Food and Drink

Rabanadas – Brazilian Christmas Treat

14 November 2012

Brazilian Rabanadas follow a traditionally Portugese recipe and as well as Christmas they are eaten at celebrations of new births, Easter and New Year. They were traditionally made from a special loaf of bread only available from bakeries during these holidays, Pao de Rabanada, and were always bought the day before.

This is a super simple dessert to make that is traditionally seen on Brazilian dining tables around Christmas time. They're a great way to use up any old bits of pão frances (french bread) too! Recipe serves 4.

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Recipe serves: 6

Ingredients

6 small French bread (the older and harder, the better. Fresh doesn’t work so well here)
1/2 litre Milk
4 Eggs
A blob of butter for frying
Sugar (enough to cover the rabanadas)
Cinnamon powder – to taste

Instructions

Slice the french breads into 1 inch thick slices
Mix the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. At the same time, heat up the butter in the frying pan.
Dip the slices into the eggy-milky mix. Cover all parts of the bread and take your time- you want that mix to really soak into the bread slices. Give it a few minutes.
Add your soaked bread slices into the frying pan and cook on both sides until the turn that lovely golden brown colour.
Roll the cooked slices in plenty of sugar to coat the entire slice, sprinkle with cinnamon powder and serve. Still warm is the best.

Variation: Try adding some red wine to the milk for an authentic twist done by many native Brazilians.

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration