Sourdough Biscotti

4.53 from 84 votes

A delicious, twice-baked Italian cookie that is delightfully crunchy and perfectly sweet. Made with sourdough starter or discard, this almond biscotti pairs perfectly with your favorite latte.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Additional Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Sourdough

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: biscotti, cookies, sourdough, sourdough biscotti

Servings: cookies

Author: Lisa Bass

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/3 cups brown sugar packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1/2 cup sourdough starter/discard
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 cup raw whole almonds

Optional chocolate dip:

8 oz semi sweet baker’s chocolate
1/4 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and arrange raw almonds on a sheet tray prepared with parchment.
Once the oven is preheated, toast the almonds for 8-12 minutes. Set the almonds aside to cool slightly and then coarsely chop them.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together olive oil and brown sugar.
Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Scrape down the sides as you go.
Next, add vanilla extract, almond extract and sourdough discard. Mix again.
Add the flour and salt and mix for a few rotations until just combined.
Pour in the coarsely chopped almonds and give it another few turns to mix. Take care not to over mix the dough.
On the same (cooled) sheet tray you previously used, form the dough into 2 equal sized logs approximately 3 1⁄2 to 4 inches wide.
Once the logs are formed, chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 350 and bake the logs for 30 minutes. Rotate the sheet tray at the 15 minute mark to achieve an even bake.
Remove the sheet tray from the oven and allow the logs to cool for 15-20 minutes, then use a serrated knife to carefully cut thin slices of biscotti 1/2" to 3/4" thick.
Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and place back in the oven for 15-25 minutes (depending on how thin/thick you’ve sliced them).
Flip them halfway through baking and give the middle a tap to see if it’s crisping up.
Once they are crispy and baked in the center, remove from the oven and allow them to fully cool.
Melt chocolate over a double boiler and dip the biscotti, scraping of the excess chocolate, and then set on parchment for the chocolate to cool and set.

Notes

If the logs of biscotti are too hot to slice and the slices are falling apart, allow them to cool a little more.
The biscotti will continue to crisp up a bit more out of the oven, so they don’t have to be completely crisped when they initially come out.
Biscotti dough is supposed to be a bit sticky. If it’s too difficult to form it into logs on the cookie sheet, then pop the dough into the fridge for a few minutes and it will become much easier to work with.
To make a long fermentation version, after the dough comes together and is refrigerated in an air-tight container, leave it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking. The fermentation process happens at a much slower rate in a cold environment.

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