It’s time to up your Spanish dessert game, and torrijas are the perfect place to start. This simple dish involves bread dipped in honey, white wine, and eggs, before being fried to golden goodness!
In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a low simmer with the lemon zest and cinnamon stick. Once simmering, add the sugar, stirring to combine. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Slice the bread into thick pieces, roughly 3-3.5 cm wide (one-and-a-half inches). Piece by piece, gently soak the bread in the milk and sugar mixture. Let them soak for as long as possible, without breaking apart. Set the pieces aside on a large plate to rest and cool.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs. At the same time, heat 1.5 cm of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Two at a time, dip the bread slices in the beaten eggs and then fry in the oil, for roughly 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Once fried, let the slices rest on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
In a separate saucepan, start to prepare a syrup by bringing the honey and water to the boil. Boil for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is slightly thicker. Remove from heat, and completely cover the bread slices in the syrup. Serve the finished torrijas either hot or cold, by themselves or with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream.