Crisp and wonderfully crunchy, these Sourdough Biscotti are delicious and taste delightful with a cup of coffee. These twice-baked cookies are easy to make and are the best excuse to eat dessert for breakfast!
DJM says
Long time baker here who never made biscotti. Got a request from my wife after a recent holiday and looked around for a recipe and liked your ingredient list and method. Just came here to say my family loved the Sourdough Biscotti. The texture of the finished biscotti was exactly how it should be ... and my oven must be on par with yours because I followed the cooking times and it all worked out great.
A biscotti and a cup of coffee from the coffee shop was my favorite way to treat myself when I was a poor high school student. I loved the floral flavor of almond extract and the crunchy cookie that completely transformed once dipped in coffee.
Biscotti always felt very special to me, so when I wrote my cookbook, Sourdough Every Day, I knew I needed to include a biscotti recipe. This recipe is based on the Rosewater Cardamom Pistachio Biscotti from my book. Here, I’m using almonds, which is a more traditional add-in for biscotti and are usually a lot less expensive than pistachio. For my original recipe, use the same proportions of pistachio by weight and rosewater instead of almond extract and vanilla.
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What makes biscotti special?
Biscotti are unique in the world of cookies because they are baked twice!
First they are baked in loaves and then they are sliced and baked again until completely dry and crisp. This gives them their signature crisp and crunchy texture. This also gets rid of most of the moisture in the cookie so they last longer and are less likely to get moldy. Adding discard, also contributes to this since it adds acidity to these Sourdough Biscotti.
Unlike traditional Italian biscotti, which are very hard and crunchy, these Sourdough Biscotti are light and crisp, which is the way I like to enjoy them. A little bit of ground nuts in the dough helps them stay more tender, so while they are still crisp, you can enjoy them on their own and you won’t break your teeth when you bite into them without dipping them into coffee first.
Love sourdough cookies? Check out my Top 5 Sourdough Cookie Recipes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Almonds: These add texture and flavor to these biscotti. The secret to the crisp but tender texture of these cookies. Substitute almond meal or almond flour if you're in a pinch!
All-purpose flour: The protein content of all-purpose flour results in tender and light biscotti. Do not substitute whole wheat flour or bread flour for this recipe.
Sourdough Discard: Both active starter and sourdough discard will work for this recipe. If you don't have a starter just add 28 grams of flour and 28 grams of water into your dough.
Tip
Check the baking powder in your pantry for freshness by combining a pinch with a drop of vinegar—if it fizzes, it's good for this recipe!
See recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
Baking with sourdough discard
Sourdough discard adds a great tangy flavor to these biscotti. You can use your discard directly from the fridge. Since you are not using it to make bread, your sourdough starter does not need to be activated or fed for it to work in this recipe.
Older discard will have a tangier, more acidic flavor than using an active sourdough starter. Both will work for this recipe, you’ll get a slightly different result but your biscotti will still be delicious!
Variations
Want to add flavor or mix-ins to your sourdough biscotti? Try my recipes for Sourdough Cranberry Orange Biscotti and Sourdough Peppermint Biscotti.
Step-by-step Instructions
Biscotti need to be baked twice to get their signature airy but crisp texture.
STEP 1. Make the dough
STEP 2. Form 2 loaves and bake at 325 for 30 minutes
Tip
Use heavily floured hands to form and flatten the dough into loaves.
STEP 3. Slice into ½-inch portions and bake at 325 for 10 minutes on each side
STEP 4. Cool completely before serving
Baker's Tips
- Both active sourdough starter and sourdough discard will work for this recipe.
- Weigh your ingredients instead of measuring with cups and tablespoons. It's more accurate and will help guarantee your chances of success.
- Flip the biscotti halfway through baking. This will ensure both sides bake evenly.
- Don't over bake your biscotti or they may become too hard, dry and have a burnt flavor.
Recipe FAQs
The taste will depend on the distinctive flavor of your sourdough discard. Discard that’s been kept in the fridge for longer will have built up more acidity and will have a more intense flavor. While discard from a freshly fed starter will impart a milder flavor.
