What is biscotti
The word "biscotti" is the plural of "biscotto", which means "baked twice" in Latin. The method of making biscotti has not changed - they are still baked twice. First, long loaves are baked, then they are cut crosswise into convenient slices and baked again to dry and crisp. By the way, the biscuit familiar to everyone got its name from biscotti, but did not retain the main principle of preparation - biscuits are baked only once and remain soft.
History of biscotti
Biscotti croutons are not as simple as they seem. Their history goes back at least 2000 years. Roman legionnaires ate biscotti during their long campaigns, and Pliny the Elder believed that these crackers would remain edible for many centuries. Christopher Columbus took a large supply of biscotti on his expeditions, so they participated in the discovery of America. For centuries, biscotti and their ancient Egyptian and Roman ancestors have been the main way to preserve bread during long journeys and to feed a large army or merchant ship's crew. For long expeditions, crackers began to be harvested six months in advance and baked 4 times to dry completely. After that, they were not afraid of heat and cold, sea water, rain and mold. There is evidence that a sailor of the Spanish Armada in the 16th century received 450 g of crackers every day and beer to soak them.
Varieties of biscotti
The basic recipe, which was written down in the 19th century by the Italian confectioner Antonio Mattei, contained only 3 main ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs. Pine nuts and whole unshelled almonds have traditionally been used as additives for biscotti. Such simple almond biscotti is still being prepared in the city of Prato in Tuscany. They are usually served after dinner, accompanied by freshly squeezed orange juice.
Now there are many recipes for biscotti, and in every Italian cafe you can find several varieties to choose from. Cinnamon, anise, orange peel, pistachios, hazelnuts, seeds, fruits and dried fruits, chocolate pieces, various liqueurs and extracts are added to the biscotti dough. Biscotti are covered with chocolate and icing, so that they look no less attractive than cakes.
In Italy, biscotti can also be called cantuccini or cantucci, which can be translated as "coffee bread". Under the word cantucci, crackers are also hidden, but prepared according to a different recipe: from yeast pastry or with the addition of sour ingredients. Cantucci are more airy, but also drier than biscotti. Such croutons are traditionally prepared in Sardinia and Sicily. The confusion began because of the confectioner Antonio Mattei, on the sign of which both names were written. In addition to biscotti and cantuccini in Italy, there are also ordinary crackers, baked twice - large, savory, cooked in olive oil with spices. Italian biscotti or twice-baked biscotti has many relatives around the world: Spanish carquinoli, German zwiebeck, Jewish mandelbrod. And in America, the word “biscuit” does not mean a soft cake layer at all, but the same crispy biscotti.
What do you eat biscotti with?
No matter how delicious biscotti are, in essence they are hard crackers. Therefore, they are never served separately from drinks. In Italy, there is a whole ritual: to relax after dinner with a glass of red wine, dipping biscotti or cantucci into it. In Catalonia, dessert wines are used for these purposes - Muscat or Muscatel. Puddings are prepared from biscotti pieces, soaking them with milk and something sweet. Soups are thickened with pieces of unsweetened biscotti, they are added to meat stews, sauces and fillings. In France and the United States, biscotti is dipped in coffee, tea, milk or juice, and in South America you can find locals using mate for this purpose.
Biscotti Recipes
Classic almond biscotti
Ingredients:
280 g wheat flour
130 g sugar
100 g whole almonds,
50 g raisins,
3 eggs,
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 175ºC. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Sift flour, add salt, sugar and baking powder. Beat the eggs until fluffy, pour into the flour mixture and knead the dough. Add almonds and raisins, knead the dough again with your hands, divide into 3 parts and put them on a baking sheet. The dough will be sticky, so wash your hands and with wet hands shape it into oblong loaves the entire width of the baking sheet. Bake the loaves for about 20 minutes until crispy.
Cut the loaves that have cooled slightly diagonally into 1-1.5 cm pieces. Use a serrated knife to cut the almonds evenly. Place the biscotti on a baking sheet and return to the oven for 15-25 minutes, depending on thickness and desired consistency. If you want soft center biscotti, bake for 15 minutes. For completely dry crispy biscotti, increase the rebake time to 25 minutes.
apple biscotti
Ingredients:
400 g flour
200 g sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt,
3 eggs + 1 yolk,
2 tsp cinnamon,
100 g fresh apples,
100 g raisins,
50 g walnuts
Cooking:
Beat eggs and yolk with sugar. Sift the flour, add the baking powder and salt and gradually add this mixture to the eggs, continuing to beat at low speed. Cut the peeled apples into cubes, mix with raisins and chopped nuts and mix into the dough. Divide the dough into 2-3 parts, form logs out of them, put them on a baking sheet covered with paper and bake for 20-25 minutes at 170º. When the bars are completely cool, cut them into slices about 1 cm wide, sprinkle with water and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Apple biscotti does not keep for a long time, as water remains in the apple slices. It is advisable to eat them in 1-2 days.
