Easter is right around the corner.

This year, it’s a bit of a strange one. We won’t go to mass here in San Sebastián. Jueves Santo and Viernes Santo (Holy Thursday and Friday) are going by without anyone even noticing, since we are all isolating at home as the Coronavirus rips through Spain.

There is one thing that has not changed…everyone here is making torrijas. Often translated as French Toast, this traditional Spanish dessert is far from the quick-soaked breakfast food that we conjure up in our heads as Americans when we hear that term. And in the Basque Country, ogi torrada is even more culinary and decadent.

With written references dating back to the 15th century in Spain, it’s clear that torrijas have a place in the dessert culture of the country. The first recipes appear in the early 1600s, and they include honey and eggs. In the early 1900s, you could find torrijas at the bars in Madrid, served up with a glass of wine.

The special Easter association is a bit of a mystery. Some say it was born out of an abundance of bread during Lent (since there was no meat juice to use it to sop, supposedly?). Others say that it’s a symbolic association, bread for fasting, the bread of life, soaked in dairy and covered in honey after being fried.

Homemade bread was a necessity for many centuries in the isolated baserriak of Basque Country. It was made from millet, and later, after the discovery of America, from corn—the two products share the same name in Euskara, arto. A riff on pain perdu was an excellent way to use bread that was too stale for the dinner table. In other parts of Spain, the bread might be soaked in wine, but in Basque Country, the ogi torrada is most often made with rich, buttery brioche, soaked in a bath of flavor-infused full-fat dairy.

In celebration of Easter, today I’ll share the recipe from my book, Basque Country. Mine is modeled after one of the best in the city, that of Ni Neu (and therefore provenance of the Berasategui mind). It is so rich…and so popular that many pintxos bars have copied it and have similar versions on their menu.

This recipe is a modern version, using an eggless batter and a big, blocky cut on the bread for a nicer presentation. The bread pieces are cooked in a hot pan, seared on all four sides, and sometimes finished with another layer of sugar caramelized with a kitchen torch (see Note). The result is a crispy exterior that hides a creamy, warm, French toast–like texture. It’s good. Real good.

Ogi Torrada / Caramelized Custard Bread / Torrijas

Recipe from Basque Country

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 cup (240 mL) heavy cream

• 1 cup (240 mL) whole milk

• 1⁄2 cup plus 6 tablespoons (175 g) sugar

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1⁄2 loaf brioche or white bread (around 7 ounces/200 g), a few days old

• 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, 1⁄2 cup (100 g) of the sugar, and the cinnamon stick and heat over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until steaming. Remove from the heat. Let cool to room temperature. Strain the milk mixture, discarding the solids. Cut the bread into rectangular bars, about 2 inches (5 cm) high and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. The length may be determined by the loaf, though each bar should be about 4 inches (10 cm) long. Place the bread pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the milk mixture over evenly and let soak for about 10 minutes.

In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the sugar over medium-high heat. While that mixture is melting, remove 2 pieces of bread from the milk mixture. Set on a paper towel to drain any excess liquid. Once the butter and sugar have fully melted, add the 2 pieces of bread to the pan. Cook for 1 minute before flipping 90 degrees. Cook for another minute on that side, then flip 90 degrees again. The sugar and butter should be beginning to caramelize. Flip again and, after another minute, flip to the last side and cook for about 30 seconds.

Finally, swirl the pan around to distribute the caramelized sugar-butter mixture and flip the bread pieces once more, with the most presentable side down. Cook for 1 minute. Very gently remove the bread with a spatula and set on a serving plate, with the most presentable side up.

Repeat with the remaining bread in batches of two, using 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter and 2 tablespoons of the remaining sugar for each batch. Serve warm.

NOTES

To finish with a kitchen torch: Melt only the butter in the pan, no sugar. Cook the bread slices as directed, then remove from the pan, sprinkle the sides of the bread with sugar, and run the ame of a kitchen torch back and forth over it until the sugar melts and then caramelizes, like a crème brûlée. The caramelized sugar cools into a crunchy coating.

To finish with the broiler: Preheat the broiler. After heating the pieces of bread in the pan with the butter and sugar, sprinkle the tops with extra sugar and place them under the hot broiler, as close to the heat as possible. Allow the sugar to melt and caramelize (keep your eyes on it, as it will only take about a minute under the hot broiler) and then remove.