Cantucci or Biscotti di Prato
The almond biscuits from Prato are called either biscotti or cantucci. Bis-cotto, literally in Italian cooked again, reveals how it is actually made: it is baked twice.
They are a favourite sweet treat to end a meal, either on their own or dunked in a little glass of vinsanto.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 220 g of sugar
- 280 g of all-purpose flour
- 5 g of baking powders
- Zest of one orange
- A pinch of salt
- 200 g of unskinned almonds
Method
Heat the oven to maximum, or to 250°C. Put two eggs and one yolk into a bowl. Keep the extra egg white to the side, you will need this later on.
Whisk, using a stand mixer or an electric whisk, the eggs with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture. Then add the sieved flour with baking powder and salt before adding the grated orange rind. Lastly, add the almonds and combine thoroughly.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and, with the help of a spatula, create two loaves with the dough, measuring about 30cm in length and not more than 5cm wide.
Beat the egg white with a fork until foamy, then brush it over the loaves. Turn the oven down to 180°C and bake the biscuits.
Bake the loaves for around 20-25 minutes, until they are golden outside, but still moist inside.
Leave the loaves to cool down for around 5 minutes, then slice them on a chopping board, with a sharp knife. The biscuits should be about 2cm thick.
Place the biscuits on the baking tray cut side down and bake for another 15-18 minutes, until they are golden.
Let cool completely on a rack, then keep them in a biscuit jar or a tin. They should keep for weeks.