Ginger biscotti
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour,
0.5 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon,
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 cup almonds
0.3 cup fresh grated ginger root
3 eggs,
cinnamon, sugar for sprinkling
Cooking:
Mix the sifted flour, sugar, zest, baking powder and salt. Whisk eggs, add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add ginger and almonds, mix again. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until no longer sticky. Divide the dough into 2-3 parts, shape them into long loaves, put them on a baking sheet covered with paper, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake for 15-25 minutes at a temperature of 180º.
Cool the loaves on a wire rack. Cut them diagonally into slices about 1 cm wide, place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 more minutes. Let the biscotti cool completely before packing into the container.
Quick shortbread biscotti
Ingredients:
200 g butter,
1 cup of sugar,
3 eggs,
1 tsp baking powder
3.5-4 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Cooking:
Melt the butter, mix with sugar, eggs and baking powder. Gradually add the sifted flour until you get a firm, non-sticky dough. Roll out the dough into 3-4 sausages across the entire width of the baking sheet, sprinkle the top with cinnamon and bake on parchment for 15-20 minutes at a temperature of 190ºС. Cool the blanks a little, cut into slices 1.5-2 cm wide, put on a baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes on each side. Cool the finished biscotti on a wire rack.
Chocolate covered orange biscotti
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour,
1 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp soda,
0.3 tsp salt,
0.5 cup sugar
3 eggs,
3 tbsp honey,
2 tbsp orange peel,
250 g chocolate.
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 175ºC. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Mix the sifted flour, salt, soda and baking powder. Beat eggs with sugar, add honey and zest, mix. Add flour mixture, stir thoroughly until smooth. Dust your hands with flour, divide the dough in half, place on a baking sheet and form 2 long loaves. Bake them for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and cracked on top.
Cool the loaves completely and cut with a bread knife into slices 1.5-2 cm wide. Put the crackers on a baking sheet and bake at 160ºС for another 15 minutes. Turn the breadcrumbs halfway through baking to the other side. While the finished crackers are cooling on a wire rack, melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a water bath on the stove. Dip the top of each cracker into the chocolate and place the crumbs upright on the dry side so the chocolate can drip freely. Once the chocolate has completely set, transfer the biscotti to an airtight container.
Simple yet sophisticated, biscotti is “twice-baked” to dip its crispy barrels in dessert wine and enjoy an unsurpassed combination of flavors.
Noble Italian biscotti "crackers" with nuts, dried fruits and chocolate pieces got their sonorous name from the Latin word "biscotto" - "baked twice". The name itself already reveals the way the dessert is prepared. Long logs are formed from dough with sweet filling, baked until cooked and cut into oblique thin slices to be sent back to the oven for drying to a golden, crispy crust.
Today, the culinary world of Italy is famous for the variety of biscotti recipes. Each Italian cafe welcomes guests with a wide selection of several varieties of crispy dessert. Depending on the filling, all types of biscotti have their own unique taste: citrus, anise, cinnamon, nut, fruit or chocolate. The classic biscotti recipe is not too strict for cooks and allows you to combine any taste with each other. From this dessert only wins, and becomes almost author's.
In Italy, biscotti is also called cantucci or cantuccini. But still, this is a slightly different kind of "crackers". They are made from yeast dough, although the baking technology is the same. Biscotti have other unsweetened relatives. So, unleavened “twice-baked” croutons are cooked with spicy spices in olive oil and thickened soups with them, served with meat stews, sauces and toppings.
Recipe 1: Classic Almond Biscotti
Ingredients for 4 servings: 280 g flour, 100 g whole almonds, 130 g sugar, 3 eggs, 50 g raisins, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon each of baking powder and vanilla sugar.
Recipe 2: Hazelnut Chocolate Biscotti
Ingredients for 6 servings: 2.5 cups flour, a cup of hazelnuts, 4 eggs, 1.3 cups of sugar, 0.5 cups of cocoa powder, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of freshly ground coffee, 0.5 teaspoon of soda, ¾ teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt.
Recipe 3: Lemon biscotti from Yulia Vysotskaya
Ingredients for 7 servings: 400 g flour, 250 g granulated sugar, 3 eggs + 2 yolks, 2 lemons, 130 g almonds, 130 g pecans, 4 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, 1 tbsp. spoon of baking powder, 3 tbsp. spoons of buckwheat or cornmeal.
Recipe 4: Appetizing biscotti with a mix of dried fruits and nuts
Ingredients for 5 servings: 250 g flour, 200 g granulated sugar, 3 eggs, 1.5 tbsp. spoons of baking powder, 50 g each of dates, dried apricots, peeled unsalted pistachios, peeled almonds, peel of one lemon.
Recipe 5: Biscotti with Prosciutto and Parmesan
Ingredients for 16 biscotti: 3 eggs, 70 g thin slices of prosciutto, 1.5 cups flour, a cup of grated parmesan, 8 tbsp. tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt.
Biscotti with prosciutto and parmesan go well with wines - rose and sparkling white. They also make an ideal companion for soups, Mediterranean and vegetable salads.
