Biscocho

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.

Biscocho

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.

Quick Tips

As the twice-baked method is meant to draw out moisture, it’s best to start with day-old bread that is already beginning to dry out.
Cut the rolls into about 1/2-inch thick; the thicker the slices, the longer the bake time.
For a nice sugary crust, use softened and not melted butter.
Although you can use regular pandesal, try to use the Baliwag variety if you can. They have a deep yellow color and sweet, rich flavor that work really well in this recipe.

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 1/2 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.

Biscocho

Crispy, buttery Biskotso is a delicious breakfast or snack treat with coffee or tea. This twice-baked bread is easy to make and the perfect use for day-old bread.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients

8 pieces pandesal rolls
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

Using a serrated knife, trim off the top and bottom of the pandesal very thinly and cut each roll into halves, about 1/2-inch thick.
In a small bowl, combine butter and sugar and stir until smooth.
Spread the butter-sugar mixture thinly on each side of the bread slices.
Arrange the coated bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Bake in a 200 F oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until dry and crunchy.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

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