These biscotti will last up to two weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Baking biscotti twice dries them completely, so they are less likely to get moldy.
Absolutely! Simply use the same proportion of freshly fed sourdough starter in the recipe. Your starter won’t add a strong tangy flavor to your cookies, but will still work.
If you don’t have a starter, but still want to try out this recipe, simply add 28 grams of all-purpose flour and 28 grams of water to your dough. The recipe will still turn out delicious, but you won’t have the tangy flavor of sourdough.
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Sourdough Biscotti
Equipment
- baking sheet
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Ingredients
Dough
- 140 grams almonds divided
- 240 grams all-purpose flour
- 8 grams baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 56 grams unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 56 grams sourdough discard
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Egg wash
- 1 egg white
- Pinch of salt
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line one 18 by 13 baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Coarsely chop 112 grams (1 cup) of almonds and set aside.
- Blend dry ingredients: Combine the remaining almonds (28 grams or ¼ cup) and flour in the blender and pulse until nuts are finely ground. Transfer the flour mixture to a large mixing bowl, whisk in the baking powder and salt. Set the bowl aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add the eggs into the blender and pulse until doubled in volume and noticeably lighter in volume, about 1 minute. Add in the sugar, butter, sourdough discard, almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Make the dough: Add half of the flour into the blender and process until just fully combined. Transfer the dough into the bowl with the remaining flour and add in the chopped almonds. Stir the mixture with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon until no traces of flour remain. Continue folding until the almonds look evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Shape the loaves: Transfer the dough to the parchment, using a floured bench knife divide it into two even portions. Heavily flour your hands and form the dough into two 8 by 3 inch rectangles (20 by 7 cm) spaced about 4 inches (10 cm apart). Leave enough space for the loaves to spread.
- First bake: Whisk egg white and salt together. Brush the tops of the loaves with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the loaves look dry and appear golden.
- Cool then slice: Allow the loaves to cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. Transfer the loaves to a cutting board and using a sharp, serrated knife cut the loaves on a bias into ½-inch (1.3 cm) slices. Return the slices cut side down to your parchment-lined baking sheet, don’t worry about spacing them out as they won’t spread at this point.
- Second bake: Return the biscotti to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the biscotti and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Your biscotti should look dry, feel crisp and look lightly toasted. Don’t over bake or your biscotti will turn out too tough.
- Cool: Allow the biscotti to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy and store: These cookies are best enjoyed once they have completely cooled, and are even better the next day! Store any leftover biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Anne M
These were fabulous. I used slivered almonds, which worked out very well. Because I was lazy and didn't want to melt butter, I decided to substitute oil. I'm not sure if I should have reduced that to 75% of the butter weight, but I used the whole 56 g. The biscotti turned out perfectly anyway. My husband said he never wants to eat any other biscotti again in his life -- these are it!
Hannah Dela Cruz
Love that you and everyone else loved the biscotti. Glad to hear that the oil worked! You are giving me inspiration for a new recipe idea.
Nicole
These were amazing! I've now made them twice. I subbed hazelnuts because I didn't have almonds, and they were perfect. Thank you for the great recipe.
Hannah Dela Cruz
Hazelnut biscotti sound so delicious! Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Cassidy
Love this recipe! We’ve made it several times and the biscotti is now a staple in our home for coffee every morning!
Hannah Dela Cruz
So thrilled to hear this! This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I'm glad you love it as well.
Lori
Delicious! A hit at our dinner party. I used almond flour instead of blending almonds to a meal and they came out perfect.
Hannah Dela Cruz
Thanks for sharing this bake with your guests! I'm glad it was a success!
Bobbi
Amazing flavor! Do you have any suggestions why mine was crumbling and falling apart? I want to make again and hopefully fix my error
Hannah Dela Cruz
I haven't experienced this with this recipe. It might be that your eggs were a bit over aerated or your batter was over mixed. Try and see if you could do a gentler mixing and see if that helps.
Courteney
Just wondering if you’ve ever tried some almond flour in the section where you blend flour and chopped almonds.
Hannah Dela Cruz
You can totally use almond meal I find that using raw almonds makes these cookies more flavorful!
