ALMOND BREAD (BISCOTTI)

LUCKY CHRISTMAS GIFT PACK

Christmas is a couple of days away now and everyone knows that this is the time of the year that home bakers are busy baking cookies, brownies, puddings and other diet busting baking treats.  Nuts are one of the main ingredients in baking these delectable morsels and what better timing when Nuffnang announce that one of their “Product Talk by Nuffnang” was Lucky Nuts Products.  Of course I volunteered to review the products, I use this brand anyway so why not =)

Did you know that the Almonds that Lucky use are Australian grown, in their very own orchards in the Sunraysia and Riverina districts.  Included in the Gift Pack was Lucky’s two newly released products… Lucky Easy Chef Oven Roasted Almond Meal and Lucky Easy Chef Almond Crumble.  I’m so happy with my pack (so much nuts!), they even included a booklet of recipes =)

When I looked at my Lucky Nuts packets and saw Blanched Almonds, I know right away what I want to bake for my Busog! Sarap! followers….. Almond Biscotti!  This Almond Bread (Biscotti) Recipe has been in my private personal cookbook for years now, so it has been tried and tested so many times.  Let me tell you some great things about this recipe; it’s easy to do, fantastic Christmas giveaways for your family & friends, you can put your leftover eggwhites into good use and this baked biscotti are so addictive that you can’t stop on munching just one.  Its crunchy, not cloying sweet and a good match with your cup of coffee.  So I hope you enjoy this Almond Bread (Biscotti) Recipe =)

 

ALMOND BREAD (BISCOTTI)

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup plain flour

1/2 cup caster sugar

3 egg whites (from large eggs)

110g blanched almonds

 

1 loaf tin (8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2")

flat baking trays

*used U.S Measuring Cups & Spoons

PREP:

~  Line your loaf tin & flat baking trays with baking paper.  In a medium bowl, sift your plain flour through a fine metal sieve.  I pan roasted my blanched almonds over the stovetop using a small saucepan at medium-high heat, frequently stirring the nuts for even roasting, let the nuts cool down before using.

~ Preheat your oven to 180C.  Place your rack in the middle of your oven.

 

COOKING PROCEDURE:

~  In your clean & dry metal mixing bowl, pour in your egg whites & whip in medium speed until it looks like frothy shaving cream.  Gradually add in your sugar and continue whipping until it becomes just like smooth icing.  During the addition of the sugar, please stop halfway to scrape the sides of the bowl and mix the scrapings with the rest of the meringue mixture.  When you lift your beater it will leave a firm peak with curled end, this is a good indication you have the right consistency.

~  Remove the mixing bowl from  your mixer stand and add in your plain flour and pan roasted blanched almonds.  Fold the flour & nuts gently into the meringue mixture using a spatula.  Mix them all together with a circular clockwise motion making sure you scrape the sides & bottom of the bowl for even folding.  Please don’t over mix, just make sure that there’s no visible flour and batter should look like fluffy soft marshmallow ice cream.

~  Fill your loaf tin and make sure the corners are filled and to finish just smooth the top evenly .  I achieved this with a butter knife and my spatula working together as the mixture was on the sticky side.  Bake in the middle rack of your oven for 25 minutes or until the overall colour of the Almond Bread have this lovely light golden colour.

~  Preheat your oven to 160C.

~  Let the Almond Bread completely cooled down before slicing.  Using a serrated knife, cut the loaf into 1/4 inch slices & place on a lined flat baking tray (I used 2 trays in total).

~  Bake the Almond Bread Slices for 15 minutes, halfway during the baking time take out the tray from the oven and turn each one of the slices so that the top surface goes underneath in contact with the baking tray lined surface.  Return the tray back to the oven to complete the baking time. You can add 2-3 minutes more if you want a really crispy light golden biscotti.  Take out your tray and let the biscotti totally cools down before storing into a airtight container.

~  This biscotti (twice baked cookies) still maintains the same colour as when you sliced them up before baking it the second time around, but it should be bone dry and crispy once cooled down.

BEST WITH:  Cup of coffee but I like my biscotti by itself as they are really good for snacking & so addictive.

NOTES:

• Almond Biscotti can last up to a month in an airtight container.

• Make sure you use a serrated knife not a normal knife, as you will squash the loaf too hard with a normal knife and the nuts won’t get sliced properly =)

• You can use cashews, hazelnuts or pistachios with this recipe.

• You can find the full range of Lucky Nuts products at Coles, with a smaller range available in Woolworths & independent supermarkets.

F.Y.I~ I’m not related or connected to this business.  Big thanks to Lucky Nuts for the Lucky Christmas Gift Pack.  This is not a paid review but under “Product Talk by Nuffnang”.