Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Portugal, Europe · Pastéis de Nata

Pastel de Nata Custard Toast

A café-style toast: thick bread pressed with a hollow, filled with lemony custard and baked with a sugar top until the crust is crisp and the custard blisters like a nata.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time32 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. In a small 14 cm pan, whisk the egg yolks, custard sugar and cornflour into a smooth paste, then whisk in the milk a little at a time so no lumps form, and add the lemon peel. Cook on medium heat for , whisking constantly, until bubbles break the surface and it turns thick; let it bubble for 30 seconds more so the starch and yolks cook through.

    Add in this stepEgg yolks 2Sugar (for the custard) 30 gCornflour (cornstarch) 2 tspMilk 100 mlStrip of lemon peel (no white pith) 1

    medium heat

  2. Take the pan off the heat, remove the lemon peel and stir in the vanilla. Scrape into a bowl, press cling film onto the surface so no skin forms, and cool for until lukewarm and thick. Meanwhile preheat the oven (or a toaster oven) to 220 °C.

    Add in this stepVanilla extract ½ tsp

  3. Press the middle of each slice firmly with the back of a spoon to make a wide, shallow hollow, leaving a 1.5 cm border. Spread butter over the border and around the crust; it makes the edges crisp and golden.

    Add in this stepThick slices of white or milk bread (about 3 cm) 2Butter, softened 15 g

  4. Spoon the custard generously into the hollows and sprinkle the topping sugar evenly over the custard only. Put the slices on a tray and bake on the upper-middle shelf of the oven, preheated to 220 °C, for , until the crust is golden and crisp and the custard has brown, blistered spots. If it needs more colour, switch on the grill for the last minute and watch closely.

    Add in this stepSugar (for the top) 2 tsp

    oven

  5. Let them sit for about 2 minutes so the custard settles, dust with cinnamon through a small sieve, cut diagonally and serve warm. The custard is very hot, so take care with the first bite.

    Add in this stepGround cinnamon to taste

Cook's tip

In an air fryer, bake at 180 °C for 6–8 minutes on a piece of baking paper so spilled sugar doesn't burn. Soft, thick bread such as brioche or milk bread presses easily and soaks up the custard. You can make the custard a day ahead and keep it in the fridge; fill and bake straight from cold.

Cooking it at camp

Make the custard at home and carry it cold in a sealed tub in the cooler. At camp, fill the buttered bread and heat it in a covered pan over a low flame for 5–6 minutes, until the base is golden. The top won't brown in a pan, so only add the sugar if you have a kitchen torch to caramelise it.