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Fried Milk - Spanish Leche Frita Recipe

A classic recipe for fried milk (leche frita).
Makes 12-14 fried milk bars.
Serving: 2 bars
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chilling5 hours
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Ice Cream, Snack
Cuisine: Spanish
Keyword: custard milk, freche frita, fried milk, spanish dessert
Servings: 6 people
Author: Hani Bacova

Ingredients

Custard

  • 3½ cups milk (850 ml)
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar (30 grams)
  • 2 egg yolks from large eggs
  • scant ⅓ cup corn starch (1.5 oz, 45 grams)
  • little over ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (1.5 oz, 45 grams)
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 lemons, zest, peeled and chopped, not the white part
  • 1 orange, zest, peeled and chopped, not the white part (pith)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tbsp butter (30 grams)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 tsp Orange Bakery Emulsion (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp Lemon Extract/Oil (optional)

Egg Wash Coating

  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 3 whole eggs

Frying

  • 1½ cup oil, use a small sauce pan

Cinnamon Coating

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup granulated sugar ( 200 grams)

Instructions

Infused Milk

  • In a medium-size saucepan, combine 3/4 of the milk (600 ml), lemon and orange zests, and cinnamon sticks.
    Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
    Strain the infused milk through a fine mesh sieve. Discard lemon, orange peels, and cinnamon sticks. Double-check the volume of infused milk. If it's less than 600 ml, add the difference volume into the thickening milk mixture in the next step.

Custard

  • Into the remaining milk (250 ml) add 2 egg yolks, corn starch (scant 1/3 cup, 45 grams),all- purpose flour (a little over 1/3 cup, 45 grams), and powdered sugar (1/4 cup, 30 grams) and pinch of salt. Whisk together until well combined.
  • Add the corn starch/flour/egg mixture to the infused warm milk and cook until thick. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
    Remove from the heat and add Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract (2 teaspoons), Orange (1/2 teaspoon), and Lemon Flavorings. (1/2 teaspoon).

Cool Custard

  • Pour the mixture into a pan (8x8 inch) greased with butter. Spread it evenly and cover with food wrap to cool completely.
    Turn the block of set custard onto a cutting board. Slice the block of cooled pudding into cubes or bars.

Cinnamon Sugar

  • Whisk together granulated sugar (1 cup, 200 grams) and ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons), set aside.

Frying and Coating in Cinnamon Sugar

  • In a small dish, whisk 3 eggs.
    Dip each custard piece in cornstarch and egg wash and fry in hot oil about 2 minutes on each side.
    Remove from the oil, and allow paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
    And immediately toss each hot fried milk piece in cinnamon sugar.
    Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be refrigerated and reheated.

Notes

  • I don't have all the eggs, can I make the custard without egg yolks? Use 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of cornstarch to make the custard.