Cooking For Engineers

[Todd]

You have to remember to sift the flour before measuring. Michael's said this in a couple previous articles - if you don't sift and you use the volumetric measurement, then you'll end up using a random quantity of flour (but always more than he specifies). Or, just get yourself a scale and use his mass values.

[michael leon]

Ciao tutti,

I'm an American dude, ex 82nd Airborne paratrooper/journalist, living n Italy since 1982. The guy who set up this site has very efficiently and correctly advised us all on how to bake biscotti (plural for biscotto / cookies). He is also correct to suggest that "chocolate" dipped biscotti are acceptable in Italy and highly appreciated by most Italians who "like" chocolate. There is NOTHING American about chocolate-dipped biscotti. Further, let's give the guy (site man) a break and spare him details of "our" individual ailments, handicaps, diseases etc. "Site Man" should not be wasting his time "pimping biscotti" to meet AMA or CDC guidelines...god help him. Having said that is anyone interested in my specialty of "celery biscotti" with 1000 Island dip ? Now that's AMERICANIZED !

[christenmu]

I haven't tried your recipe, but I've been adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of softened butter in my biscotti recipe and it came out crispier and lighter. Give it a try.
My recipe also called for 4 eggs and that may have made it a bit messier in handling the dough, but you can refrigerate the dough for about half an hour so that it is easier to shape the dough.
I use anise extract and also dipped or drizzle with melted chocolate.
Never failed in pleasing everyone.

[Erin]

I have a question. I keep trying to add cocoa to this recipe but I get an extremely dry dough, even if I remove an equal amount of flour. Does cocoa have some super-absorbant qualities that I'm not aware of? Why doesn't this work??

For people who are interested, try adding a 3rd egg when you use 1 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cocoa. It still is very tasty and has the sticky texture of the dough pictured.

[Torgy]

Neither my wife nor I are sugar tolerant. Has anyone come up with an acceptable to alternative to surgar in biscotti. We both love biscotti but not the sugar. Help will be appreciated. Torgy

[Paul]

I've been making biscottum for lots of years and I do two things that might shock you. 1) I use my Kitchenaid mixer, the paddle blade on super low. The good thing about this is that it allows you to compute the consistency very accurately from batch to batch. and 2) I re bake my cut cookies, cooki(?) on a rack so the heat dries out both sides at once. Despite this sacrilidge, I can attest that I have NEVER had a complaint from an end user.
And wht's this about storing them for a month? If yours ain't gone in 3 days, you are doing something wrong.

[Guest]

I will try this. I am looking for the ultimate recipee though ; Semifredi's from the Bay Area, the best biscotti there is.


for a non sugur verison I found this link - Torgy
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/biscotti/r/sugarfreebisc.htm

[annie]

any one have a receipe for anise biscotti

[Elf]

I have been researching recipes for giving as Christmas presents, and just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed the website. The style of directions given offer a lot of tips that I would have missed going with another recipe (like not over mixing). Having never made biscotti before you have made this very easy for a beginner to make.

I also found the posted responses interesting and enjoyable.

Thanks!

[Detrot]

Can anyone help please?
Each time I bake the biscotti, the log seems to slightly crack on the top. After cooling, they seem to break apart. What am I doing wrong? I can't seem to get clean slices. I am using a good quality knife. Help !

[dana]

I just made a batch today and had absolutely no problem getting perfectly clean slices, and not a single broken one. Make sure your loaves aren't overbaked, don't wait till their completely cool, they should just be comfortably warm when you cut them, cut using a gentle but firm sawing motion with a sharp serrated knife. There, you're done. Works for me everytime. Good luck and hope they turn out OK next time

[Wiliki in Dana Point]

I have been giving biscotti as Christmas presents for years. Most of my recipes come from Cooking Light magazine (cookinglight.com). They have 5 pages of recipes. I composing a new recipe myself for this season: spumoni.

[amy perry]

I have an ambition to learn to cook at least one kind of biscotto perfectly this year. This site will help--thank you.

[Baking Baba]

To Detrot

Are you sifting the flour 1st? If so good. Make sure to not only use a good knife, but a good serrated knife, like a bread knife.

Are you baking in a cold room or elevation? Sometimes moving baked goods from a hot oven to a cold room can make them crack. If you are still having this problem, try placing a light dish towel over your loaves when you put them on the wire reack to cool for the 10 minutes before cutting. This should help to lessen chances of cracking. Also don't wait too long before cutting. Hope this helps!

[livlong]

Hi Thanks for the web site
I've been making biscotti cookies for my son , but they seem to get too hard after they cool.

I would llike them to be a little softer and not too dry> I'm I putting too much sugar or too much flour?
I have a recepie that calls for 1 cup of regular sugar and 1 cupo of brown sugar and only 3 tbls of butter. Should I add 1 stick of butter to make it softer?

Thanks
Betty