Capirotada: Traditional Mexican Recipes for Lent
Ingredients
- 8 pieces bolillo bread
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
- 4 tortillas
- 1 banana can be substituted with 2 egg yolks
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 tbsp orange peel
- 150 grams piloncillo Mexican brown sugar cones
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup of water
- 1 can of evaporated milk
- 2 cups of cow's milk
- 1/4 cup of walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup of sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup of raisins
- 1/4 cup of peanuts
- 1/2 cup of Chihuahua cheese or any mild cheddar cheese (you can also use queso fresco or cotija)
- Colored sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the bread into slices approximately 2 fingers wide or ½-inch thick the day before.
- Leave the sliced bread out the day before to allow it to become hard.
- Next day spread oil on the bread slices and place on a baking sheet, bake in the oven at 360°F (180°C) for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a saucepan, dissolve the piloncillo in 1 cup of water. Once dissolved, add the anise, orange peel, cloves, and cinnamon stick. If you don’t have piloncillo you can add 1 cup of brown sugar or 1 can of condensed milk to te blender mix.
- Meanwhile, blend the milk with the banana and vanilla extract, then add it to the piloncillo mixture.
- Brush the tortillas with oil and brown them in a skillet.
- Place a layer of tortillas at the bottom of your baking dish (tortillas help keep the moisture) add layers of bread and add raisins, walnuts, and peanuts on top, rinse with milk mixture over them, and continue layering until the dish is filled.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 360°F (180°C).
- Once done, sprinkle with crumbled cheese, peanuts, raisins, and colored sprinkles on top (optional). If desired, return to the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!