Every master of Italian baking has his own signature biscotti recipe. It turns out so thanks to simple secrets that will help us prepare our perfect biscotti.
Italian culinary experts came up with biscotti as an appetizer for sweet wine. Since then, it has been customary to serve a dry dessert exclusively in the company of drinks - traditional coffee or tea, wine, milk, juice. In Italy, eating biscotti is a ritual. During the siesta, Italians like to enjoy their vacation with a glass of dessert wine, dipping crispy biscotti into it. Why don't we adopt this wonderful tradition from them?
Italian biscotti cookies have a very long history, and it is not surprising that the authentic recipe has acquired a huge number of variations. Only one thing is certainly taken from the classics - the form and technology of preparation. “Baton” biscotti is traditionally baked twice and, if in the traditional recipe almonds could be included in the dough as an additive, then the modern classic allows mixes of dough with other nuts, dried fruits and chocolate.
Ingredients:
Cooking
Before making biscotti, set the oven temperature to 160 degrees. While the oven reaches the required temperature, prepare a mixture of dry ingredients by sifting flour with baking powder into a bowl and adding salt. Separately, beat the eggs with a mixer until a white, airy and foamy mass is formed, into it, without stopping the device, we begin to add sugar, pour in Amaretto and melted, and then cooled butter. When the liquids are combined, pour the flour mixture into them and knead a thick, non-sticky dough. In the process of kneading, add almonds so that they are evenly distributed in the dough. We divide the resulting dough in half and roll it into two bundles, similar in shape to a loaf (20x6.5 cm). We put the loaves in the oven for half an hour, then remove, cool slightly and cut into slices 3-3.5 cm thick. Put the slices on the same parchment and bake at the same temperature, a similar period of time, not forgetting to turn the cookies over to the other side after 10 -15 minutes.
Ingredients:
Cooking
After passing the flour through a sieve, mix it with polenta and baking powder, and then add sugar to them. Having combined the dry ingredients with each other, add citrus zest to them and repeat the kneading procedure again.
Beat two whole eggs and one yolk with olive oil, and then pour in the liquids to the dry ingredients of the cookies. At the same stage, you are free to add any additives to the biscotti, from chocolate chips to dried berries.
Leave the finished dough for 20 minutes in the refrigerator, divide in half and roll into two loaves, each of which is subsequently baked, brushed with the remaining egg white, for 25 minutes at 180 degrees. Cut the loaves into slices and repeat baking already at 150 degrees for another half hour.
Ingredients:
Cooking
After heating the oven to 170 degrees, we proceed to the standard procedure - mixing the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa and soda. A pinch of salt will not be superfluous in this mix.
In another bowl, also carefully beat the eggs with sugar. We introduce liquids to the flour mixture and add chocolate chips with hazelnuts. Divide the finished dough in half, roll the halves into sticks of equal length and diameter, and then send to bake for 25 minutes. Let the dough bars cool for 15 minutes, cut into portions and bake again for 15-20 minutes, while not forgetting to turn the cookies over to the other side so that they brown as evenly as possible.
In the company of cooled biscotti, in addition to the standard addition like a cup of coffee or a glass of table wine, ice cream, salted caramel or.
For lovers of sweet crackers, crumbly shortcakes and other similar pastries, we offer biscotti - a classic Italian dry biscuit with a hard texture, rich taste and abundant additives (most often almonds and dried fruits).
Translated from Italian, biscotti means "twice-baked". A “sausage” is formed from the kneaded dough and sent to the oven. Then the product is cut into slices and baked again, dried until cooked. The shelf life of such cookies is quite long, so these pastries can be made for the future.
Ingredients:
Classic biscotti cookies with almonds, raisins and cranberries are ready! Bon Appetit!
No wonder people say that all roads lead to Rome. And the safe haven of divine Italian cuisine will again become a new berth in our culinary voyage. Today we will talk about the preparation of an amazing confectionery - "Biscotti". The recipe is classic and not only we will consider it in our article.
Oddly enough, but the Italian Biscotti cookies do not have a single cooking recipe. Each pastry chef and hostess has his own secret way of baking this delicacy.
In general, in Italy such cookies are called "Biscotto", which in Latin means "baked twice". First, pastries are sent as a whole loaf or roll to the oven, baked until cooked. Then cut it into slices and send it back to the oven to dry.
On a note! Dried fruits, berries, fruits, jam, poppy seeds and other ingredients can be added to Biscotti cookies to taste.
Such cookies are usually served with a glass of wine, but you can give preference to a cup of tea or coffee.
"Biscotti" with almonds or other nuts is most often prepared, so this recipe has already become considered traditional. If you are used to constantly surprising your household, use unusual supplements, such as poppy seeds, dried berries.
How else can you make Biscotti? The recipe of Yulia Vysotskaya, a beautiful woman, amazing mother and professional chef, will help you improve your personal confectionery skills.
Julia Vysotskaya proposed a modified recipe for making Biscotti cookies. By the way, many housewives have already tried it. As for additives, you can choose any dried fruit based on personal taste preferences. Cinnamon will add a special flavor to pastries.