Torrijas – Spanish Style French Toast

They can be eaten warm or cold, for breakfast or dessert – which makes them a fantastic recipe to use when you have guests or have no time in the morning to make breakfast (or want a make ahead dessert).

There are many variations of this popular dish. Whilst traditionally stale bread is dipped in sweetened milk or wine and then coated in egg and fried in olive oil; I wanted something that I could make any time and I – nearly – always have milk in the fridge.

These Torrijas, don’t contain any added sugar either. Many recipes use either a sugar syrup or add sugar to the milk before heating it, but I saw no need for added sugar  when serving to a toddler. I feel the orange, cinnamon and milk are naturally quite sweet. Besides, a handful of berries and drizzle of honey over the top just before serving adds enough sweetness.

I wanted to add orange as oranges remind me of the year we lived in Seville. Citrus blossom filled the air, the sides of the roads were lined with fallen fruit which had dropped from the hundreds of orange trees growing in every street. The oranges, being Seville Oranges weren’t those you could pick from a tree and eat, they were super bitter.

I tried making a tart with them once.

It was a complete disaster.

Think marmalade tart, without any sugar in the marmalade. I did not try baking with them again.

Important Tip: Make sure your bread is very stale, if it isn’t, the Torrijas will be slimy – which is never good! See below for a tip on how to make stale bread if you only have fresh.

Make ahead? The torrijas are also lovely eaten cold, which makes them an ideal breakfast to prepare the night before. If you want to reheat them, place back in a frying pan on a low heat and warm through. Don’t microwave as this will cause the torrijas to go rubbery.

If you want more breakfast ideas, try my Bircher Muesli or Granola Cups which can both be made ahead of time.