Torrijas (Madrid Holy Week French Toast)
Thick slices of day-old bread soaked in milk steeped with cinnamon and lemon peel, dipped in egg, fried in olive oil and drizzled with honey, the Lent and Holy Week sweet of Madrid.
Torrijas are Spain's Lent and Holy Week sweet. Wikipedia says they are traditionally made of stale bread soaked in milk or wine with honey and spices, dipped in egg and fried in olive oil; that the word is first mentioned in Juan del Encina's "Cancionero" (1496); and that Francisco Martínez Motiño published one of the first Spanish recipes in 1611. Madrid's official tourism magazine, esMADRID, says the earliest Spanish reference calls them "torrejas" and that they were reportedly given to new mothers to restore their strength; their Holy Week link may come from using up bread left from the vigil days, and some say nuns made them popular as a filling food after fasting (Silvia Roba, March 23, 2020:).
The same article says that in the early 20th century torrijas moved into Madrid's taverns, where they were eaten at the bar with a glass of wine, and it shares the method of El Riojano, a pastry shop on calle Mayor open since 1855: milk infused with cinnamon and lemon peel, bread cut 3 to 4 cm thick, a drain before frying in very hot olive oil. The Americanized difference: Spain fries its French toast in olive oil, finishes it with honey or syrup and eats it cold as a Lenten sweet, not hot with butter at breakfast.
Why it works the kitchen science
Infused milk
Steeping cinnamon and lemon peel in sweetened milk perfumes the whole slice, so torrijas taste spiced all the way through, not just on the crust.
Milk inside, egg outside
Soaking in milk first makes the inside creamy, and the egg dip on top fries into a thin, sealed crust in the hot olive oil.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the milk, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a saucepan over medium-low heat about 5 minutes, stirring, until steaming with small bubbles at the edge; don't let it boil. Turn off the heat and steep 30 minutes, then remove the cinnamon and peel. It should be just warm.
- Step 2
Lay the bread in a single layer in a baking dish and pour the milk over it. Soak 1 to 2 minutes per side, until heavy and soft but still holding together.
- Step 3
Lift each slice onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan and let it drain 5 minutes; draining stops the oil from spattering. Save the leftover milk.
- Step 4
Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat to 350°F. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish.
- Step 5
Dip each slice in the egg on both sides and slide it into the oil, away from you. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden. The center should read 160°F; if not, finish the slices on a rack in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Step 6
Warm the honey 20 seconds in the microwave and drizzle it over the torrijas. Many Madrid cooks pour a little of the leftover milk over the plate too, so the bread soaks it up. Serve warm or chilled.
Torrijas (Madrid Holy Week French Toast)
Serves 4 · 8 thick slices · 1 hr 15 min total
Infused milk
- 4 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Peel of 1 lemon, in wide strips (no white pith)
Bread and coating
- 1 day-old loaf (about 1 lb) dense white or French bread, cut into 8 slices 1 1/4 inches thick
- 4 large eggs
For frying and finishing
- About 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (1/2 inch deep in the pan)
- 1/2 cup honey
Method
- Heat the milk, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a saucepan over medium-low heat about 5 minutes, stirring, until steaming with small bubbles at the edge; don't let it boil. Turn off the heat and steep 30 minutes, then remove the cinnamon and peel. It should be just warm.
- Lay the bread in a single layer in a baking dish and pour the milk over it. Soak 1 to 2 minutes per side, until heavy and soft but still holding together.
- Lift each slice onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan and let it drain 5 minutes; draining stops the oil from spattering. Save the leftover milk.
- Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat to 350°F. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish.
- Dip each slice in the egg on both sides and slide it into the oil, away from you. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden. The center should read 160°F; if not, finish the slices on a rack in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Warm the honey 20 seconds in the microwave and drizzle it over the torrijas. Many Madrid cooks pour a little of the leftover milk over the plate too, so the bread soaks it up. Serve warm or chilled.
Adapted from Spain's official tourism site, "Torrijas madrileñas" (spain.info, serves 4, no date shown): with the cinnamon and lemon milk of El Riojano's recipe in esMADRID (linked above). spain.info's list is 1 liter milk, 500 g sugar, 8 eggs, 500 g honey, olive oil and a large loaf of dense white bread in thick slices; we use 4 cups of milk with 3/4 cup sugar (about El Riojano's 200 g per liter, a little less), 4 eggs and 1/2 cup honey, which is plenty for 8 slices. El Riojano infuses the milk for 2 hours below a boil; our 30-minute steep is a shortcut. The 350°F oil, the soak and frying times and the 160°F check are ours. spain.info. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- El Riojano's wine version: soak the bread in white wine instead of milk, with about 150 g sugar per liter.
- For a syrup finish instead of honey, El Riojano simmers 1 liter water with 175 g sugar, a cinnamon stick, lemon peel and 1 tbsp lemon juice for 4 to 5 minutes and cools it completely before pouring it on.
- Use a dense bread from a regular loaf, not soft sandwich bread, or the slices fall apart.
- Torrijas keep in the fridge a day or two and many Spaniards like them cold.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Torrijas belong to Holy Week because of Lent. Disputed as to why: esMADRID says the link "may" come from bread left over from vigil days, and that "some say" nuns made them popular after fasting; Wikipedia says only that they are traditionally made for Lent and Holy Week.
- Torrijas are Roman. Disputed: esMADRID points to the Roman aliter dulcia; Wikipedia notes that recipe has no egg, and the Spanish word is first recorded in 1496.
- They were given to new mothers. Folklore as reported: esMADRID says "reportedly".
- Milk or wine. Documented: Wikipedia and El Riojano both give both.
- Fry in olive oil. Documented (spain.info; El Riojano; Wikipedia).
- Drain before frying. Documented (El Riojano, to prevent spattering).
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