Rabanadas Poveiras – Traditional Portuguese Recipe from Póvoa de Varzim

Rabanadas Poveiras are a traditional treat from Póvoa de Varzim, made with bread soaked in spiced milk, dipped in egg, and fried until golden brown, then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

This local specialty was created in the 1950s by chef Leonardo da Mata, who came up with the recipe as a way to use the leftover pão bijou (a tradicional Portuguese breads) from his restaurant. And what a great idea! They’re somewhere between traditional Portuguese milk-soaked French toast and donuts: round, wonderfully moist, and dusted with sugar.

If you’ve never tried them, you’ll have to come to Póvoa de Varzim. There’s even an event held at the end of each year, the Festa das Rabanadas Poveiras. Or, if you don’t get the chance to try them here, you can make them at home. It’s a simple and easy recipe, very similar to the traditional Portuguese Rabanadas recipe.

We really love these rabanadas, and I’d even go as far as saying they’re better than traditional rabanadas. But try them for yourself and let us know what you think. Here’s our recipe for Rabanadas Poveiras.

Want to learn more about traditional Portuguese Christmas dishes and sweets? Check out these articles too:

• 10 Traditional Portuguese Christmas Dishes
• 15 Best Portuguese Christmas Sweets

Preparation

• Servings: 8 rabanadas
• Total time: 30 to 40 minutes
  • Prep time: about 20 to 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

Equipment Needed

• Pot for frying
• Pot for heating the milk
• Knife
• Tablespoon
• Fork
• Strainer
• Paper towels
• 2 plates

Ingredients – Rabanadas Poveiras

• 8 stale pão bijou rolls
• 500 ml whole or semi-skimmed milk
• 150 g sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon peel
• 6 eggs: 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks
• Vegetable oil (the amount depends on the size of your pot; it should come about halfway up the pot)
• Sugar and cinnamon for dusting

Rabanadas Poveiras – Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Bring 500 ml of milk to a boil with a cinnamon stick, lemon peel, and 150 g of sugar.
2. Let the milk cool until it’s lukewarm.

3. Meanwhile, use a knife to remove the crust from the bread, leaving only the soft inside.

4. Once the milk is lukewarm, temper the 3 egg yolks. Set aside the egg whites and the 3 whole eggs for later. You can use the egg whites to make farófias or molotof. Add a little of the warm milk to the yolks, whisking vigorously until well combined.

Be careful: If the milk is too hot, it will cook the egg yolks, giving them a texture similar to scrambled eggs.

5. Fill a pot halfway with vegetable oil. The oil should reach 180°C (350°F).
6. Place the bread in the milk and egg yolk mixture. Soak it well, turning the pieces so they are completely saturated.
7. Shape each piece by gently pressing it together, but don’t squeeze out too much of the liquid. You want to keep the bread moist and full of the milk mixture.
8. Beat the 3 whole eggs with a fork and dip each piece of bread into the beaten eggs.

9. Once the oil reaches 180°C (350°F), fry the rabanadas, turning them once they are golden brown.
10. Once golden brown on both sides, remove them from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain off the excess oil.

11. Sprinkle the rabanadas with sugar and cinnamon.

Tips

• Use very stale, dry bread and try to remove as much of the crust as possible.
• Try to choose bread that hasn’t been squashed. Pão bijou is very light and delicate, and if it gets compressed, it’s harder to remove the crust and soak the bread properly.
• The bread should be thoroughly soaked in the milk. Let it absorb plenty of the milk until it’s completely saturated, as this is what makes the rabanadas so moist and flavorful.
• Rabanadas absorb the sugar and cinnamon mixture better while they’re still warm. If you’re serving them the next day, it’s better to sprinkle them just before serving. Otherwise, they may absorb too much and become overly moist.
• If you prefer, instead of sprinkling the rabanadas with sugar and cinnamon, you can drizzle them with a syrup made with sugar, raisins, pine nuts, honey, and Port wine.
• If you have any of the sweet milk and egg yolk mixture left over, you can make pancakes with it. Just add some flour and fry.

Serving Suggestions

Rabanadas Poveiras are usually served sprinkled with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. In Póvoa de Varzim, they are also served with a syrup made with sugar, raisins, pine nuts, honey, and Port wine.

Rabanadas Poveiras are a Christmas treat, traditionally eaten as dessert after Christmas Eve dinner or as a snack throughout Christmas Day and the holiday season. They’re great with a cup of tea or coffee. That said, you can now find Rabanadas Poveiras throughout the year.

Storing and Reheating

Rabanadas Poveiras are best on the day they’re made, when they’re still warm and almost impossible to resist. The next day, they’ll be a little drier, but you can warm them up in the microwave, which helps improve the texture.

We’ve been told they can also be frozen and then reheated in the microwave, but we’ve never tried it ourselves, so we can’t speak from experience.

Final Thoughts

It’s well worth trying this traditional treat from Póvoa de Varzim. They’re wonderfully moist and taste like a cross between donuts and rabanadas. For us, they’re even more delicious than classic Portuguese milk-soaked rabanadas. And they’re not difficult to make, so if you want to try something a little different while keeping that traditional Christmas flavor, give these Rabanadas Poveiras a try.

Bom apetite!

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