Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
This Mexican Capirotada is a savory and sweet bread pudding. It's so moist and sweetened with piloncillo syrup. Capirotada is traditionally eaten during lent and Easter time, but can be also enjoyed on any other special occasion. This capirotada recipe has two layers of toasty french bread and is topped with raisins, sliced almonds, walnuts and crumbled cotija cheese.
Ingredients
- French bread loaf or 3 bolillos
- 2 tablespoon butter (+ more if needed)
- 2 piloncillo cones * see note
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 9 whole allspice
- onion (small quartered slice - white or yellow onion)
- 5 tomatillo husks (optional)
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- ½ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- 6 pitted prunes * (cut in half)
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit
- Toast the bread - cut the bread ¾ inch and place the pieces in a large baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes or until golden brown and toasty. Or you can use your toaster oven to toast the bread slices (you will do this in batches) after the bread is toasted spread butter over each slice and set aside. You can also spread the butter before baking (If doing it this way I find it easier to melt the butter and brushing over the bread). I use the toaster oven when I’m prepping ahead and don't want to turn on the oven.
- Make the piloncillo syrup. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat add piloncillo, whole allspice, cinnamon stick, tomatillo husks, quartered slice onion and fill with 3 cups of water or 3 ½ cups for extra syrupy moist bread pudding. Stir occasionally until the piloncillo has dissolved, bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, strain with a mesh strainer and discard the onion, tomatillo husks, cinnamon stick and whole allspice and set aside.
- Assembling the capirotada. Start by greasing an 8x8 baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Add the first layer of bread slices. Sprinkle cotija cheese, followed by raisins, and prunes (I like to cut the prunes in ½). Pour in ½ of the piloncillo syrup evenly.
- Add another layer of toasted sliced bread followed by sprinkling the rest of the raisins and cotija cheese on top. Sprinkle chopped walnuts and sliced almond. Pour the rest of the piloncillo syrup on top making sure you coat the whole baking dish evenly. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, uncover and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Set aside to cool down. Serve warm or cold with your favorite drink.
Notes
*piloncillo I use 1 large cone about 230g and 1 smaller cone 115g - For that extra sweetness use two large piloncillo cones. If you can't find piloncillo you can substitute 1 cup ½ of dark brown sugar or light brown sugar.
*prunes - If you don't like prunes you can't definitely leave them out.
*cotija cheese - a good substitute is crumbled queso fresco or panela cheese. You can also use melting cheeses like Monterrey Jack, Oaxaca Cheese or mozzarella cheese.
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