Torrijas de leche (traditional Easter treats)

Try this smart Spanish cooking tip for using up leftover bread with torrijas de leche, a decadent Spanish Easter treat. Halfway between French toast and a doughnut, these will wow your friends and family!

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Zero Waste Winners

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 1 litre milk
• 1 lemon, zest peeled into strips
• 1 orange, zest peeled into strips
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 day-old baguette, cut into 2 cm slices
• 4 - 5 eggs
• Olive oil, for frying
• 2 cups (400 g) caster sugar
• A pinch ground cinnamon

Cooling time: 2 hours

Instructions

1. Heat the milk, citrus peels, sugar and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before using.
   
2. Once cooled, strain the infused milk with a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl and discard the peels and cinnamon stick. Soak the bread slices individually until soaked through. The more soaked, the better! Crack the eggs into a second large bowl and whisk well. Line a plate with paper towel and set aside.
   
3. Heat enough olive oil in a large frying pan to shallow-fry (about 2-3 cms deep) over medium heat. Dip each slice of bread into the beaten eggs, turning to coat, then immediately place into the hot oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden-brown. Use two forks to gently transfer the fried bread to the paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool slightly.
   
4. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Once the ‘eggy’ bread has cooled, gently toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating well on both sides. Serve the torrijas de leche warm or cold.

Note

• Leftover torrijas can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days (but they rarely last that long!)

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

Want more from The Cook Up? Stream all the seasons here and for free at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Zero Waste Winners

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G