{"id":19129,"date":"2025-04-09T23:34:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T23:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/?p=19129"},"modified":"2025-08-15T13:43:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T13:43:24","slug":"abuelita-tonas-capirotada-mexican-bread-pudding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/es\/abuelita-tonas-capirotada-mexican-bread-pudding\/","title":{"rendered":"Capirotada de Abuelita To\u00f1a, un dulce de pan mexicano para Semana Santa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Capirotada, a traditional Mexican dessert made with bollillo bread, piloncillo sugar and other sweet sabores, was the star of Abuelita To\u00f1a\u2019s Pascua spread every year in East Los Angeles. Her daughters still make it: It is delicioso, hearty and the perfect traditional treat to fill the hearts and bellies of family and neighbors to celebrate the end of Lent.
\u201cThe point of having the capirotada: We eat it on Easter Friday when we don\u2019t eat meat,\u201d says her daughter, Naomi Rodriguez. \u201dSo on Easter, my grandmother and mom would also make tortas de camar\u00f3n [or shrimp] with mole and nopales. And then the dessert would be this capirotada.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dThis is a very traditional dish for Mexican people. And it\u2019s amazing,\u201d says Naomi. Which is why she, her sister Beatriz, and the rest of their family look forward all year to taking that first dulce bite of her mother\u2019s family-famous dessert when they break the Lent fast.
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\"capirotada
Naomi and Beatriz look forward all year long to making their mother\u2019s traditional bread for Easter. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Her mother, Antonia, called To\u00f1a or To\u00f1ita by everyone, was born in Guadalajara<\/a> and moved to Los Angeles when she was a teen. She was famous for making this in huge portions, so there would be lots of leftovers. The family feasted on capirotada for days. \u201dMy mom would start preparing it for the Friday Passover and we\u2019d keep eating it all the rest of Easter weekend. It is just so<\/em> good with a cup of coffee,\u201d Naomi says, sighing at the comida memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mother made her capirotada differently. Other people would put bananas and all this stuff in. And to me it was ugly and mushy, too sweet, too soggy. I didn\u2019t like it. But my mom\u2019s: Oh my God. Everyone loved her capirotada. It was just so good.<\/p>\u2014Naomi Rodriguez of her mother\u2019s family-famous Easter Friday capirotada<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Favorite Family Recipe That Was Almost Lost<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This capirotada is such an important dish in her family, Naomi made sure to sit down with her mother to record it in a special binder she created, filled with To\u00f1a\u2019s recipes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dI tried to write things down when my mother was alive. But I thought that I had lost this. One day I was sitting down and I was going, \u2019Gosh, how I miss my mom\u2019s capirotada.\u2019 Because she had just passed. And I forgot that I had actually written it down. I just started glancing through the cookbook I made and said, \u2019Oh my God, I did write it down. I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dAnd then that memory just came and flared. It opened up like a window. And then I remembered that day. That\u2019s right! I sat down with her and went through all of it. That\u2019s when I realized that I had forgotten some of the stuff that was in the original recipe. And now we have it all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"capirotada
Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, these traditional bolillos are a key ingredient in making a truly great capirotada.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Begin With the Bread: Use Fresh Bolillos <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This most important items to track down when making capirotada are real Mexican bolillos, those traditional, crusty small loaves of fresh white bread. They are used to make tortas, molletes and used as the daily pan in Mexican households back home and here in the States. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"capirotada\"
Her mother\u2019s capirotada is captured for future generations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201dGo to the Mexican bakery near you and get the freshest bolillos you can,\u201d advises Naomi. If you can’t find them, you can substitute a baguette\u2014but make sure it is a good one, or your capirotada will turn mushy. It needs a crisp crust and quality flour to shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naomi knows what she is talking about when it comes to bread. \u201dI come from a family of bakers,\u201d she says. Her grandmother, mother and stepfather each ran a baked-goods business in the East L.A. area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here is the other thing about Abuelita To\u00f1a\u2019s capirotada: It wasn\u2019t like anyone else\u2019s. \u201dMy mother made her capirotada different,\u201d says Naomi. \u201dOther people would put bananas and all this stuff in. And to me, it was just ugly, mushy, too sweet and too soggy. I didn\u2019t like it. But my mom\u2019s: Oh my God. Everyone loved her capirotada. It was just so good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"naomi
This family recipe for capirotada is unusual (and extra delicioso) in its use of coconut flakes and baked prunes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The surprising ingredients in Do\u00f1a To\u00f1a\u2019s recipe are grated coconut and prunes. \u201dThe prunes for sure. The baked prunes. It was so nice to eat them. To bite into them ….\u201d Naomi’s voice trails off, savoring the food memory. And missing her mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dI normally don\u2019t make it, because I am really careful with my weight,\u201d she says. But this year, she will be making the Easter family capirotada. And you can bet she will savor every bite\u2014down to the last baked prune, she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dI only make it once a year, so I am going to enjoy it. If I am going to make it once a year, I go all the way. I don\u2019t substitute. I put in everything. Just like when we make our family tamales<\/a> once a year. I don\u2019t substitute. I make it just like it is called for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naomi will also follow her mother\u2019s lead in making a lot of it. She plans on doubling or tripling the recipe to make a \u201dreally big\u201d capirotada. \u201dOh my God, It is so good. It\u2019s definitely a treat. I will give some to my brother, to my sister, to my niece,\u201d says Naomi. \u201dEveryone loves it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more of Naomi\u2019s Mexican recipes, check out her equally family-famous Abuelita<\/strong> Paz\u2019s<\/strong> secret<\/strong> mole<\/strong> recipe<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to Bake Abuelita To\u00f1a\u2019s Easter Week Capirotada?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\"Abuelita\t\t\t\t
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\n\t \n\t \t\n \n <\/svg>\n\t Print<\/span>\n\t <\/a>\n\t <\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Abuelita To\u00f1a\u2019s Capirotada\u2014Mexican Bread Pudding for Easter<\/h2>\n\n
\n \t\t \t\t\tRecipe by Abuelita To\u00f1a, Naomi Rodriguez\u2019s mother<\/span>\n \t\t\n
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  • <\/li>
  • <\/li>
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  • <\/li><\/ul>4.7<\/small> from<\/small> 6<\/small> votes<\/small><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <\/div>\n\t\t
    \n Cuisine: Mexican<\/mark><\/span> <\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
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    <\/span>Servings<\/span>

