➛ bolillos or slices of French bread ➛ unsalted butter ➛ soft dark brown sugar (or piloncillo) ➛ cinnamon stick ➛ water ➛ flaked almonds ➛ raisins ➛ Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese
The recipe works better with older bread that is quite dry. Slice the bread about ½ in thick or 1 cm. Lightly butter on both sides.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Layer on a baking sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly toasted and dry. Remove and cool. Set the slices aside.
Place the sugar, cinnamon, and water in a pan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes without stirring to reduce it.
Remove the cinnamon stick and let the syrup cool. Grease an 8-inch/20cm square baking dish with butter.
Layer the bread, almonds, raisins, and cheese in the dish, and pour the syrup over, letting it soak into the bread for 5-10 minutes. Repeat the steps with all of the ingredients.
Do not omit this step. The bread needs time to soak the syrup; otherwise, the syrup will run to the bottom of the dish, and the top layer will remain dry.
Bake the pudding for about 30 mins, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, leave to stand for 5 minutes, then cut into squares.
Serve warm or cold with heavy cream over and decorate it with some flaked almonds. Swipe up for the full recipe!
This dish is traditional for Lent and served as breakfast. Perfect with cream or milk poured over it. On the recipe page, there are many notes, tips, and recommendations!