New to Van Clarke? Subscribe to our newsletter for 15% off your first order. Start your haircare journey today.
Caramelised Spanish toast — or "Torrijas caramelizadas" — is a heavenly Spanish dessert that's especially beloved during Easter but enjoyed year-round for its rich, indulgent flavour and custardy texture.
It’s comforting, elegant, and deeply rooted in tradition — like the Spanish cousin of French toast, but with extra soul, where the outside gets a crispy, sweet, golden crust—almost like a thin layer of caramel or brûlée, while the inside remains soft and custardy.
Torrijas have been made in Spain since the 15th century. Traditionally eaten during Lent, when meat was restricted, they were a nourishing, sweet substitute. Today, they carry that heritage, often passed down through generations.
Made from stale bread, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and citrus peel, torrijas are a brilliant example of how humble ingredients can create something luxurious. It’s comfort food with a gourmet finish. A bold Andalusian variation soaks them in red wine instead of milk.
Ingredients:
375ml milk
300g stale brioche cut into 1’x1’ thick 4’ long rectangles
90g sugar
30g unsalted butter
5 egg yolks
2 strips thick cut orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
½ vanilla bean / ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Pinch of salt
Method:
Cut the brioche, take off all the crusts and allow to go stale.
In a saucepan combine the milk, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest & salt.
Heat over a medium flame for a couple of minutes until appx. 88⁰C. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to seep.
In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks with 50g sugar until paled in colour and sugar has dissolved. Once the milk mixture has cooled a little, slowly add this to the egg mixture whisking as you do.
Place pieces of the bread into the custard mixture and leave for a few minutes turning carefully so each side is immersed and fully saturated. Place on a plate and repeat with all pieces.
Strain the remaining custard back into the saucepan and gently heat over a medium heat stirring constantly for a couple of minutes until it reaches appx 80⁰C and the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Place this in a clean bowl and cover with clingfilm ensuring it touches the custard. Place in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 180⁰C. Melt the butter in a skillet dish over medium heat, then evenly sprinkle the remaining 25g of sugar over the butter. Add the pieces of bread. Carefully cooking, turning the pieces of brioche so that all sides are lightly browned. Transfer the skillet dish to the oven for 5 mins to completely heat through.
Remove the skillet dish from the oven and flip the torrijas so the bottom is now facing up.
Sprinkle the remaining 15g sugar over the top of each torrija and using a blowtorch caramelise the sugar with the flame. You can just sprinkle the sugar on top if you don’t have a blow torch.
Place the custard evenly over 4 plates, then place the torrijas on top and serve.
Enjoy.
Gaby Van Clarke