    10<\/p>servings<\/span><\/div>

    <\/span>Prep time<\/span>

    20<\/p>minutes<\/span><\/div>

    <\/span>Cooking time<\/span>

    1<\/p>hour <\/span>

    5<\/p>minutes<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n \n\t\t\n\t\t\t

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    Ingredients<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    • <\/span>

      10<\/span> bolillos, small Mexican bread loaves<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      8<\/span> cups<\/span> water<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      4<\/span> sticks<\/span> cinnamon<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      24<\/span> oz<\/span> piloncillo (3 large cones)<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      8<\/span> oz<\/span> evaporated milk<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      3<\/span> tomatillos<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      3<\/span> cups<\/span> peanuts, not roasted<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      10<\/span> prunes, dried<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      1 1\/2<\/span> cups<\/span> raisins<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      4<\/span> cloves<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      1 1\/2<\/span> cups<\/span> coconut, shredded<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      16<\/span> oz<\/span> monterrey jack cheese<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    • <\/span>

      2<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> butter, to grease the baking pan<\/span><\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n \t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t

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      Directions<\/h3>\n\t\t\t
      • Cut each bolillo into half, and each half into 4 pieces for a total of 80 pieces. Butter and toast them in the oven. Set aside.<\/li>
      • In a large pot, pour the water. Add the cinnamon sticks and piloncillo cones. <\/li>
      • Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.<\/li>
      • Add the evaporated milk, tomatillos, peanuts, prunes, raisins and cloves to the boiling water. <\/li>
      • Stir together and let the liquid mixture boil for 35 minutes or until the peanuts are soft. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Strain through a colander. Pick out the cinnamon sticks and cloves and return everything else to the pot. <\/li>
      • Preheat oven to 300\u00b0. Generously grease a large baking pan with butter.<\/li>
      • Spread toasted bread pieces to evenly cover 1 layer of the buttered baking pan. <\/li>
      • Pour the liquid mixture over the bread until it soaks it thoroughly. Sprinkle the layer with 1\/2 of the grated coconut. Sprinkle 1\/2 of the cheese over the grated coconut. <\/li>
      • Reserve the extra liquid mixture in case the capirotada looks a bit too dry when it finishes baking.<\/li>
      • Add a second layer of the bread, using all the pieces. Pour enough of the liquid mixture to soak the bread generously. Sprinkle the remaining coconut, followed by the rest of the cheese, until the bread is soaked through and the ingredients and liquid reach just below the top of the baking dish. <\/li>
      • Cover with a lid or tin foil and bake at 300\u00b0 for 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes and serve hot. <\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t
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        Notes<\/h3>\n\t\t\t
        • Capirotada and coffee or Mexican hot chocolate are made for each other.<\/li>
        • We placed a sheet tray under the baking pan to catch drips from the brown sugary liquid. It helped with cleanup.<\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n \n\t\n\t\t\t