Move over, French Toast, we've got a new breakfast favourite: Spanish Toast! Spanish Toast, or Torrijas, is a delicious bread pudding recipe from Spain that is traditionally made by soaking stale bread in milk or wine with honey and spices then dipped in beaten egg and fried with olive oil. In doing this, the fibres of the bread break down and this leaves the final product crispy outside and smooth inside. As a final touch, the bread is then typically sprinkled with cinnamon – sounds delicious, right?!
Dating back to at least the fifteenth century (the first written record of torrijas that we know of is by Spanish composer, poet and playwright Juan del Encina in his Cancionero, published in 1496: "En cantares nuevos/ gocen sus orejas,/ miel y muchos huevos/ para hacer torrejas,/ aunque sin dolor/ parió al Redentor"), this classic and traditional Spanish sweet is typically made to celebrate Lent and Holy Week. In fact, should you wander the streets of any given Spanish city at Easter, you will likely find that street food stalls are selling the treat, that it is available in supermarkets, that it can be ordered in cake shops, and that some bars and restaurants will also be selling it.
Dating back to at least the fifteenth century (the first written record of torrijas that we know of is by Spanish composer, poet and playwright Juan del Encina in his Cancionero, published in 1496: "En cantares nuevos/ gocen sus orejas,/ miel y muchos huevos/ para hacer torrejas,/ aunque sin dolor/ parió al Redentor"), this classic and traditional Spanish sweet is typically made to celebrate Lent and Holy Week. In fact, should you wander the streets of any given Spanish city at Easter, you will likely find that street food stalls are selling the treat, that it is available in supermarkets, that it can be ordered in cake shops, and that some bars and restaurants will also be selling it.
However, ask anyone and they will say that nothing can beat having torrijas freshly made at home. So, with another weekend now upon us, we thought it the perfect time to share a handy recipe for this beloved Spanish treat so you can get ready to make a delicious batch for breakfast tomorrow morning and enjoy a lazy, lavish Saturday breakfast as you dream of your next holiday in Spain. Or, better yet, you can start browsing our vacation rentals in Spain ahead of a holiday in the future and plan to make some torrijas for a lovely breakfast some morning while on vacation. Or, even better still, you can plan a holiday for Easter 2021 in Spain and try the various torrijas options at the food stalls, in the supermarkets, and in local bars and restaurants before comparing with a batch of your own!
No matter where or when you make them, torrijas are a perfect treat and an easy way to bring a slice of Spain to you and the comfort and safety of your kitchen, even if you can't quite make it to Spain itself yet. So, check out our recipe below and get cooking now!
Ingredients:
Some slices of bread, preferably slightly stale
1l of whole milk
2tbsp of sugar
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 lemon
1tsp of vanilla extract
3 eggs
Olive oil
Sugar and ground cinnamon to dust the finished product
Method:
1. Arrange the bread in a layer, lining a shallow dish that will be able to hold the milk mixture.
2. Add the milk, sugar, the rind of the lemon, and the sticks of cinnamon to a saucepan and bring to a boil, turning off the heat the moment it starts to boil and leaving to infuse for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and pour the milk mixture over the bread, leaving aside to soak in for an hour.
4. Beat the eggs in a dish that will be big enough to coat a slice of the bread in the egg in the dish.
5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and, one by one, coat the bread slices in a layer of the egg and then fry each in the pan until browned on both sides.
6. Dust the finished slices in a good amount of sugar and the ground cinnamon and serve.
No matter where or when you make them, torrijas are a perfect treat and an easy way to bring a slice of Spain to you and the comfort and safety of your kitchen, even if you can't quite make it to Spain itself yet. So, check out our recipe below and get cooking now!
Ingredients:
Some slices of bread, preferably slightly stale
1l of whole milk
2tbsp of sugar
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 lemon
1tsp of vanilla extract
3 eggs
Olive oil
Sugar and ground cinnamon to dust the finished product
Method:
1. Arrange the bread in a layer, lining a shallow dish that will be able to hold the milk mixture.
2. Add the milk, sugar, the rind of the lemon, and the sticks of cinnamon to a saucepan and bring to a boil, turning off the heat the moment it starts to boil and leaving to infuse for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and pour the milk mixture over the bread, leaving aside to soak in for an hour.
4. Beat the eggs in a dish that will be big enough to coat a slice of the bread in the egg in the dish.
5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and, one by one, coat the bread slices in a layer of the egg and then fry each in the pan until browned on both sides.
6. Dust the finished slices in a good amount of sugar and the ground cinnamon and serve.