Torrijas
Spanish Easter French Toast- Yield
- 12 to 14 torrijas (serves 6)
- Active
- 45 minutes
- Total
- About 1 1/4 hours, including steeping the milk
- Difficulty
- Easy
The story
Torrijas are slices of day-old bread soaked in sweetened milk, dipped in egg, fried in olive oil and finished with sugar and cinnamon or honey. Across Spain they are the sweet of Holy Week, which in 2027 runs from Palm Sunday, March 21, to Easter Sunday, March 28, and they appear in home cooking and on restaurant dessert menus in almost every region. The idea is old. A Roman cookbook attributed to Apicius describes bread soaked in milk, and in the 14th century Taillevent's Le Viandier added egg yolk, frying and sugar. In the 15th century the poet and musician Juan del Encina used the word torreja in a carol and recommended it to women who had just given birth. Domingo Hernández de Maceras recorded the torrija with sugar and cinnamon in his Libro de Cozina of 1607. The link to Lent was practical: with meat off the menu, leftover bread had to be used up. In the 20th century torrijas were a common tapa in Madrid taverns, served with a glass of wine. Make them a day ahead if you like; they hold well in the refrigerator and are good cold with coffee on Easter morning.
Ingredients
- For the soaking milk:
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 piece whole cinnamon, about 3 inches long
- 2 strips lemon peel, without white pith
- 1 strip orange peel, without white pith
- For the torrijas:
- 1 day-old baguette or firm white loaf (about 10 oz)
- 3 large eggs
- About 3 cups light olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying
- For the coating:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Method
- In a saucepan heat the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, whole cinnamon and citrus peels over medium heat, stirring, until steaming and the sugar dissolves; do not let it boil. Remove from the heat, cover and steep 15 minutes, then discard the cinnamon and peels and let cool until warm.
- Cut the bread on a slight diagonal into slices 3/4 inch thick, 12 to 14 slices. Arrange them in a single layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- Pour the warm milk over the bread and soak 1 to 2 minutes per side, until saturated but not falling apart; drier bread needs longer.
- Mix the coating sugar and ground cinnamon in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons of the leftover soaking milk.
- Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch and heat it to 350°F. Line a tray with paper towels.
- Lift each slice with a slotted spatula, let the excess milk drip off, dip both sides in the egg and slip it into the oil. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until deep golden and the egg coating is set.
- Drain briefly on the paper towels, then turn the hot torrijas in the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: Torrijas keep 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the refrigerator. For a honey finish, skip the cinnamon sugar and spoon over 1/2 cup honey warmed with 1/4 cup water.