Tricks to getting your biscotti right
The secret to making perfect Italian-style biscotti is to cook them twice: once as a log, and then again as individual slices. After their first baking the loaves should be firm and very lightly browned, but not hard. On the second baking you turn the temperature right down so that the biscuits can dry out rather than colour. If you prefer your biscotti with less crunch, simply bake them for less time.
If you find the dough tricky to work with, and the logs aren't coming together as well as you'd like try wetting your hands. Biscotti dough is notoriously sticky, so it can seem difficult to deal with on your first few tries.
When you try to cut the loaves, touch them first to make sure they're not too hot. They should be hot, but not so hot that you need to pull away from the heat. Use a long serrated knife and try not to put any pressure on the loaves as you cut them. To make your biscotti longer, try cutting them on the diagonal.
Make it your own
Once you have a recipe you love you can adapt it to suit your own taste. Some of the best inclusions for biscotti are:
- Almonds
- Aniseed
- Chocolate
- Dried cranberries
- Ginger
- Hazelnuts
- Lemon
- Macadamia nuts
- Orange
- Pistachios
- Poppy seeds
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