Sourdough Biscotti! Crunchy almond cookies enriched with a cup of sourdough discard. These sourdough cookies are perfect for dunking into coffee, espresso or dessert wine.
I love biscotti because they really are easy to make and they keep for weeks. They also happen to be a great vehicle for using your sourdough discard. (Check out this recipe for Almond & Anise Biscotti if you don’t have sourdough discard available.)
If you don’t already have one, I can show you how to make a sourdough starter and how to feed a sourdough starter.
Scroll through the process photos to see how to make Sourdough Biscotti:
FAQs about Sourdough Biscotti:
Yes. To work ahead, the dough logs can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days or frozen for several weeks. The baked loaves can also be held for a couple of days before slicing and baking the second time. Since biscotti keep so well, you can make the biscotti completely several days or even several weeks before you’re ready to serve them.
Since the word “biscotti” literally means “twice cooked” you do need to bake them twice to make “biscotti”. That being said, if you want a soft cookie, the pastry police won’t come to your house if you skip the second bake.
There is no need to refrigerate biscotti. In fact, the refrigerator could make the cookies soggy. The biscotti are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
I have kept biscotti in a cookie jar with a tight lid for several weeks.
Yes. But since they keep so well at room temperature there’s usually no need to freeze them. If you want to keep them more than two weeks they can be frozen for up to 3 months. You might want to re-toast them briefly after defrosting if they are less crunchy.
I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.
Since you’ve got your starter fed, peruse the entire list of My Best Sourdough Recipes. Have fun!
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Sourdough Biscotti
Crunchy almond biscotti cookies enriched with a cup of sourdough discard. Perfect for dunking into coffee, espresso or dessert wine.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 oz, 224g) sourdough discard
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 for egg wash
- 1/4 cup (2 oz, 60 ml) olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Grated zest from 2 large lemons
- 3 cups (15 oz, 420g) all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups (14 oz, 392g) granulated sugar, separated
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1.5 cups (8 oz, 224g) toasted almonds, roughly chopped into large chunks
Instructions
- In a glass measuring cup combine the discard, 2 eggs, olive oil, vanilla and lemon zest, set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flour, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix the dry ingredients for 30 seconds to combine.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Add the almonds and mix until almost combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and finish mixing by hand until all the flour is absorbed.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Split the dough into 2 equal portions. Use your hands to roll each piece of dough to a log 13" long x 2" wide. Set the logs onto the sheet pan, leaving at least 3" between them. Brush the logs with egg wash and sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
- Bake until golden brown and feels firm when pressed in the middle, about 35 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- Use a serrated knife to cut each log into 1/2" slices on a slight diagonal. Lay the cookies flat on the sheet pans and bake 10-12 minutes until toasty and golden brown (see note). Flip the cookies over and bake on the other side for another 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- Store in a cookie jar for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
If you like your biscotti super-crunchy bake the sliced cookies for the longer time, bake for the shorter time if you like them a little softer.
To work ahead: the dough logs can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days or frozen for several weeks.
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Tom Brophy
Sunday 24th of July 2022
This morning was the 7th time that I have made this recipe. This time I baked them in my King Arthur mini scone pan, which was perfect.
Gail
Wednesday 15th of June 2022
Thank you Eileen for sharing this recipe. I had never before made biscotti. They turned out perfect. An easy to follow recipe that delivers perfection. I cannot wait to try my own variations.
Ken
Sunday 5th of June 2022
I have made this recipe many times with a variety of flavors and inclusions. Excellent biscotti.
Lauren Hidalgo
Saturday 28th of May 2022
These are sooooo delicious! I was looking for a sourdough biscotti recipe to use as a base for anise biscotti and this recipe worked like a charm; It will be my “go to” sourdough biscotti recipe going forward. I used 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp almond extract plus 1 Tbsp anise seed and skipped the lemon peel. Super happy with the result. We like biscotti hard and crunchy, so once the biscotti were nicely browned I turned off the oven and left them in the oven a bit longer to harden more but not get overly brown. I feel this recipe will adapt well to whichever type of sourdough discard biscotti you want to make…whether the original one with lemon peel, chocolate chip, orange cranberry, etc. I used olive oil and thought it was a good choice for fat. These biscotti are 4-6 inches wide, and will be lovely for gifting in a cellophane bag. For everyday enjoyment I might split the dough into 3 logs for smaller cookies.
Karla
Sunday 23rd of January 2022
I’ve made this recipe twice and they’ve turned out great. I used the weighted measurements and it’s perfect. They’re perfectly crispy and sweet. I saw other comments that they were too hard. Biscotti are supposed to be hard. They’re for dipping.
I didn’t bother with the egg wash and they still turn out great. Also the trick to handling biscotti dough is to wet your hands.
I did walnuts and chocolate chips in the last batch and it turned out great. This is my new go to biscotti base! I love being able to use sourdough discard.