- ½ liter of milk
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 lemon (peel)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1/8 cup of rum or liquor
- 1 pound of Cuban bread
- 2 eggs
- frying oil
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 zest of lemon or orange
For the syrup:
Bring half a liter of milk to a boil with 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar, a cinnamon stick, and a lemon peel. When it boils, remove it from the heat and add rum or another liquor and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Cut the bread into slices about one finger thick. Place it on a tray and soak it with the infused milk, making sure it doesn’t get too soggy or fall apart in the following steps.
In a deep pan, heat oil.
Beat the eggs and add a little milk to make them smoother. Dip each slice of bread in the milk, then in the beaten eggs, and fry it in hot oil, one at a time.
Adding milk to the beaten eggs prevents a thick crust like a tortilla from forming when frying the bread; instead, it yields a golden color and a thin, crispy layer.
According to the torrejas, when they turn golden brown, flip them over and fry them on the other side. Then remove them from the oil and fry the next one. Drain them on a paper towel and set them aside.
Prepare the syrup:
In a pot, put all the ingredients. Let it simmer until it begins to thicken.
When lifting the spoon forms a thread of syrup, remove it from the heat as it is already at the right point. Another way to know is when it sticks to your fingers when touched.
To preserve the Grandmother's Torrejas, wait for them to cool, place them in a container, and add the syrup on top until they are covered. Keep them at a cold temperature, and if you want them to make it to dessert for dinner, hide them in the refrigerator, because they disappear quickly.
Enjoy your meal!