Poor Knights, a French toast with a Finnish touch
It might intrigue our readers to learn the origins of why köyhät ritarit are referred to as "poor Knights." The name stems from the practice of not wasting any food. Understanding the creation of this dish in the past is straightforward due to historical circumstances where poverty and food scarcity were common, leading to a culture of utilizing all available resources. The dish was prepared using pieces of bread that had become dry and stale. This concept can be adapted today to minimize food waste and craft a delicious and nutritious meal in a modern context.
While most are familiar with French toast made from regular bread, this Finnish version incorporates pulla/bun bread. Finnish pulla is typically seasoned with cardamom and cinnamon, adding a delightful aroma and flavor.
Ingredients:
Several buns or slices of toast bread
1 dl milk of your choice (or coconut milk for a better creamy and aromatic result)
1 spoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon/vanilla (optional)
Instructions:
Cut the buns into slices, not too thin and not too thick, so that you can fry them easily on the frying pan. If you use toast bread, it is usually already sliced and cut to the right thickness.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, moisten the slices of the bun slices, and toast the bread in the wet batter.
Fry in the frying pan from both sides, trying to get them golden brown until they are crispy enough but not burnt.
Enjoy them with fresh berries, fruits, jams, or any topping you like.
Here is a delicious jam recipe to try with this dish called Queens Jam- Kuningatarhillo.
Tips:
It is possible also to buy pullaviipaletta, already dry pulla slices from the super markets. In this case, you can create this dish fast easily by just adding your toppings, fruit/berries, etc.