Capirotada is a Mexican bread pudding that is very common during the religious season of Lent leading up to Easter. It was a traditional dish I would see on the table as a child whenever we would have a big family dinner for Good Friday. After I got married I wanted to bring that tradition into my new home and made it the first year of marriage. It was a hit for my husband…unfortunately for the next couple of years for one reason or another I let go of those traditional dishes. However! now that I see my children getting a little bigger I figured I would start making this again….that and my husband bugged me for days to make this! So I figured it would be a good opportunity to make him happy with more food, introduce it to my kids and have another recipe to share.
Of course like any other dish there are different versions in making this. My family usually adds sliced cheese like Queso Fresco…I’m not about that life and neither is my husband so it’s not in my recipe. But you can find cheese along with shredded coconut, nuts, fresh fruits like bananas, dried fruits and even sprinkles for a more festive look! A lot of versions toast the bread before adding the Piloncillo syrup and bake it in the oven, my mom never did it…not sure if she was lazy and didn’t want to do the extra work or preferred softer bread, but that’s how I learned to make Capirotada and it’s now my preferred method of making it. This is definitely a traditional Mexican dish to make during Lent season or any time of the year!
Happy Easter Friends!
Yields: 10-12 servings Prep Time: <10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 1-2 French Bread or 6-8 Bolillo Rolls
- 1 Piloncillo (also known as Panela or Brown Sugar Cane)
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 1-2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2-3 Bananas (sliced)
- 1/4 cup Raisins
- 2 1/2 cups Water
In a sauce pan place Piloncillo (Brown Sugar Cane), cinnamon sticks and whole cloves in the water on low heat.
Allow the brown sugar cane (piloncillo) to dissolve completely and continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
After a couple of minutes, remove the now thin syrup off the heat and allow to slightly cool off.
*You want the syrup to cool off enough to be warm and not piping hot off the stove!
Meanwhile, slice the bread and bananas.
*For my 15 by 8 pan I used a whole loaf and a quarter of a second loaf as well as 2 1/2 bananas.
Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves from the syrup.
*I used a strainer to make sure I only ended up with the syrup and had no bits and pieces from the cinnamon and cloves.
Layer your bread slices and pour the syrup as even as possible.
Add banana slices and raisins.
Continue with another layer of bread slices and generously pour the remainder of the syrup over the entire dish.
Place the rest of the fresh and dried fruits and enjoy!!
My Appetizing Life 
Similar to my recipe but I bake mine a little just to make it a little crispy…Nice recipe …Thank you for the follow 🙂
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