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Italian "S" Biscotti

Italian "S" Cookies - Biscotti

Christina
This is a copycat version of cookies I used to get at an Italian bakery near where I grew up. They are lightly sweetened, vanilla-flavored cookies, perfect for having with a cup of tea or coffee.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 15 Cookies
Calories 174 kcal

Equipment

  • Digital Metric Scale
  • Electric Mixer with Dough Hook and Whisk
  • Baking Sheet Pan
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients
  

  • 80 ml Milk, warmed to 100°F / 37°C (1/3 cup)
  • 3 tsp Instant or Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 ea Eggs
  • 135 g Sugar (2/3 cup)
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 tsp Anise Flavor Extract (optional)
  • 75 g Butter, melted (1/3 cup)
  • 425-450 g All Purpose Flour (3¼-3½ cup)

Toppings

  • 1 ea Egg
  • 1 T Milk
  • 2 T Sesame Seeds (optional)

Instructions
 

Scaling Ingredients

  • Measure all ingredients using a digital kitchen scale.
    Step 1 of 12 Steps of Bread Baking

Mixing

  • Mix together warm milk and dry yeast until yeast is dissolved, set aside for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
    warm milk & yeast mixed together
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and anise (if using). Mix with whisk attachment on medium high for 30 seconds.
    Egg, Sugar, Salt and Vanilla in a Mixer
  • Add 1/2 cup of flour and yeast/milk mixture. Mix with whisk attachment on medium high for 30 seconds.
    Yeast, Milk, and some flour mixed with egg
  • Add melted butter and 1/2 cup of flour and mix again on medium high for 30 seconds. Switch to dough hook.
    Flour and Butter Added to Mix
  • Add remaining flour and mix with dough hook on level 1 for 2 minutes until coarse dough is formed. Switch to level 2 and mix for 4-5 more minutes.
    Remaining flour added to bowl with dough hook
  • Dough is done mixing when it is smooth, pulls from the sides, but sticks to the bottom.
    Smooth Dough sticks to bottom but pulls from sides

Bulk Fermentation

  • Remove dough from mixer and knead into a smooth ball. Place ball in to a bowl sprayed with oil to prevent sticking. Cover. Allow dough to relax for 2 hours in a warm location. Hint: This dough will only rise a little bit during these two hours, that's okay, don't expect it to double like yeast-risen breads.
    Smooth dough ball

Folding

  • Dump dough out on to a flat work surface.

Dividing

  • Cut dough into 12-15 equal sized pieces.

Pre-Shaping

  • Roll each piece of dough into a 5" long (12-13 cm) rope.
    Roll each piece into a 5" rope

Makeup and Panning

  • Prepare a half sheet pan (large cookie sheet) with parchment paper.
  • Shape each rope into an "S" shape and place on cookie sheet.
    Shape the Rope into an "S"

Proofing

  • Cover cookie sheet with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes until cookies are puffy.

Baking

  • Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C
  • Mix together 1 egg with 1 T of milk. Coat each cookies with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
    S shaped Cookie Prior to Baking
  • Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes until browned on top and on bottom.

Cooling

  • Remove baked cookies immediately to a cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes. Serve.
    Italian "S" Biscotti

Storing

  • Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Can be frozen.
Keyword biscotti, cookies, Italian cookies, s cookies