Biscocho is the perfect use for day-old pandesal or sliced bread! Crisp and buttery, this twice-baked bread is delicious for breakfast or as a midday snack with coffee or tea.
Since I don’t know of any Filipino bakery here in our part of Central Texas, I bought a good supply of our favorite goodies such as polvoron, mamon, and pandesal from Goldilocks during our recent trip to Southern California to bring back home with us. I might have gone a little overboard with stocking up because even after days of eating pandesal filled with chicken salad or cheese pineapple for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all the snacks in between, I was still left with a couple of bags on the counter needing to be consumed.
So what do we do with day-old bread? Make crunchy, gooey cheese dog bread rolls or crispy, buttery Biscocho!
What is Biscocho
Biscocho or biskotso refers to various Filipino oven-baked goods cooked twice until dry and crunchy. Bread such as monay, ensaymada, and pandesal are coated with either a sweet mixture of sugar and butter or a savory spread of garlic and butter and are then baked a second time to draw out excess moisture, thus prolonging shelf life.
These crisp, buttery “biscuits” are traditionally served as a midday snack or after-dinner dessert and are usually enjoyed with coffee or tea.
Low and slow is the key here; please do not rush the bake time by increasing the temperature, as the bread slices might brown too much before they’re sufficiently dried out.
It takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours at 200 F to crisp them up, but I promise these buttery biskotso are worth the wait. They’re golden and crunchy yet have a tender crumb that melts in your mouth.
How to Store
You might want to double or triple the batch, as everyone would be vying for a piece!
Allow the biscuits to cool completely and transfer them into an airtight container. Kept in a well-sealed container, they’ll last for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or up to 2 months in the freezer.
