Italian biscotti cookies or biscotti di Prato (from the Italian word biscotto, literally translated as "twice baked") is a very popular confectionery product in many countries, which is a biscuit of characteristic long and slightly curved shape.
A bit of history
The first mention of a cookie, similar to Italian biscotti, is still found in Pliny the Elder. Cookies were part of the diet of Roman legionaries, such food was convenient during wars and travel. According to historians, for the first time Italian biscotti was baked in the XIII century in the city of Prato (Tuscany). Biscotti was the favorite pastry of the world famous seafarer and discoverer of America - Christopher Columbus. Columbus reserved biscotti for long sea voyages. There are different types and varieties of biscotti, for example, classic almond biscotti and even (lick your fingers) chocolate biscotti. Also known is a variety of biscotti cantucci or cantuchini ("small corners").
How do they prepare the biscotti?
Biscotti is made from wheat flour, eggs, butter and sugar, in the classic original version - with the addition of grated almonds. Currently, other nuts are used, as well as dried fruits and chocolate. First from the dough form a tourniquet in the form of a low loaf, which is baked, cut into slices and dried in an oven. You can dip biscotti into the melted chocolate after baking. A properly prepared biscotti can be stored without loss of quality for at least 3-4 months.
About some subtleties
Since biscotti is a dry biscuit, it is usually served with a drink: in Italy - with dessert wine (Muscat, Muscatel, Vermouth and others), in America - with tea or coffee. Ready biscotti is used as one of the ingredients in a variety of traditional dishes, for example, in the Catalan cuisine, biscotti is part of such dishes as rice with sardines and rabbit with snails. Also, biscotti is used to make sauces with onions that accompany a duck and a stuffed turnip.
Biscotti's recipe
So, almond biscotti, a recipe with Amaretto.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of wheat flour of the highest grade;
- gram 180 almond kernels (better calcined);
- gram 200 sugar;
- 3-4 eggs of chicken;
- at the tip of the knife a little baking soda, extinguished with vinegar;
- a whisper of vanilla;
- a pinch of salt;
- 80-100 ml of Amaretto liquor;
- a little orange peel.
Preparation:
If the almonds are raw - let's burn the nucleoli in a dry frying pan on medium-low heat. In order not to burn, we actively mix the spatula. Cool and chop in any convenient way (coffee grinder, blender, other). Wheat flour must be sieved, add the extinguished soda, sugar, a pinch of salt and ground nuts. In a separate container, whisk eggs with vanilla, liqueur and orange peel. Add this mixture to the dry sugar-nut-flour mix. Thoroughly knead the dough, divide it into 2 parts, from each we form elongated low loaves, which we put on oiled and powdered baking sheet (you can spread
Bakery products
Bake until a golden brown tinge at a temperature of 180 ° C for about 50 minutes. Then we put the ready-made loaves on the board and let it cool. Cut into pieces across. We put the slices on a dry baking tray and again place the baking sheet in the oven and bake (more precisely, dry it) again at a temperature of 160-170ºС for about 20-25 minutes. In process 1 time we turn. Ready biscotti should be allowed to cool and can be served to the table. You can store the biscotti in a container with a tight lid.