Source: The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg. Third Ed.
Makes 80 servings.
Preparation time: 3 hours
Tips: Anne Catherine's First choice biscotti.
Ingredients
Preparation
20 ounces bread flour (5 cups unsifted)
4 teaspoons baking powder
12 ounces granulated sugar (1 2/3 cups)
6 ounces white bread crumbs (about 1 cup)
8 ounces whole almonds with skin
8 ounces whole hazelnuts with skin
1 teaspoon orange flavor liquor or extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice
5 whole eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons anisette liquor or Hazelnut liquor, optional see note (2)
1 pound sweet dark or bittersweet chocolate, approx. to coat)
egg wash, for brushing tops, see note (1)
powdered sugar, for dusting tops
Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees. Use oven stone placed 1 or 2 shelves lower than baking tray shelf. If dipping biscotti in chocolate plan melting the chocolate with your schedule, see step (8).
1. Sift the flour with the baking powder. Add the sugar and bread crumbs, and combine using the dough hook at low to medium speed. Mix in the almonds and hazelnuts.
2. Combine the orange liquor, vanilla, orange juice, eggs and anisette liquor (optional/note 2). Gradually add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix for approximately 1 minute until you achieve a firm dough.
3. Divide the dough into four equal pieces; they will weigh about 15 ounces each. Roll each piece into a uniform rope 12 inches long. Place the ropes on sheet pans lined with Teflon sheets or baking paper leaving a whole log width between them, they grow during baking. Brush egg wash on top of the ropes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.
4. Bake at 350 F degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.
5. Slice ropes diagonally into cookies 3/8-inch (9 mm) thick. Place the slices cut-side down on sheet pans lined with Teflon sheet or baking paper.
6. Bake at 375 F degrees until the cookies start to turn golden brown around the edges, approximately 10 to 15 minutes on each side. Watch carefully side down usually browns first.
7. When the cookies have cooled completely, dip flat edge of each cookie about 1/2" deep into melted dark coating chocolate and place on top of Teflon sheets or wax paper or aluminum foil to cool and set. Chocolate takes few hours to set dry. Store in airtight containers such a glass jars, they last for several weeks.
8. To melt chocolate for dipping:
-Place small, less than 1-inch pieces of chocolate in a bowl.
If you have a baking oven with a light, with oven OFF place the bowl with the chocolate inside the oven, turn oven light ON . The heat from the light will melt a pound of chocolate in about 2-3 hours or leave overnight.
OR
Place bowl over a double boiler keeping the water just warm to slowly melt the chocolate. Overheated chocolate will develop white spots when it hardens. This won't affect the flavor, just the looks.
NOTES : 1) Egg wash = 1 whole egg and pinch of salt whisk to mix. May keep refrigerated for few days.
2) If you like the flavor of anise, add 3 tablespoons crushed anise seeds. At home either liquor is usually added, seeds are not.
3) Pour leftover melted chocolate into a piece of Aluminum foil and let it get solid again, for later use.
4)You may substitute almonds and/or hazelnuts for shelled pistachios.
5) Baked uncut ropes may be stored in the refrigerator cover for a week to slice and dry as needed.
6) A good choice for shipping treats
7) Dip in hot coffee, they are very hard.
Biscotti Almond-Hazelnut
A Hard Italian Cookie Baked Twice
