Sourdough Biscotti are twice-baked cookies made with sourdough discard. Crisp and crunchy, they are delicious with a cup of coffee, are the perfect excuse to have dessert for breakfast. Almonds add a delicious flavor and make these cookies wonderfully light
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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.
These were so easy and delicious! This was my first time making biscottis and the recipe was very easy to follow. I dipped the bottom of mine in chocolate and they were a big hit!🤤
- Victoria
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, Sourdough Lemon Thyme Biscotti, Sourdough Chocolate 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.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Tessa C says
Great recipe! I really loved these
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Thank you for making them!
Tom Moore says
Thank you so much for saying above "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." as I am looking for those rock hard biscotti that must be soaked for five or six seconds. And if not eaten, they can be used as building bricks. I will look for recipes that have a greater than 4:1 flour:butter ratio in hopes that I can make my building bricks.
Strange compliment I know but much appreciated.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
You can use this recipe and just omit the baking powder for harder biscotti!
Colleen says
The 5 stars is for the amazing end result! Does anyone else struggle with forming the 2 logs. Mine are very loose and hard to form. Do you add extra flour? I use a vitamix blender, is that too powerful? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi! So sorry for the late response, Colleen. I don't have a Vitamix so I can't say. But that may be the case. You can try using your mixer and see if that makes a difference.
Colleen says
Tried it with a hand mixer and worked out perfect!
Everyone loves these!!
Thank you!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy the mixer method worked! I use a mixer for my other biscotti recipes as well.
Deb Krzyzaniak says
I've tried a lot of biscotti recipes and most have fallen short of what I feel a real biscotti should be; particularly in texture. This is the second sourdough discard recipe I tried and the first one was tasty but so dense. These sourdough biscotti were super easy to make and I was literally able to scoop them out of the blender into two logs on my baking trays, form them a bit with a spatula and bake. They turned out delicious. After cooling I dipped them in melted chocolate. Thank you for a great recipe that seems pretty fool proof!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy you loved the recipe, they are so so easy to make and I'm glad you found a keeper!
Suzanne Han says
So yummy! We saved some from the first bake to eat as cookies right now. They crisped up beautifully with the 2nd bake. Considering a dip of white chocolate and some holiday sprinkles for the next batch!!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
You might like my Sourdough Peppermint Biscotti Recipe! Thanks for trying the recipe.
https://makeitdough.com/peppermint-sourdough-biscotti/
Victoria says
These were so easy and delicious! This was my first time making biscottis and the recipe was very easy to follow. I dipped the bottom of mine in chocolate and they were a big hit!🤤
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I am so so thrilled you loved them.