Picatostes Madrileños
Picatostes Madrileños·(pee-kah-TOHS-tehs mah-dree-LEHN-yohs)
Mañanas y Meriendas
Walk the narrow streets off Madrid's Puerta del Sol early in the morning, and the air smells of hot olive oil, caramelized sugar, and melting chocolate. For over a century, historic cafes have served these alongside their famous churros, but long before they were late-night staples, picatostes were a grandmother's ultimate act of culinary thrift. Let's get one thing straight: this is not French toast, and it never touches an egg. It is pure, unpretentious fried dough made from yesterday's stale bread, crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and begging to be dragged through a mug of impossibly thick hot chocolate.
Before you start
Stale the bread overnight.
Leave the cut bread batons out on the counter overnight so they dry out completely, which prevents them from absorbing too much oil when fried.
Mix the sugar coating.
Combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a wide, shallow bowl and set aside.
Ingredients
- stale rustic country bread4 large
- light olive oil1/2 cup
- fresh lemon peel1 large
- whole milk1/2 cup
- granulated white sugar1/2 cup
- ground cinnamon1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Heat the oil and aromatize it with the lemon peel.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil and lemon peel, letting it sizzle for about two minutes to perfume the oil and remove any bitter edge before discarding the peel.
- 02
Baptize the bread batons in the milk.
Pour the milk into a shallow dish and give each baton a fleeting, one-second dip per side so it receives just a kiss of moisture without soaking.
- 03
Fry the moistened bread until deeply golden.
Working quickly, lay the moistened bread into the hot oil and fry for one to two minutes per side until a shatteringly crisp crust forms.
- 04
Drain briefly and toss in the sugar mixture.
Move the fried bread to a paper towel for exactly five seconds to drain excess fat, then immediately roll it in the sugar and cinnamon while still hot so the crust slightly caramelizes.
Notes
Use the right bread.
Standard American sandwich bread will disintegrate into a greasy sponge; you need a dense, artisanal sourdough or country loaf for the structure to hold up.
The chocolate is mandatory.
You cannot serve picatostes without dipping them into a mug of thick, pudding-like Spanish hot chocolate.
From Cook Spanish in America.