The traditional traditonal Spanish torrija recipe my grandma cooks every Easter. The most simple of the Spanish desserts is also one of the yummiest!
Traditonal Spanish Torrija Recipe. My grandma’s yummy version
What is a torrija?
Torrijas are a dessert created to use up old bread that had gone hard around Easter time.
A sweet treat in a time when people had very little money but were very skilled and imaginative in the kitchen.
They are very similar to french toast, the main different is the way you cook them. Torrijas are fried in oil and coated in sugar afterwards while french toast are cooked in butter and sugar.
Both of them are delicious but today I will share with you my favourite version: the ones my Spanish grandma makes every Easter.
My grandma’s torrija recipe
Traditional Spanish torrija recipe ingredients
- Bread
- Whole milk
- Eggs
- Olive oil
- White sugar
- Cinamon
You can do them with any bread you have around but my grandma’s favorite type of bread is a normal baguette style.
Originally, torrijas were something cheap you will do to use up old bread so preferably use bread that is couple of days old so it has gone hard.
When the bread is hard it soaks up more liquid and ends up with more flavor.
Regarding the milk, she always uses whole milk, as back in her day there was not such a thing as skimmed milk!
Again, my grandma makes them with white sugar as it was the version they had at the time she started cooking them.
Traditional Spanish Torrija recipe description step by step
- Cut the bread in slices. My grandma likes them as long as possible so she cuts the bread in an angle to maximize length.
- Soak the bread in milk and leave it there for a couple of minutes making sure it gets milk everywhere.
- Take the bread from the milk and dip it in whisked egg in both sides.
- Fry the bread in olive oil – medium heat- and flip it to cook it in both sides.My grandma does not use such things as scales or fixed minutes when cooking. She operates purely on intuition. When you see the bread is looking cooked and has a nice shade brown get it out.
- Dip the bread both sides in a mix of sugar and cinnamon, again, no measurements here.
- Let them cool and Enjoy!
Torrija Recipe, step by step in video cooked by my grandmother
Variations of the traditional Spanish torrija recipe
While the principles are the same the recipe might vary from one family to the other. In Valencia lately they serve them with horchata ice cream and in some places they add few more spices to the dipping mix.
I, for instance, have make variations on my grandma’s recipe to adapt to diet restrictions. For example, I have used not sugar but sweetener to be able to have them while I had diabetes during a pregnancy.
If you want to experiment go wild but be aware my grandma is a purist so do let her see you getting away from the path.
Where can I find torrijas in Spain?
If you come to Spain you will likely see them as dessert in restaurants and likely they will serve them with moderns twists like ice cream on top of them.
If you come around Easter you will also find them in some bakeries.
Mi Abuela will be thrilled to know so many people are enjoying her recipe.
And if you are interested in Spanish Easter check out this post with the most typical foods to eat during Easter in Spain!
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Save money on your trip to Spain after cooking the traditional Spanish torrija recipe!
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