Biscotti & Caveman Café Lungo

Biscotto season typically commences in casa di zippy right around the time the heat goes on, but I got a little head start last night when I made the season’s first batch inspired by some very nice coffees that showed up in my mailbox courtesy bill, thank you sir. There is nothing like a steaming hot cup o’ joe with a biscotto floating in it. My basic recipe is pretty standard, however I vary the flavorings and & nut choices from time to time. One of my favorite additions is chopped pecans, milk chocolate & cinnamon as below.

THE BASIC RECIPE:
- 3 cups of all purpose flour (I did not have any so I substituted cake flour, kind of interesting, it made them much lighter and airier than usual which I did not care for, I like when they are heavy & dense, but it’s all good...);
- some corn meal (about a palm full);
- tablespoon of baking powder;
- pinch of salt;
- 2 eggs;
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla;
- 1 stick of butter.
- sugar: none in the basic dough recipe, you can add sugar to your taste in various quantities, but I usually add chocolate & sprinkle some sugar on top before baking which makes it sweet enough.

THE ADDITIONS:
To this you can add whatever you want, cinnamon, chopped nuts, chocolate, coconut, nougat, the sky is the limit, and you will need to add some liquid, I prefer liquor for the flavor, but any liquid will do, add it after all of the above ingredients are incorporated & keep adding until you have a nice wet dough (about 1/4 to ½ cup). Also, I melt the butter then add 12 ounces of chocolate (milk, semi, dark, whatever you want) before adding to the dry ingredients (but be careful not to add it when it is too hot to the dough with eggs or you know what will happen.....).

THE COOK:
30 minutes at 350 on top of the stone, remove, cut into 3 sections then into individual biscotto, put on a screen (in 2 batches), remove the stone but leave the setter and egg feet in, put the screen on top of the feet & go another 15 minutes per batch for the second bake, let cool & dunk:

















Breakfast: