The signature challenge for Series 6, Episode 2 of The Great British Bake Off is to make two dozen biscotti. Biscotti are traditionally an Italian cookie distinct for its twice-baked hard exterior. Fillings are somewhat variable.
An eastern European Jewish variation of biscotti is called mandelbrodt. Mandelbrodt literally translates to English as "almond bread". Except for when I make mandelbrodt for my aunt, who is allergic to all nuts, I always include almonds and some almond extract.
These biscuits are very hardy and are a good, easy crowd-pleaser. The recipe which I use calls for oil rather than butter, making them pareve (neither dairy nor meat). They are good to serve as a dessert for a crowd, or are good to bring as a snack on road trips. Due to the fact that they are rather hard, they do not easily go stale, and will stay fresh for a while.
For once, I will not disclose the recipe which I used. The recipe is, I believe, my great-great-grandmother's; it can therefore be considered a secret family recipe.
My Savta (my grandmother) always makes me make mandelbrodt for her when I visit. Despite the fact that she taught me how to make it and gave me this family recipe, she claims I make these biscuits much better than she does. I attribute this to both the fact that I put in a large amount of fillings and to my choice of fillings (no icky raisins!). I typically add chocolate chips, maraschino cherries, dried apricots, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds to the batter. The maraschino cherries and dried apricots should be finely diced for good distribution.
The dough is formed into logs for the initial bake. The biscuit logs are then cut into thin strips for the second bake, so that the sides of each cookie can become crisp. I usually sprinkle cinnamon and sugar atop the dough logs before baking. For this batch, however, I made a cinnamon sugar icing for the finished biscuits to provide a smoother, shinier finish.
Keep an eye out tomorrow for the Cream Horns signature bake from Series 6, Episode 8.
These biscuits are very hardy and are a good, easy crowd-pleaser. The recipe which I use calls for oil rather than butter, making them pareve (neither dairy nor meat). They are good to serve as a dessert for a crowd, or are good to bring as a snack on road trips. Due to the fact that they are rather hard, they do not easily go stale, and will stay fresh for a while.
My Savta (my grandmother) always makes me make mandelbrodt for her when I visit. Despite the fact that she taught me how to make it and gave me this family recipe, she claims I make these biscuits much better than she does. I attribute this to both the fact that I put in a large amount of fillings and to my choice of fillings (no icky raisins!). I typically add chocolate chips, maraschino cherries, dried apricots, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds to the batter. The maraschino cherries and dried apricots should be finely diced for good distribution.
The dough is formed into logs for the initial bake. The biscuit logs are then cut into thin strips for the second bake, so that the sides of each cookie can become crisp. I usually sprinkle cinnamon and sugar atop the dough logs before baking. For this batch, however, I made a cinnamon sugar icing for the finished biscuits to provide a smoother, shinier finish.
Keep an eye out tomorrow for the Cream Horns signature bake from Series 6, Episode 8.
Comments
Post a Comment