Michelle Darmody: How to bake classic biscotti biscuits

The second bake is the reason biscotti stay crisp for weeks.

You may want to pour yourself a glass of sweet marsala or vin santo once you have finished baking these biscotti, they are made for dipping and soaking.

These classic Italian biscuits are famed for the twice-baked technique that gives them their name, as well as their distinctive crisp, crunchy texture. The word biscotti comes from the Latin terms for ‘twice’ and ‘cooked’.

Similar biscuits were baked in ancient Rome when they were used to bolster the diets of sailors and travellers who embarked on long voyages. During the Middle Ages, they changed and became a sweet treat.

There is no butter in the recipe, it is simply a mixture of flour, sugar and eggs, with the addition of spices and nuts. This, and the double baking, make them ideal for long storage.

The ones here have dried fruit in them so will not last quite as long without softening, but they can be stored for a good few weeks in an airtight container.

As well as being used to soak up Italian sweet wine, biscotti are served alongside Anisette or Amaretto liqueurs, but if you prefer a non-alcoholic accompaniment, they pair wonderfully with coffee or a sweet milky tea.

Biscotti

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

These are made for dipping and soaking.

Servings

72

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 5 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 350g plain flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp mixed cake spice

• 240g golden caster sugar

• Pinch sea salt

• 3 large eggs

• Zest 1 orange

• Zest 1 lemon

• 60g golden raisins

• 80g dried apricots

• 80g almonds, roughly chopped

• Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

2. Line two large flat baking trays with parchment.

3. Sieve the flour, baking powder,cinnamon, and cake spice together.

4. Stir in the sugar and salt.

5. Lightly beat the eggs with the zest of the lemon and orange.

6. Add the egg mixture to the flour and sugar.

7. Stir the eggs in until relatively combined, then bring the mixture together with your hands until it forms a dough.

8. Knead the dried fruit and nuts into the dough.

9. Lightly dust the work surface with icing sugar and tip out the dough.

10. Divide the dough into four, roll each quarter into a sausage-shaped log, and put two of these on each tray. Dust with a little more icing sugar.

11. Place the trays in the centre of your oven and bake for about 25 minutes until firm to touch.

12. Turn the oven down to 140ºC/gas mark 2.

13. Once cool enough to handle, transfer each log onto a wire rack.

14. Allow to cool for another 10 minutes and slice each one into 18 slices with a sharp serrated knife on a breadboard.

15. Lay each biscuit back onto the trays as you cut them from the log.

16. Bake for another 20 minutes, then turn each biscuit over.

17. Bake for another 20 minutes until they are dried out.

18. Place back onto a wire rack to cool.

Baker's tips

The dough might seem a little dry and crumbly at first. There is a lot less liquid than a standard cookie recipe, and no butter to dampen it. After you stir in the egg, be patient and bring it together with your hands until a dough comes together. In saying that, it is good not to over mix it once it comes together as a dough or it will lead to tough cookies.

It is good to make sure your eggs are are at room temperature as they will combine into the dough with more ease. I use large eggs for this recipe; small or medium ones will not be enough to bind the dough.

You can lightly toast the almonds prior to adding to the dough. It will increase their flavour. You can also rub the skins off them after toasting if you wish.

It is good to wet your hands with warm water before shaping the dough into the four logs.

The logs will spread while baking so leave space between them on a tray, they may become twice as wide.

Allowing the log of biscuit to cool before cutting not only makes it easier to handle but it also firms up and prevents crumbling. You can mist or spray them with water if they get very crumbly.

You can put a nice topping on the biscuits if you brush the top of each log with some egg wash and sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon. You can also make a version with a teaspoon or two of fennel seeds which are good for digestion, particularly after a filling meal. For a more indulgent biscuit, they can be dipped in melted chocolate. Toasted hazelnuts are also a great substitution for almonds.

The second bake is the reason biscotti stay crisp for weeks. These will store for a month in an airtight container. They freeze very well.

Three delicious variations

Cranberry, pistachio and white chocolate

Use 80g of unsalted, shelled pistachios in place of the almonds and 60g of dried cranberries in place of the raisins. I tend to leave in the apricots and take out the ground cinnamon.

After the biscuits have cooled completely, melt 100g of white chocolate and dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate.

Allow the chocolate to firm up while the biscuits rest on a very lightly oiled baking tray or a wire rack.

Chocolate and dried cherries

Substitute one tablespoon of flour with cocoa powder.

In place of the golden raisins, add 80g of dark chocolate chips and add 60g of dried cherries in place of the apricots. I omit the lemon zest and add some extra orange zest in its place.

Caraway and lemon

Caraway, or cumino dei prati as it is known in Italy, is often used in rustic Italian baking.

Here it works very well with lemon. I add extra lemon zest and leave out the orange zest and the spices. In their place, I add two teaspoons of caraway seeds.

You can keep the dried fruit and nuts in if you like, or make a version just with nuts.