Day Old or Stale Bread

If you are one of those people who decided that as a new year resolution will live a frugal life, then this recipe is for you and your sweet tooth. I always marvel at the many ways our previous generations avoided wasting food, and this is just one example of it. Bakers will use the unsold bread of the day to make bread pudding, and these tasty, can’t get enough of them breads called “Piedras” (Stones).

Day Old or Stale Bread? Use it to make a new bread called Stones

They are a mix of a cookie and a bread. If you like scones or biscuits then you will enjoy this versatile recipe. After several times baking them in the past 2 months and experimenting with the recipe, it allows for many variations: you can add raisins, dried cranberries, frozen blueberries and even chocolate chips.  However, in México they are sold plain.

Although I had this recipe for many years, it was until recently that after a fellow blogger girlichef mentioned it in her blog that this is one of her husband’s favorite Mexican pastries at their local bakery, and since this is also one of my favorites breads, I decided to make them at home.

Try it yourself next time you have some day old bread or stale bread, you will be surprised of how easy they are to prepare. You can even freeze the dough after mixing it for later use.

How to make Day Old or Stale Bread

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Please check notes below if you are using sweetbreads or a mix of breads.

Instructions:

Making the breadcrumbs

• After a few days of buying the bread and when it starts to look sad, I usually cut it in cubes and freeze it in a plastic bag to be used for bread crumbs, croutons, bread pudding and the like. When it is just sweet bread like challah, croissants, or biscuits they are frozen in a separate bag from the plain or salty bread. In this case, the one in the pictures is day old sweetbreads. (Please check the ingredients list below)
• The breadcrumbs are placed in the food processor and processed until they become fine crumbs.

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, then add the margarine and knead. Gradually mix in the milk until you form a smooth dough.
• Knead the dough until it is soft. If the dough seems hard to add more milk. The dough should resemble cookie dough.

• Using a  2 ⅓ inch ice cream scoop place the dough on your greased baking sheet. Arrange them one inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until the bread is golden at edges but firm, about 20 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Let me know if you try this recipe, I will love to hear about your own version.

¡Buen provecho!
Mely,

More recipes:

Concha Recipe
Strawberries and Cream
Cassava Fritters

📖 Recipe

Stale Bread

Mely Martínez

Bakers will use the unsold bread of the day to make bread pudding, and these tasty, can’t get enough of them bread called “Piedras” (Stones). They are a mix of a cookie and a bread. If you like scones or biscuits then you will enjoy this versatile recipe. 

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 12 Piedras /stones

Calories 303 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Please check notes bellow if you are using sweet breads or a mix of breads.

• ▢ 4 ½ cup 500 grams plain bread crumbs, made out after processing your bread in the food processor or blender
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup 250 grams All purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup 100 grams sugar
• ▢ 100 grams margarine
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
• ▢ 1 ½ cup whole milk add slowly
• ▢ Flour as needed to work the dough
• ▢ Sugar to decorate the topping

Instructions

 

Making the bread crumbs

After a few days of buying the bread and when it starts to look sad, I usually cut it in cubes and freeze it in a plastic bag to be used for bread crumbs, croutons, bread pudding and the like. When it is just sweet breads like challah, croissants, or biscuits they are frozen in a separate bag from the plain or salty bread. In this case the one in the pictures is day old sweet breads.

• The bread crumbs are placed in the food processor and processed until they become fine crumbs.
• Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, then add the margarine and knead. Gradually mix in the milk until you form a smooth dough.
• Knead the dough until it is soft. If the dough seems hard add more milk. The dough should resemble cookie dough.
• Using a 2 ⅓ inch ice cream scoop place the dough in your greased baking sheet. Arrange them one inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until the bread is golden at edges but firm, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Notes

If using sweet breads reduce the amount of sugar to 4 Tablespoons. The same applies to milk, reduce the amount to 1 cup. Since sweet breads tend to be on the moist side. Just add the milk little by little.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 7gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 500mgPotassium: 176mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 347IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!