Fried bread with cinnamon sugar (rabanadas)

Day-old bread gets the dessert treatment in this Portuguese favourite.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 large 2-day-old loaf of bread (such as ciabatta)
• 600 ml milk
• 6 eggs
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 220 g white sugar
• vegetable oil
• orange slices and cinnamon quills, for garnish
• dried figs and strong coffee, for serving, if desired

Instructions

Cut the bread into 8 x 3 cm-thick slices. Place milk and eggs in 2 separate shallow dishes. Combine ground cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl. Soak bread slices in milk for 1 minute each side.

Fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 170˚C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 15 seconds). Working in batches, dip bread into egg mixture, then cook for 1 minute each side or until golden. Drain on paper towel, then coat in cinnamon sugar.

Garnish with orange slices and cinnamon quills. Serve with dried figs and strong coffee, if desired.

As seen in Feast Magazine, Issue 16, pg146.

Photography by Katie Kaars

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.