DJM
Hey there - long time baker here who never made biscotti. Got a request from my wife after a recent holiday and looked around for a recipe and liked your ingredient list and method.
Just came here to say my family loved the Sourdough Biscotti. The texture of the finished biscotti was exactly how it should be ... and my oven must be on par with yours because I followed the cooking times and it all worked out great.
Now I'm looking forward to seeing some of your other recipes! PS If you want a crazy good bagel recipe adapted from fellow South Western Baker's The Perfect Loaf, well ... hit me up!
Hannah Dela Cruz
So thrilled that you loved them!
Denise
Can I add dried fruit such as cherries to this recipe?
Hannah Dela Cruz
Hi Denise! Try subbing dried cherries to my recipe for Cranberry Orange Sourdough Discard Biscotti instead since it can already accommodate the dried fruits in the recipe.
https://makeitdough.com/sourdough-cranberry-orange-biscotti/
Kat Hill
Please note that the recipe multiplier DOES NOT use the correct conversions in the INSTRUCTIONS ( I was doubling recipe)!
Wasn't a problem once I realized it but thought it noteworthy for other followers?
Thanks
Kat
Hannah Dela Cruz
Ooh great note! Thank you so much!
Cassidy
Yes!! I meant to point that out as well!
Yvonne
Hi, can it be baked once then cut into pieces and keep in the fridge? When needed, bake the 2nd time and consume? What is your advice? Thanks
Hannah Dela Cruz
I'd continue on to just bake the biscotti! Baking twice extends their shelf life.
Barb
What kind of oil would you recommend in place of butter in this recipe?
Hannah Dela Cruz
Hi Barb - I've never tried making these without butter. But, I've seen recipes online that use olive oil. You could also try to use coconut oil or a plant-based butter. Again, I have never tried these so I can't guarantee your results. If you do end up trying them let me know how it works out for you.
Brooklyn
Amazing recipe. Comes out perfectly every time. I like mine with a lot of almond flavor so I tend to triple the extract, and I use Italian 00 flour. Even without any adjustments, this recipe is perfect.
Hannah Dela Cruz
I'm so happy to hear this! I love almond flavor too. I'll have to try doubling the almond extract like you did.
Marianne
I am looking for a sourdough biscotti recipe that is easily amended. What I would like to make is a peppermint white chocolate biscotti for Christmas. Do you think it would work?
Hannah Dela Cruz
Hi - you can add peppermint extract and white chocolate to your dough. I can't tell you how much would be appropriate since I've never tested it. If you end up trying it let me know how it goes!
Marianne
It must be a Marianne thing, but I am looking to make peppermint sourdough biscotti as well. Have you made yours? I ordered smashed peppermint candy and thought I would use it then drizzle with chocolate.
Hannah Dela Cruz
What a coincidence! I would actually crush up the peppermint candy. Coat the baked biscotti in white chocolate and then top them with peppermint candy.
Marianne
I bought 2 different candy cane crumbles. I was going to do the pink and white in the dough and pink, white and green sprinkled on top of the chocolate drizzle. I’m assuming I don’t want to use the same amount of candy as almonds? Also, I thought using sourdough prevented having to use baking powder? Sorry to be a pain!
Hannah Dela Cruz
Don't sub candy for almonds - candy is sugar and will melt in your dough. Use it as a topping instead.
Sourdough does not work for leavening in the same way as baking powder does. Baking powder is a chemical leavening agent that works quickly, creating bubbles in the batter or dough to give a fast rise, this gives the biscotti a pleasant crunch. Sourdough leavening does not work the same way. It's not instantaneous - that's why dough needs to rise when you make bread. If you only used sourdough, your biscotti will be very hard, dense and impossible to snap.
Carina
5th time making these. Everyone loves them! Thank you for your amazing recipe(s) !
Hannah Dela Cruz
Yay! Love your feedback. I'm so happy you found a keeper!
Miriam Ford
Decided to make these during the dinner preparation process. Easy to do and so delicious!
Hannah Dela Cruz
So happy you enjoyed them!