Sourdough Biscotti
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.
You might also want to try Sourdough Shortbread or Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies made with sourdough powder.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a star rating and a quick comment. Ratings and comments help my recipes show in search results. Thanks!
Sourdough Biscotti Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz sourdough discard (1 cup)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 oz olive oil (¼ cup)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large lemons (zest finely grated)
- 15 oz all purpose flour (3 cups, see note)
- 12 oz granulated sugar (1½ cups)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 8 oz toasted almonds (1 ½ cups, roughly chopped)
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- sugar for topping
Instructions
- In a glass measuring cup combine 8 oz sourdough discard, 2 large eggs, 2 oz olive oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and the zest from 2 large lemons, set aside. In a mixing bowl combine 15 oz all purpose flour, 12 oz granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon table salt. Mix the dry ingredients for 30 seconds to combine.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Add 8 oz toasted 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 generously with 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 ¾" 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.
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Absolutely delicious biscotti. I’ll definitely be making these again.
Hello,
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve made it a few times using half whole wheat and half all purpose flours
Everybody agrees it’s very yummy
My question is regarding the weights
The recipe calls for 3 cups or 420 g flour
I just verified 1 cup is 120 g so the next time I will use 360 g flour
How has the additional 60 grams of flour affected my final product?
(I’m accustomed to the denser results using whole wheat because I always bake that way)
Thanks
The weight of a cup of flour is not an absolute measurement. It depends on how you fill the cup. I use the “dip and sweep” method to fill the cup. That is, I “dip” the cup into the bin and overfill it. Then I “sweep” away the excess. Using this method I get 5 oz (140g) of flour. If you fluff and spoon the flour into the cup you’ll get closer to 4oz of flour in the cup. I formulate my recipes using weight measure so changing the weight of the flour will change the final result. If you are using weight measure use what is specified in the recipe.
I made these yesterday. Its a good recipe however I found it confusing with the measurements and the use of ounces.
When I see ounces in a recipe I assume weight, which is very exact and I prefer when I bake. But in this recipe ounces are referring to ounces on a measuring cup, which is very different. Unfortunately I realized that after I measured the flour and sugar with my scale. Because 15 oz of flour by weight is very different than 15 oz by cup measurement. If you’re using ounces or grams it should always be weight measurement, otherwise stick with cups. Also you mention sugar divided but do not say how much goes in the recipe and how much is reserved.
15oz of flour is always 15oz of flour. In this recipe the ounces listed in the recipe certainly refer to weight measurement. If you’re using a scale there’s no reason to use cup measurements. I include cup measurements in the parentheses as a courtesy to many US bakers who do not use a kitchen scale and measure their ingredients by volume. You are right about the “divided” note from the sugar. That was a typo and has been removed. Here’s a post with lots of information about how to measure baking ingredients. Hope that helps.
@Eileen Gray,
I made these today with orange zest, almonds and dried apricots. I thought they were going to be too dry to hold together after I mixed in the flour, but after sitting for 20 minutes they came together nicely. They’re delicious. I’ll be making them again!
@Cassi,
Thanks, will continue to weigh it
I LOVE this! This recipe was so easy, yummy and uses discard! I am going to be running out if discard now! Thanks for a great recipe!
Best recipe for discarded starter that I have found. Enjoying a couple with a latte as I write this. Totally yummy!