Making biscotti

[Ruth]

I have been making biscotti for a long time and they always emerge crisp and delicious but very irregular and jagged because the dough usually cracks during the first baking. I want to make a couple of batches for gifts and would like them to look "professional". How much dare I squeeze the dough to make it smooth without ruining the final texture? I need help from a professional baker.

[chefpeon]

All biscotti I have ever made cracks at the top at least a little bit during the first bake. I've never really thought that this was a big deal.......

There are biscotti pans out there, and I've tried them, but I don't like the results I get with them.

If you really like your biscotti recipe, and don't want to change it, the best thing I can suggest is to experiment with tiny amounts of your dough. Work one log more than the other.....see if it makes a difference in texture, and the way it bakes. You might also want to experiment with oven temp. Maybe try to bake it at 25 degrees lower on your first bake, and perhaps it won't crack......

[Ruth]

Thank you very much. Your advice makes sense and I shall try both suggestions

[Ling]

Could it be your recipe? I tend to prefer biscotti recipes that call for a bit of butter or shortening (as opposed to no fat, except for the fat in the yolks) as they produce more tender biscotti. This is my favourite recipe...I've never had cracks.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/contentmgr/...ls.php/id/47458

[heleen1]

I've come to love biscotti as well, but found that the knife I use to slice them with after the first bake is a critical factor for how neat they turn out. Long serrated knife that has ridges that aren't too wide (do I make sense at all?) seems to work well.

I'd love your recipe :o)

[chantal]

David Lebowitz's chocolate biscotti recipe on the Scharffen Berger website come out very smooth as do the Cook's Illustrated Recipe for Spiced Biscotti. I also agree with Heleen that a sharp serated knife is essential. Slicing the logs while slightly frozen also gives them a nice finish.

chantal

[trillium]

Another tip that took me ages to figure out, for the second toasting, you don't need to lie them flat. The can be toasted standing up, and that way they toast more evenly on both sides at the same time.

regards,

trillium

[Abra]

I made David Lebovitz' chocolate biscotti today. They are delicious, did contain some butter as well as the yolks, and did crack a bit. They also spread quite a lot in the first baking, so if you make these, make the loaf narrower than you think is prudent.

Me too, Trillium, I bake them standing on edge to get them evenly dry.

[Ling]

^Oh wow! Those look great! Mario Batali's recipe for biscotti is my new favourite. And it's super simple too! Here are the ingredients:

2 3/4 cups AP flour

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

4 yolks

1/2 cup walnuts (I used 3/4 cup hazelnuts)

3 tbsp nocello (I used rum and Amaretto)

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, slice, then 275 for 20 minutes. (Mine took longer--30 minutes at 350, then 30 at 275)

[2010]

Is it a sad thing that I happen to like Starbuck's gingerbread biscotti? I always look forward to having it around the holiday season. It's soo good with a grande egg nog latte. I've tried looking for a similar recipe on the web to no avail. Does anyone have a recipe for gingerbread biscotti?

[Abra]

Mmm, those Batali biscotti look really good, with all those yolks. As soon as Shel manages to eat all the chocolate ones, I'll give them a try. I'll bet I could use my vin de noix too, as a sub for nocello.

I thought I had a recipe for gingerbread biscotti but I can't find it at the moment.

[2010]

Oooh Abra! So a recipe does exist. Do post whenever you come acoss it again. Thanks!

[onehsancare]

I just googled "gingerbread biscotti" and found several recipes:

Gingerbread biscotti 1

Gingerbread biscotti 2

Gingerbread biscotti 3

So, we'll look for a full report, comparing and contrasting the three recipes and their results, and discussing the cultural factors that influenced your evaluation! At least three pages, by Monday.

[jaynesb]

Is it a sad thing that I happen to like Starbuck's gingerbread biscotti? I always look forward to having it around the holiday season. It's soo good with a grande egg nog latte.  I've tried looking for a similar recipe on the web to no avail. Does anyone have a recipe for gingerbread biscotti?

