FOR THE SPONGE
1 package active dry yeast, 2 1/2 tsp warm water
3/4 cup flour, all purpose,unbleached
FOR THE DOUGH
1/2 cup sugar water & water
1/4 cup butter, unsalted, 1/2 stick cut i
2 1/2 cup flour, all purpose,unbleached
1 tbsp aniseed salt
Directions
Make the sponge: In the bowl of an electric mixer proof the yeast in
the water for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy. Whisk in the
flour and let the sponge stand, covered with plastic wrap, for 30
minutes or until it is foamy.
To the sponge, add the sugar, the water and the butter and stir the
mixture until it is combined well. Add the flour, the aniseed, and
the salt and with the electric mixer fitted with the dough hook knead
the dough for 3 minutes, or until it is smooth but still sticky.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning it to coat it
with the oil, and let it rise, covered tightly with plastic wrap, for
1 1/2 hours, or until it is double in bulk.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, halve it, and
with floured hands form each piece of dough into a flattish log 15
inches long and 2 inches wide. Transfer the logs to a buttered and
floured baking sheet and let them rise, covered with a kitchen towel,
for 2 hours, or until they are double in bulk.
Bake the logs in the middle of a preheated 350F oven for 30
minutes, or until they are golden brown, and let them cool on the
baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes. On a cutting board cut the
logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1 inch thick slices, arrange the
biscotti, cut sides down, on the baking sheet and bake them in the
350F oven for 10 minutes on each side, or until they are pale golden.
Transfer the biscotti to racks to cool and store them in airtight
containers. MAKES:ABOUT 30 BISCOTTI
Servings: 1 servings
Biscotti Del Laggaccio (Aniseed Biscotti) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Biscotti; Cookie; Italian; Pasta
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to trace the history of written cooking instructions way back into the far past, certainly as far back as the ancient Egyptians, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that is, sadly, these early cookbooks were just primitive pictorial instructions for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe found, according to experts in ancient history is a series of tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of scripts describing recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. He recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. He also describes how the Roman cooks made use of a wide range of herbs and spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs like basil, fennel and dill. During the next few hundred years, the upper-class families of Wesstern Europe competed with each other to serve the most exotic meals, and as a result the best chefs and their recipe collections increased in prestige. However, it wasn`t until the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe publications really came of age. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brings us cooking programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. And that neatly brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Biscotti Del Laggaccio (Aniseed Biscotti) recipe.
