Traditional Easter torrijas
The undisputed sweet of Atienza Easter: bread slices soaked in milk infused with cinnamon and lemon, coated in egg and fried in hot oil.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 12 torrijas
- Difficulty
- Easy
What you need
- 1 torrija bread loaf (or day-old bread) cut into 12 slices, 2 cm thick
- 1 litre whole milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Zest of 1 lemon (yellow part only)
- 120 g sugar (for the milk)
- 3 eggs
- Mild olive oil for frying
- Sugar and ground cinnamon for coating
- Honey (optional) to drizzle when serving
Step by step
- 01
Put the milk in a saucepan with the cinnamon stick, lemon zest and 120 g sugar. Heat until it just boils, remove and let cool 15 minutes. Strain.
- 02
Place the bread slices in a deep tray and pour the warm milk over them. Soak well on both sides without breaking. Rest 5 minutes.
- 03
Beat the eggs in a deep plate.
- 04
Heat plenty of mild olive oil in a deep pan (approx. 170 °C).
- 05
Dip each slice in the beaten egg and fry immediately. Brown 1 minute per side.
- 06
Remove to a plate with kitchen paper to drain.
- 07
Mix 4 tablespoons of sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon on a plate. Coat the torrijas while hot.
- 08
Serve warm or cold. Optionally drizzle with honey on serving.
- Bread: torrija bread (denser and elongated) absorbs better without falling apart. Otherwise, day-old bread.
- Warm milk (not cold nor boiling) is the key to texture.
- Castilian variant: replace half the milk with sweet wine and omit the lemon.
Other traditional recipes
- MeatsGallina en pepitoriaPepitoria is one of the oldest Castilian stews and an emblematic dish of Atienza cuisine: chicken, almonds, saffron, hard-boiled egg and white wine.
- MeatsWood-fired roast lambThe star dish of Atienza mountain cuisine: milk-fed lamb roasted whole, with lard, garlic and white wine. Traditional recipe for the home oven.
- SweetsGrandma's rosquillasLifelong oil and anise rosquillas: the most homemade sweet of the Atienza recipe book.
Taste it in Atienza
The village restaurants serve the traditional recipe book all year round.