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Title: Traditional Italian Biscotti
Yield: 0 Servings

Ingredients

      4 tb unsalted butter
    1/4 c  vegetable shortening
    3/4 c  granulated sugar
      3    eggs
      1 ts vanilla
      1 ts anise extract or 1 to 2
           -tablespoons; to taste (1 to
           aniseed
    1/8 ts lemon oil or 1 teaspoon
           -lemon extra
      1 ts baking powder
    3/4 ts salt
      3 c  King Arthur Unbleached
           -All-Purpose
  1 1/2 c  blanched almonds or blanched
           - hazeln
           (6 ounces) toasted; * and
           -coarsely chopped
           (filberts)

Instructions

*Toast almonds or hazelnuts by placing them in a single layer on an
ungreased pan and baking them in a preheated 350øF oven for 7 to 10
minutes,
or until they smell "toasty" and are beginning to brown.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar,
then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and
scraping down the bowl midway through. Beat in the vanilla, anise, lemon,
baking powder and salt. Mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time, till you have a
cohesive, well-blended dough. Add the nuts, mixing till they're
well-distributed throughout the dough.

Transfer the dough to a work surface (we don't bother to flour the surface;
the dough is sticky, but is easily scraped up with a bench knife or dough
scraper). Divide it into three fairly equal pieces, and shape each piece
into a rough 10-inch log. Transfer each log to a parchment-lined or lightly
greased baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each log; you may need
to use two baking sheets. Wet your fingers, and pat the logs into
smooth-topped rectangles 10 inches long x 2 1/2 inches wide x 7/8 inch
thick.

Bake the logs in a preheated 375øF oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until
they're beginning to brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven, and
allow them to cool for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300øF.

Gently transfer the logs to a cutting surface, and use a serrated knife to
cut them on the diagonal into 1/2-inch wide slices. Because of the nuts and
the nature of the dough, the biscotti at this point are prone to crumbling;
just be sure to use a slow, gentle sawing motion, and accept the fact that
some bits and pieces will break off. (It's the privilege of the cook to eat
these warm, tasty bits and pieces as they're created.) Carefully transfer
the slices, cut sides up (and down) to a parchment-lined (makes cleanup
easier) or ungreased baking sheet. You can crowd them together, as they
won't expand further; about 1/4-inch breathing space is all that's
required.

Return the biscotti to the 300øF oven, and bake them for 20 minutes. Remove
them from the oven, quickly turn them over, and bake for an additional 20
minutes, or until they're very dry and beginning to brown. Remove them from
the oven, cool completely, and store in an airtight container. Yield: about
60 biscotti

Nutrition information per serving (1 biscotti made with almonds, 16g): 63
cal, 3.3g fat, 1g protein, 5g complex carbohydrates, 2g sugar, 1g dietary
fiber, 16mg cholesterol, 38mg sodium, 31mg potassium, 12RE vitamin A, 22mg
calcium, 26mg phosphorus.

Theresa Miller of Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, wrote to tell us that "My latest
baking craze is biscotti. I'd like to see a basic recipe that could be
adapted to various flavorings and nuts." We thank Theresa for reminding us
about biscotti, and all of the wonderful flavor variations that can be
produced from one basic recipe.

The Italian biscotti has its etymological origin in the Middle French
bescuit, which referred to a type of hard seamen's bread, and literally
means "twice cooked." Interestingly, the German zwieback means the same
thing: zwie twice + backen to bake. So, zwieback, the current French
biscotte, biscotti, and rusk all refer to variations on a theme: a bread
that is baked once, sliced, then baked again till it's very dry. From its
original consumption as a bread suitable for long ocean voyages, it's
evolved into a snack bread ideal for dipping into coffee or tea, as well as
a type of teething biscuit beloved by gap-toothed 1-year-olds, and their
parents.

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Per serving: 1660 Calories (kcal); 110g Total Fat; (59% calories from fat);
17g Protein; 154g Carbohydrate; 685mg Cholesterol; 2260mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 21
Fat; 10 Other Carbohydrates

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Preparation Time: 0:00

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