It had never really crossed my mind to try to bake biscotti before, but I came across the following recipe over the holidays and decided to give it a whirl. This calls for only baking once, instead of twice as is tradition, so I thought it would be a good way to ease into the world of baking biscotti.
Ingredients
– 1 1/2 c. sugar – 12 eggs – 1/2 tsp salt – 4 1/2 c. flour – 1 tsp baking powder – 2 c. dried tart cherries – 2 c. pistachios – 1 Tbsp water
Directions
Separate 8 eggs, keeping the yolks (I saved the whites for a frittata later in the weekend). In a stand-up mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the 8 egg yolks, 3 whole eggs, the sugar and salt for about 5 minutes. The mixture will be thick and a pale yellow. Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment, and mix in the flour and baking powder until well-combined. I did this in 2-3 rounds.
Chop the dried tart cherries and shelled pistachios (I found both at Whole Foods, and any store with a bulk section should have these ingredients available). Though you can use them whole, as originally suggested in the recipe, I roughly chopped them, as I believe the final biscotti slices are easier to eat with smaller mix-ins.
Mix in the cherries and pistachios until just combined. The dough will be very sticky – I found it difficult to scrape the sides of the bowl, and had the spatula top pulled from the handle a few times during the process.
Separate the dough into two equal portions onto plastic wrap – I did so with my hands given the stickiness – and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Shape the dough into 12″x5″ logs and place on parchment paper. I was able to fit both onto one cookie sheet, and did most of the stretching mid-air, as the dough remains quite sticky!
Combine 1 whole egg and 1 Tbsp of water, and brush the mixture onto each rectangle before baking.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a cutting board to cut 1/2″ slices. Completely cool before serving or eating, about an hour.
While the end results were quite tasty, I am not sure the process of making and baking biscotti is a good fit for me. Ever made biscotti before? Have any tips, particularly for how to deal with the very very sticky dough? I am open to any suggestions you may have!
Until next time,
SugarSource
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