Mandelbrot, or almond bread, are sometimes called Jewish biscotti. Unlike their Italian cousins, they are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and toasted on both sides, giving them their unique flavour. (Nov. 26, 2008)
Biscotti: Once loved, twice baked Italian cookie
November 26, 2008
special to the star
As of next week, cookies become an official food group. Before you dig up those time-honoured recipes, I want to let you in on a professional secret: Biscotti are a baker's best friend.
Whether it's zwieback, biscotti, mandelbrot or rusks, twice-baked cookies all follow the same method. Logs of cookie dough are baked until set, then cut into slices, which are baked a second time to dry them out.
Made in great quantity, these sturdy biscuits keep for months, always on call for a last-minute dessert tray or gift. There's no rolling, no decorating, no watching the oven like a hawk. In your face, gingerbread man!
Literally meaning "twice baked," biscotti date back to the Roman Empire, when soldiers needed durable nourishment for long journeys. Today, Italians call all cookies biscotti.
Making biscotti is a breeze, though there are a few pieces of equipment that will make your life a lot easier.
The first is a heavy-duty 12- by 18-inch aluminum baking sheet or two, which professionals call half-sheet pans. Available at restaurant-supply stores, these pans distribute heat evenly, won't buckle and last a lifetime. Most cookie sheets are too thin, causing the biscotti log to burn on the bottom before it is properly cooked. (You can solve this problem by doubling up the pans.) And unless you've got the steady hand of a surgeon, never use rimless cookie sheets for biscotti.
A sharp serrated knife is also essential. Your 20-year-old bread knife will do a hatchet job on the delicate logs, so spend the $25 and treat yourself to a new knife.
Finally, it's handy to own a rectangular plastic scraper with a rounded edge. Also available at restaurant supply stores, this tool makes folding nuts and chocolate into the dough easier, and it scrapes the bowl clean, so nothing goes to waste.
When baking biscotti, or any cookie for that matter, it is imperative to minimize going in and out of the oven and be quick about it when you do. Opening the door drops the temperature, which the oven compensates for by heating the bottom element. Anything with a lot of butter, sugar, chocolate or nuts will be sensitive to this heat from below.
For storing biscotti, I would recommend buying new airtight containers for the job. Cookies will pick up off-flavours if put it in something that recently housed Indian takeout. They will keep for at least a month, though they rarely last that long.
Once you get the hang of biscotti, don't be afraid to play around with the recipes. If you are allergic to nuts, replace them with chocolate chips and add a tablespoon of instant coffee to the dough. Instead of cinnamon and walnuts, try lemon zest, currants and pine nuts. The possibilities are endless.
One last note on biscotti etiquette. Traditionally these cookies are dipped into coffee or vin santo, a sweet wine from Tuscany, to soften them up.
But modern biscotti are more delicate than their rock hard ancestors, and dunking just makes them soggy. So unless you're down to your last tooth, I recommend enjoying biscotti with beverages on the side.
Cinnamon-Walnut Mandelbrot
Mandelbrot, or almond bread, are sometimes called Jewish biscotti.
Unlike their Italian cousins, they are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar
and toasted on both sides, giving them their unique flavour. This
recipe is non-dairy (pareve), so they can be served at the same meal as
meat in a kosher house.
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 + 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted
In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, half-teaspoon cinnamon and salt; set aside.
In large mixing bowl, combine eggs and 1 cup sugar. Stir in oil and vanilla. Gradually stir in dry ingredients, then fold in nuts. Cover dough with plastic wrap; let rest for 10 minutes.
Line 12- by 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface; divide in two. Roll into 14-inch logs and transfer to prepared sheet. Lightly flatten logs with hands to 2-1/2 inches wide. Mix remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle one-third over logs. Bake on middle rack of 350F oven until lightly golden and firm in centre, about 30 minutes.
Cool 15 minutes; carefully transfer to cutting board. With sharp serrated knife, slice into 3/4-inch pieces.
Place cut-side down on cookie sheet; sprinkle with half of remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake on lower rack until bottoms are golden, about 12 minutes. Flip cookies and sprinkle with rest of cinnamon sugar.
Bake on bottom rack until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely before storing in airtight container for up to one month.
Makes 40 to 45 cookies.
Dark Chocolate- Orange Biscotti
These biscotti offer the same chocolaty satisfaction as a brownie. They're perfect for anyone with a nut allergy. Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, 2000).
10 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 orange, finely grated zest only
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Chop 6 ounces of chocolate into small chunks and set aside. In double boiler, melt remaining 4 ounces of chocolate with butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat eggs, sugar and zest on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; add vanilla. Slowly add chocolate mixture until combined. Slowly add dry mixture until just combined. Stop machine; fold in chocolate chunks. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
Line 12- by 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough onto lightly floured work surface and divide in two. Roll into 14-inch logs and transfer to prepared sheet. Lightly flatten logs with hands to 2-1/2 inches wide and brush with egg white. Bake in 350F oven until firm in centre, about 30 minutes. Remove; reduce temperature to 300F.
Cool logs 15 minutes then carefully transfer to cutting board. Cut into 3/4-inch thick slices. Transfer to cookie sheet; bake until dry on cut sides, about 25 minutes. Cool completely before storing in airtight container for up to one month.
Makes 40 to 45 cookies.
Swedish Almond Rusks (Mandelskorpor)
Cardamom is a highly aromatic spice popular in Scandinavian baking.
Since you are unlikely to use it often, I recommend buying exactly what
you need at a bulk store. This recipe uses two cents' worth.
3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1-1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
In medium bowl, combine flour, cardamom, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix butter and sugar on low speed until just combined. Beat on medium-high until fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce to low; add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Slowly add dry ingredients until combined. Stop machine and fold in nuts by hand. Cover dough with plastic wrap; let rest for 10 minutes.
Line 12- by 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough onto lightly floured work surface and divide in two. Roll each portion into 14-inch log and transfer to prepared sheet. Lightly flatten logs with hands to 2-1/2 inches wide. Bake on middle rack until golden at edges and firm in centre, about 25 minutes.
Cool 15 minutes; transfer to cutting board. With sharp serrated knife, cut into 3/4-inch thick pieces. Place on sheet cut side down. Bake on lower rack until bottoms are lightly golden, about 12 minutes. Flip cookies and bake on bottom rack until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely before storing in airtight container for up to one month.
Makes 40 to 45 cookies.
Eric Vellend is a Toronto chef and food writer.