Portuguese Rabanadas
intro
Golden crisp-crusted Portuguese rabanadas, the beloved Brazilian Christmas treat: spiced milk-soaked bread fried to perfection, dusted with cinnamon sugar, soft and custardy inside, pure cozy holiday comfort.
Ingredients
Steps
Slice Stale Bread Loaf
Place the day-old crusty white loaf on the honey beech wood cutting board. Using the serrated bread knife, cut the bread into 8 even 2.5cm (1-inch) thick slices. Avoid cutting slices thinner than 2cm, as they will tear during soaking; discard the hard end heel pieces if preferred. Slightly stale, crusty bread is ideal, as soft fresh sandwich bread will fall apart and turn mushy during preparation.
Simmer Spiced Milk
Pour 300ml whole milk into the 1.5L stainless steel saucepan. Add 50g granulated sugar, the 5cm lemon peel strip (take care to avoid bitter white pith), 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/8 tsp fine sea salt. Place over medium-low heat, stirring gently with the silicone whisk until sugar fully dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer (small bubbles forming at the pan edge, ~85C/185F), then remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes to infuse, before removing and discarding the lemon peel.
Soak Bread in Milk
Pour the warm infused milk into one of the medium stainless steel mixing bowls. Working one slice at a time, submerge bread slices in the warm milk for 20-30 seconds per side, until fully saturated but not falling apart. Test doneness by pressing a slice gently with your fingertip: it should give softly but hold its shape, not turn to mushy paste. Transfer soaked slices to a clean area of the cutting board as you work.
Whisk Whole Eggs
Crack all 4 large eggs into the second medium stainless steel mixing bowl. Whisk gently with the silicone whisk for 30-45 seconds until yolks and whites are fully combined into a smooth pale yellow mixture, with no streaks of clear egg white remaining. Do not over-whisk to a frothy foam, as this will leave uneven, splotchy coating on the fried bread.
Heat Frying Oil
Pour 500ml neutral frying oil into the 10-inch matte black carbon steel frying pan, until oil reaches 1cm (1/2 inch) up the pan sides. Place over medium heat until oil reaches 175C/350F. Test readiness by dropping a tiny bread crumb into the oil: it should sizzle immediately and turn pale golden in 10 seconds, not burn instantly or sit without bubbling.
Fry Bread Slices
Working in batches of 2 slices to avoid dropping oil temperature, dip each milk-soaked bread slice fully into the whisked egg, coating both sides evenly. Carefully lower the coated slice into the hot oil to avoid splashing. Fry for 1.5-2 minutes per side, until deep even golden brown and crisp on the outside. Use the slotted metal turner to flip slices gently. Never overcrowd the pan, as this will drop oil temperature and result in greasy, soggy rabanadas.
Drain Fried Rabanadas
Once both sides are golden, use the slotted turner to lift each rabanada from the oil, holding it above the pan for 5 seconds to let excess oil drip back into the pan. Transfer fried slices to the chrome wire cooling rack lined with double-layered unbleached paper towel, set to the right of the stovetop. Let slices drain 1 minute per side to remove surface oil before coating.
Coat in Cinnamon Sugar
While rabanadas are still warm (not piping hot), mix the remaining 25g granulated sugar and 3 tsp ground cinnamon in a small white ramekin. Use the small fine-mesh sieve to dust a generous, even coating of cinnamon sugar over both sides of each warm rabanada. The gentle residual heat will help the sugar stick evenly to the crisp crust without melting into sticky clumps.
Tips
2.Never skip the oil temperature test: if oil is below 350F, rabanadas will absorb excess oil and taste heavy and greasy; if oil is too hot, the exterior will burn to a dark crisp before the center warms through, leaving a raw, soggy middle.
3.Coat rabanadas in cinnamon sugar when they are warm to the touch, not piping hot or fully cooled: piping hot slices will melt sugar into sticky, wet clumps, while fully cooled slices will not hold the sugar coating, causing it to fall off with every bite.
OMG these are SO good! I made them for my family's Sunday brunch last weekend and everyone thought I spent hours in the kitchen. No one believed they only took 20 minutes total, total game changer. I added a tiny extra dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg on top, chef's kiss.
Made these for my kid's soccer team potluck yesterday and they were gone in 10 minutes flat. Multiple parents asked for the recipe, I told them it was so easy even I (the guy who burns toast) could pull it off. Will be making these every weekend from now on.
Super easy, cheap to make, and perfect for when I need a quick sweet treat between study sessions. I didn't have any port wine like some traditional recipes call for so this version was ideal for my tiny college kitchen. 10/10.
I make traditional Portuguese rabanadas every Christmas Eve for my extended family, and I was skeptical of a 20 minute easy version. Tried it last night for a test run and WOW, it's just as good as my avó's recipe that takes 2 hours. My husband said he might even like this version better (don't tell avó lol).
These look incredible! Wait has anyone tried making these ahead for meal prep? I'm always looking for easy breakfast options I can grab on my way to work during the week, and these look perfect.
Would this work with oat milk instead of regular whole milk? I'm dairy free and have been craving something sweet and cinnamony for weeks, these look right up my alley.
Made these for my buddy's birthday breakfast last weekend, he's Portuguese and said they tasted exactly like the ones his mom makes when he goes home to visit. Huge win for me, I'm usually terrible at making "fancy" breakfast food. So easy, zero stress.
OMG I added a little drizzle of salted caramel on top of mine after they cooled a little and it was life changing. Don't skip the cinnamon sugar crust, that part is non-negotiable. My roommate walked in, took one bite, and demanded I make a second batch immediately.
Okay so I've never made anything besides microwave mac and cheese before, and I managed to not burn these! They were so crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, my roommate thought I ordered them from a fancy brunch spot. Who knew cooking could be this easy?
I've been making rabanadas for my family since the 70s when my Portuguese neighbor taught me her recipe, and this version is so much quicker than the one I've been using for decades. Tasted exactly the same, I can't believe I wasted so much time on the extra steps before. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
Made these for a girls' brunch yesterday and paired them with mimosas, everyone was raving. The only thing I did different was use brioche bread instead of regular white bread, and it was so rich and buttery, 10/10 would recommend that swap.
Cook time is actually 20 minutes like it says, no gimmicks! I timed it because I was running late to a breakfast potluck at work, and I was out the door with a full plate in 22 minutes flat (the extra 2 minutes was me searching for my keys, not the recipe). Everyone loved them.
Is there an egg free swap for this? My youngest has an egg allergy and I've been looking for a fun breakfast treat he can eat that doesn't taste like "allergy food" if you know what I mean. These look like something the whole family would love.
We added these to our weekly Sunday dinner rotation last month, and now my kids ask for them every single week. They even help me dip the bread in the cinnamon sugar, it's become our little tradition. So easy even my 7 year old can help make them without making a huge mess.
Tried these after seeing a TikTok about easy international breakfasts, and they did not disappoint. The cinnamon sugar coating gets perfectly crispy when you fry them a little in butter, way better than regular french toast in my opinion. Will be making these for out of town guests next month.
Made these at 1am after a night out with friends, and they hit so different. I was half asleep while making them and they still turned out perfect, that's how easy this recipe is. 10/10 drunk snack, 10/10 regular snack, 10/10 any occasion snack.