Cut the bread into slices about 1 inch/2.5cm thick (read note 2).
Place water in a large stockpot, add piloncillo, cinnamon sticks, orange peel, anise star, and whole cloves.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes or until a light syrup has formed.
Keep the piloncillo syrup warm until needed.
Separate the whites and yolks.
Place whites in a mixer bowl add a pinch of salt and beat at high speed until soft peaks form.
While beating at low speed, add one by one the egg yolks and beat until fully combined. Set aside.
Heat about 1 1/2 cups of oil in a deep pan. Prepare also a large plate lined with a couple of kitchen paper towels.
Take one slice of bread and dip it into the egg mixture making sure it coats on all sides.
Carefully, add it to the frying pan.
Repeat and add as many slices as fit on your pan but don’t overcrowd it.
Fry the bread on all sides until nicely browned, depending on the temperature, you might need from 30 to 40 seconds on each side.
As the fried bread slices come out of the pan, place them onto the paper-lined plate.
Repeat until all bread and egg mixture are used.
Add all fried bread slices into the pot with the piloncillo syrup. Make sure to push them gently to the bottom so they will soak well.
Leave to rest for 10 minutes then serve on plates with plenty of piloncillo syrup over.
Notes
Bolillo rolls are the perfect option for this recipe but of course, if you don’t have it available at your nearest supermarket or don’t want to make your own, just go with french bread or baguette.
Depending on the type of bread you use, your slices might be smaller or larger, just make sure to cut them 1 inch/2.5cm thicker as the recipe calls. I got about 25 slices in total.
Nutritional info includes approximately 1/2 cup oil for frying.