Torrejas
[Vegan]

For the Bread:

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Cut the bolillos into ~¾-inch slices, then lay them out on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes, flipping halfway, to dry out the bread. Alternatively, slice your bread the night before and leave it out.

For the Syrup:

1. Add water, piloncillo, cloves, cinnamon, and orange peel to a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Strain the syrup to remove orange, cinnamon, and cloves.

For the Batter:

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk the chickpea flour and water together until no clumps remain. In another shallow bowl or baking dish, mix the plant milk, cane sugar, and vanilla. If the sugar is not dissolving, heat the milk mixture until warm.

For the Cooking:

1. Heat a good amount of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium. Dip each slice of bread in the milk first for 15-20 seconds per side, then in the chickpea “egg” mixture.
2. Fry each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer torrejas to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest.

For the Assembly:

1. To serve, you can either soak the torrejas in the piloncillo syrup or serve them with a drizzle over top (our preferred method). Happy eating!