←

Must be some kind of weird coincidence but I've got a batch of gingerbread biscotti in the oven right now while I catch up on about a week's worth of postings. Anyway, I add some chopped crystallized ginger (bought from Trader Joe's) as well as some chopped almonds. I usually toast them first but didn't this time. The only reason I chop them is that I find it easier to slice the logs later and I don't like getting a whole almond in a slice. I tried a bunch of other recipes first but this is the one I'm sticking with and I've made it about 3 or 4 times so far.

Gingerbread biscotti

jayne

p.s. Whatever you bake in your oven next may end up gingerbread-scented

[schneich]

IAM IN BISCOTTI HELL !!!!

tonight i had my second biscotti noghtmare in a row.

first attempt (pistachio choclolate) was quite crumbly after first baking, cutting was a pain in the ***. second baking finished them completly by scorching the chocolate pieces

second attempt (almonds, chocolate) took quite a loong time to bake trough. then even after cooling the f****** thing is faar to crumbly to be cut in strips.....

is there a great tasting recipe that works with NO hassle ??

do i have to skip the butter to make it work ??

iam quite pissed since we start our own cafe/patisserie in two weeks time and i have to prepare this stuff in HUGE quantities

iam very puzzled....

[Jmahl]

I have baked biscotti for a number of years - try this recipe. Everyone here likes the results.

Enjoy,

Jmahl

JMAHL’S INFAMOUS ALMOND BISCOTTI

Ingredients

4 cups four

4 tsp. Baking power

2/3 bar sweet butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 cups toasted almonds ( you can add more)

Directions

Mix flour baking power, set aside

mix butter and sugar in mixer

add eggs and vanilla

slowly add flour mixture

blend well

add almonds *

chill dough

shape dough in to 4 logs 9”X 2”X 1½” more or less

place on parchment paper on baking sheet

bake at 375º oven for 25 minutes

cool on rack then cut diagonally ½”

lay flat on baking sheet, return to oven for 8 min.

then turn over and return to oven for 10 min.

remove and cool.

enjoy.

* other dried fruit or nuts can be used, to make chocolate biscotti add 1 cup chocolate syrup to dough. To make marble biscotti mix half white dough and half mixed with ½ cup chocolate syrup

Dough will be relatively sticky, use a lot of flour on your counter and hands while forming.

Credits: Taken from “County Home” magazine Holidays at Home 1995 p.90

[eatrustic]

To make handling a bit easier you can shape the biscotti logs and refrigerate them for a couple of hours or overnight. This helps the problem of spreading too much. (It works better with recipes that use baking powder over just plain soda.) You may have to adjust the exact log shape a bit but it shouldn't take more than a couple of tries to get it right.

Once the logs are baked they can also be refrigerated (once cooled) wrapped with some plastic. This makes them much easier to slice, with a minimum of crumbling as they have a bit more moisture. Just remove the log from the fridge and let it warm up slightly before slicing. Although it's a matter of taste I find that a sharp, thin straight blade works better than a serated one for slicing. I use a chef's knife that is not too hefty for this.

Finally, if at all possible, convection ovens are way better than standard ovens for the second bake.

[Ling]

I made this gingerbread biscotti recipe and I didn't like the dough very much. It tastes overwhelmingly of molasses, so I increased the amount of the spices. (My spices are fresh too--and I'm using a Vietnamese cinnamon today.) Also added ground black pepper, nutmeg, and lowered the amount of leavening. The resulting dough was more to my taste...

I'm also following the temperature in the Batali recipe.

I've posted my version of the gingerbread biscotti here: Gingerbread biscotti

Oh and to keep the thread on-topic, here are two pics from my biscotti-baking efforts today. Both pans came out without cracks, but I was more careless when slicing the hazelnut biscotti, and the cracks came from the pressure from the knife.

this is a bit better...

Edited February 21, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Abra]

Thanks for the chilling ideas, Eatrustic. Lorna, that looks like a lot of liquid in your recipe. Do they hold up to dipping, without dissolving in the cup?

[Ling]

Yes, but I just do a quick dunk.

ETA: Your post got me wondering, so I just grabbed another gingerbread biscotti and dunked it a good 5-6 times in my coffee and it's still holding up well. There's not much leavening, so they're pretty dense. I don't think they should dissolve.

Edited February 21, 2006 by Ling (log)