Capirotada

During the annual Lenten period, many Christians abstain from meat on Fridays. There are so many dishes you can make when meat is off the table, like sheet-pan spanakopita quesadillas (heck yes!), creamy kale gnocchi bake, and paella verdura. Capirotada, also known as Mexican bread pudding, is often served during the Lenten period, specifically on Good Friday. Sweet AND savory, this bread pudding has to be tried to be believed. Here's everything you need to know.

What Is Capirotada?

In Mexican culture, capirotada is a popular casserole-style dish that carries religious significance during the Easter holiday. The ingredients are symbolic of Christ: The bread represents his body, the syrup his blood, the cloves the nails on the cross, and the cinnamon sticks the wood of the cross. That being said, Easter is hardly the only season you can enjoy capirotada—I love to make it all year round.

How To Make Capirotada

INGREDIENTS

• Bolillo: An oblong roll similar to a baguette but with a softer crumb, bolillo is the traditional choice for capirotada. If you can’t track down bolillos, baguette is a perfectly legit sub.
• Piloncillo: Piloncillo (AKA panela) is an unrefined brown sugar that features a deeper, more intense caramel-molasses flavor than your standard dark brown sugar. Sold tightly packed into cone shapes, piloncillo is dry rather than moist and must be grated to be measured.
• Spices: The classic trio of sweet mulling spices—cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg—infuses the sugar syrup with aromatic complexity and subtle warmth.
• Sliced Almonds: Optional, but worth it for the textural variety they provide. I love the way the almonds scattered over the top get all toasty in the oven.
• Dried Fruit: You can use most any dried fruit you have around, but I love the way raisins and dried apricots plump and soften as they absorb the syrup.
• Queso Añejo: This crumbly aged cheese is the usual pick for capirotada. It's a salty, tangy, savory counterpoint to the sweet syrup, bringing lovely balance and complexity. Swap in cotija if queso añejo is unavailable.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 400° and butter a 2-qt. baking dish (an 8" square or 9" round dish should do).

Arrange the bread on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.

For this type of bread pudding, a sweet spiced syrup takes the place of the usual eggs and cream. To make the syrup, bring the piloncillo, spices, salt, and 4 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Don’t overdo it or the bread will struggle to absorb the syrup.

Arrange the bread slices in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Ladle enough syrup over to saturate the bread. Scatter half of the almonds, dried fruit, and cheese over. Arrange a second layer of bread on top and ladle more syrup over, ensuring there are no dry spots. Scatter the remaining almonds, dried fruit, and cheese over.

Transfer the capirotada to the oven and bake, adding more syrup if the bread starts to look dry, until the bread is softened and set and the syrup is bubbling and thickened, about 30 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Speed it up by starting from stale: Use day-old, slightly stale bread and you can skip the drying/toasting step.
• Give it a rest: To give the flavors a change to meld and develop, refrigerate the capirotada overnight. When ready to serve, reheat it in a 350° oven until warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Make Ahead & Storage

You can assemble the casserole and store in the refrigerator overnight. The bread pudding can also be baked ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.