capirotada (my mom's version)

Recipe by
Belinda Castillo
san antonio, TX

There are many, many versions of this dish. In fact, every family had their own twist. This is the one that I grew up with. It was a tradition to eat this during lent every year. It's still one of my favorites.

prep time 15 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Bake

Ingredients For capirotada (my mom's version)

  • 1 lg
    french bread, day old
  • 4 1/2 c
    water
  • 2-3 stick
    cinnamon
  • 1 tsp
    star anise or anise seeds
  • 1 tsp
    cloves
  • 1- 1 1/2 c
    mild cheddar cheese, cubed
  • 1 c
    raisins
  • 1 c
    milk
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla extract
  • 1 c
    pecan halves
  • 1 1/2 c
    brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp
    butter, melted

How To Make capirotada (my mom's version)

  • 1
    Cut bread into cubes and set aside in a large bowl.
  • 2
    If desired, Soak raisins in water and set aside. This keeps raisins from hardening during baking process.
  • 3
    Place 4 1/2 cups of water in a medium pot. Add cinnamon sticks in the water. You can use a diffuser for the anise and cloves or place directly into the water. Boil to make a spice tea over medium heat.
  • 4
    Place milk and vanilla in a small pot and simmer over very low heat.
  • 5
    When spice tea is nice and dark, strain it, pour into a medium bowl and add brown sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Pour sweetened tea over bread cubes and mix gently until bread is completely soaked.
  • 6
    Pour melted butter into a 9 x 11 baking dish. Glass dish works best. Layer half of soaked bread, half of drained raisins, half ofpecan halves and half of cheese. Gently press down on e Rey thing and you later it with a rubber spatula. Repeat.
  • 7
    Pour warm milk/vanilla mixture all over top of the bread mixture. Lightly cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour or until set. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes to brown the top.

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