BAKING BASICS - TIPS ON MAKING BISCOTTI AND SUCH

(1) If the dough sticks to your hands when shaping the loaves, you can either wet the palms of your hands with cold water, flour your plams, or rub them lightly with bland salad oil.

(2) When shaping biscotti loaves, íts okay if the sides are somewhat irregular.

(3) Before baking the biscotti loaves, the tops can be finished with sugar, nuts, or both.

(4) Sugar will adhere to biscotti dough, but an egg wash must be used to attach the nuts.

(5) Baking biscotti on buttered pans encourages browning when toasting.

(6) While necessary at times, pans lined with baking parchment are more awkward to use because the paper slides.  Anchoring it with dabs of butter to hold it in place is helpful.

(7) Jelly roll pans or pans with rimmed sides are the easiest to use for toasting because the biscotti slices are less likely to fall off.

(8) Since biscotti and mandelbrot are twice-baked, do not overbake the logs during the first baking.  They should show signs of light borwning on the bottom and the top should be firm to touch.

(9) If you like softer biscotti, you can either toast them on one side or reduce the toasting time.  Or, instead of laying the pieces flat, keep the loaves intact with the slices slightly separated when re-baking.

(10) To give the cookies extra crunch, when the oven cools down to warm, return the biscotti and mandelbrot to the oven to crisp further.

(11) Biscotti should rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.  Biscotti containing chunky pieces of nuts and/or fruit should rest longer.

(12) A serrated bread knife usually works best for smooth or less textured biscotti.  Avoid moving the knife back and forth.  Just cut down while drawing the knife toward you.

(13) Cut straight down with a dough scraper to slice coarse-textured, fruity biscotti that a knife would tear.

(14) Cut biscotti on the diagonal will give larger slices;  cutting straight across the loaves makes them smaller.

(15) Biscotti made without fat are usually hard, and therefore are best sliced in thin pieces, about ¼ inch.

(16) Biscotti made with fat will be more delicate and are best sliced in thicker pieces, about 3/8 to ½ inch. 

From Great Cookies by Carole Walter.