flipTorrijas de la merienda
Torrijas de la merienda
Why this dish? *Torrijas* — bread soaked in sweetened milk, then fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar — are the comforting sweet of the Spanish afternoon snack, and the star of bakeries during Lent. For Ana, it's the sweet mid-afternoon break, the one that accompanies re-reading an article, when the *café con leche* cools beside the keyboard.
Thick slices of stale bread soaked in milk flavoured with cinnamon and lemon, dipped in egg, fried until golden, then coated in sugar and cinnamon. Warm, they melt; cold, they keep in a bag.
Nothing goes to waste in a Spanish kitchen, especially yesterday's bread — so I make *torrijas* for *la merienda*. I dip the slices in warm milk where I've infused a strip of lemon peel and a cinnamon stick, then I dip them in beaten egg and into hot oil. The trick that changes everything is not to soak them too much, otherwise they fall apart; and while they're still warm, roll them in cinnamon sugar. It's my fuel when I'm re-reading an article for the tenth time.
- •Stale bread — a few thick slices (base)
- •Milk — enough to soak (soaking)
- •Lemon peel — 1 piece (flavouring)
- •Cinnamon stick — 1 (flavouring)
- •Eggs — a few (coating)
- •Olive oil (mild) — for frying (cooking)
- •Sugar and ground cinnamon — for rolling (finishing)
- •Honey — optional, for drizzling (sweetness)
Torrijas de la merienda
Thick slices of stale bread soaked in milk flavoured with cinnamon and lemon, dipped in egg, fried until golden, then coated in sugar and cinnamon. Warm, they melt; cold, they keep in a bag.
Why this dish? *Torrijas* — bread soaked in sweetened milk, then fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar — are the comforting sweet of the Spanish afternoon snack, and the star of bakeries during Lent. For Ana, it's the sweet mid-afternoon break, the one that accompanies re-reading an article, when the *café con leche* cools beside the keyboard.
Nothing goes to waste in a Spanish kitchen, especially yesterday's bread — so I make *torrijas* for *la merienda*. I dip the slices in warm milk where I've infused a strip of lemon peel and a cinnamon stick, then I dip them in beaten egg and into hot oil. The trick that changes everything is not to soak them too much, otherwise they fall apart; and while they're still warm, roll them in cinnamon sugar. It's my fuel when I'm re-reading an article for the tenth time.
Ingredients (period version)
- Stale bread — a few thick slices (base)
- Milk — enough to soak (soaking)
- Lemon peel — 1 piece (flavouring)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (flavouring)
- Eggs — a few (coating)
- Olive oil (mild) — for frying (cooking)
- Sugar and ground cinnamon — for rolling (finishing)
- Honey — optional, for drizzling (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Stale bread (brioche or baguette style) — 8 slices, 2 cm thick (base)
- Milk — 500 ml (soaking)
- Lemon peel — 1 piece (flavouring)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (flavouring)
- Sugar — 3 tbsp (+ for rolling) (sweetness)
- Eggs — 2 (coating)
- Oil (mild olive or sunflower) — 250 ml (frying)
- Ground cinnamon — 1 tsp (finishing)
Method
- Heat the milk with the lemon peel, cinnamon stick, and sugar; let infuse, then cool slightly and remove the aromatics.
- Quickly dip each bread slice in the milk: soaked but not soggy.
- Dip it in beaten egg.
- Fry in hot oil (170°C) for 1 to 2 minutes per side until beautifully golden; drain on paper towels.
- Roll immediately in a sugar-cinnamon mixture. Serve warm, or let cool to take away.
How it was made : *Torrijas* are mentioned as early as the 15th century in Spain, first as a fortifying food for women after childbirth, then associated with Lent and Holy Week, periods when meat was forbidden. It has also always been a clever way to recycle stale bread.
The contemporary twist : Coffee version: soak the bread in milk with a dash of *café con leche* — the researcher's *torrija* who never sleeps before a deadline.
Sources : Simone Ortega, 1080 recetas de cocina, Alianza Editorial
Ana García · Charactorium
