Biscotti

If you have ever made biscotti, you know there are many steps.  Then add in “the science”. It took me 6 times  with 6 different versions to get to the point where I no longer mulled in my head at night all the different version I hadn’t tried, like using shortening instead of butter, brown sugar instead of regular…..I made 2 versions with only vegetable oil, 2 with only butter, 1 with half butter and half vegetable oil and the original sea level version which came out as hard as a rock.

What Did I Learn?

●      At high altitude, the moisture in butter evaporates more quickly than oil because of its water content in a low pressure environment.  Higher quality butters have more fat and less water so don’t get cheap with your butter. Try the Amish Butter sold at Safeway

●       Vegetable oil works better than butter, creating a more tender product as there is no evaporation; it tends to spreads more but still results in an excellent product

●      Best way to prevent some of the spreading is to freeze your log before baking

Tip: I ALWAYS freeze my cookies and scones before baking

●      Double pan to avoid burning as sugar concentrates and can create over- caramelization

●      Pull the biscotti out while it is still slightly “spongy” in the middle but baked towards the sides as it will continue to bake once removed. Because I used vegetable oil instead of butter, it has a nice mild "chewiness" in the center; it won' break your teeth if you don't dip it into our tea or coffee.

What is the Science Behnd This?

Oil is 100% fat

pletely than butter, limiting gluten development.