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Capirotada
Mexican bread pudding
Capirotada: Mexican Lenten bread pudding layered with piloncillo syrup, cheese, raisins, peanuts and cinnamon
On the Fridays of Lent and above all on Good Friday, grandmothers from Jalisco to Sonora layer stale bolillo with a dark syrup of piloncillo, cinnamon and cloves, then tuck in raisins, peanuts and crumbled cheese, a sweet-salty pudding that uses up bread when meat is off the menu. It comes out of the oven sticky at the edges and soft in the middle, and is eaten warm or at room temperature. The traditional cheese, queso añejo or cotija, is usually made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese or mild feta if you prefer. Chef's tip: fry or toast the bread until really dry and golden first; soft bread turns to porridge in the syrup.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 10 ½ oz piloncillo or dark muscovado sugarchopped
- 1 small tomato (optional)halved
- 1 slice of white onion (optional)
For the layers
- 6 day-old bolillo rolls or crusty white rollssliced 1.5 cm thick
- 2 ⅞ oz buttermelted
- 5 ½ oz cotija, queso añejo or vegetarian hard cheesecrumbled
- 2 ⅞ oz raisins
- 2 ⅞ oz roasted peanuts
- 1 tbsp coloured sprinkles (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer 3 ¼ cups water, 10 ½ oz piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks (canela), 4 whole cloves and the 1 small tomato and 1 slice of white onion, if using (an old ranch trick for depth), for 20 minutes until reduced by about a third. Strain and keep warm.
20 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Brush the 6 day-old bolillo rolls or crusty white rolls slices with 2 ⅞ oz butter and bake on trays for 12–15 minutes, turning once, until golden and completely crisp.
15 minStep 3: Lay a third of the bread in a buttered 22 × 30 cm dish. Scatter over a third of the 5 ½ oz cotija, queso añejo or vegetarian hard cheese, 2 ⅞ oz raisins and 2 ⅞ oz roasted peanuts and spoon over a third of the syrup. Repeat twice.
10 minStep 4: Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes until the edges are sticky and caramelised and the syrup is absorbed. A common mistake is pouring the syrup on cold; warm syrup soaks in evenly while cold syrup pools at the bottom.
35 minStep 5: Rest 15 minutes, add 1 tbsp coloured sprinkles if you like, and serve warm or at room temperature.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does capirotada take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon sticks (canela)?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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