Spain, Europe · Churros con Chocolate

Churro French Toast Sticks

Name: Churro French Toast Sticks
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: Thick slices of brioche or day-old white bread (2.5 cm) 2; Eggs 1; Milk 100 ml; Vanilla extract ½ tsp; Salt 1 pinch; Butter 20 g; Sugar (for cinnamon sugar) 3 tbsp; Ground cinnamon 1 tsp; Dark chocolate, finely chopped 60 g; Heavy cream 80 ml

Thick brioche cut into sticks, soaked in custard, pan-fried in butter until crisp, rolled in cinnamon sugar and dunked in chocolate: churro flavour with no deep-frying.

ServingsServes 2

Total cooking time18 min

DifficultyEasy

Method

Cut each slice of bread into 3 sticks about 2.5 cm wide (keep or trim the crusts as you like). Mix the sugar and cinnamon on a wide plate.
Add in this stepSugar (for cinnamon sugar) 3 tbspGround cinnamon 1 tsp
Make the chocolate dip. Put the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Warm the cream in a small 14 cm pot over medium-low heat for , until it steams at the edges, then pour it over the chocolate. Wait 1 minute and stir until glossy.
Add in this stepDark chocolate, finely chopped 60 gHeavy cream 80 ml
medium-low heat
In a wide, shallow dish, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt until no streaks of white remain. Dip the bread sticks for only 3 to 5 seconds per side and set them on a rack or plate. Soaking longer makes them soggy and they will break in the pan.
Add in this stepEggs 1Milk 100 mlVanilla extract ½ tspSalt 1 pinchThick slices of brioche or day-old white bread (2.5 cm) 2
Melt the butter in a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the sticks with 1 cm gaps between them and cook for , turning them with tongs every 1 minute 30 seconds so all four sides turn golden and crisp. If they don't all fit, cook in two batches.
Add in this stepButter 20 g
medium heat
Roll the sticks in the cinnamon sugar straight from the pan, while the butter is still on them so the sugar sticks.
Stand them in a cup or mug and serve immediately with the chocolate dip. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a café-style plate.

Cook's tip

Day-old bread soaks up the custard and still holds its shape better than very fresh bread. If the butter turns brown, the heat is too high: turn it down to medium-low, and wipe the pan and melt fresh butter before a second batch. Dulce de leche or honey also make a great dip.

Cooking it at camp

No deep-frying, so it is perfect for camping: one burner and a nonstick pan are enough. Mix the custard at home, pour it into a bottle and keep it in the cooler. For the dip, put the chocolate and cream in a small cup and set it in a pot of hot water until melted.