmala 🙂 Yes, will not taste like regular gulab jamun but is the next best thing when you need to satisfy your gulab jamun cravings especially as everybody has bread in their homes most of the time don't you think?
So happy you loved it too! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your appreciation dear <3
did any 1 really tried this ,how it taste?
It does taste amazing dear! All the taste of gulab jamun but using just bread slices instead.
Gulab jamuns are hot favourite at my place . The bread gulab Jamuns and that too with jaggery syrup looks and sounds fantastic. It's just bread and jaggery . Such less ingredients to make such a tempting
dessert ! Lovely share di ! Thank you ,
I know!! It is such a simple recipe but so big on taste! We loved the jaggery flavored syrup!
Gulab jamuns look yummy! That to with jaggery syrup even make these more delicious. Always love these instant versions. Awesome share!
Thanks a bunch dear Geetanjali! All of us loved the jaggery flavor; much healthier and tastier than plain, refined sugar!
Bread gulab jamuns are quite easy to prepare :0 Love that you have used jaggery for the syrup
Thanks dear <3 Isn't this an easy one for a quick and delicious treat? We loved this jaggery version too!
Gulab Jamuns are my favourite sweets since childhood.. This is one thing that I can indulge in without feeling guilty;) .. the bowl looks so tempting.. loved the idea of making it from bread, perfect for those times when you run out of khoya ..
Absolutely dear! I always have leftover bread slices and of course jaggery is in all our pantries! An easy and delicious dessert to make in a jiffy! Thanks a bunch dear Swati!
These gulab jamun look so good and ideal for a instant version. Loved the idea of using jaggery syrup here.
Thanks so much dear Jayashree! You must try this jaggery version...so earthy and delicious! Healthier too!
These cute Gulab Jamuns are a perfect treat for any festival. Making them with bread is a good idea. Lovely share dear!!
Thanks a lot dear Shalu <3 I loved this dessert too! So easy, quick and yet so delicious! My whole family loved it too!
These gulab jamuns look so perfect and delicious! What an innovative idea to make them using bread! 🙂 Love it!
Thanks a bunch dear <3 Amazing what a few bread slices can churn out in our kitchens! I loved this one too, especially with the jaggery!