Do you have a sourdough starter that you are feeding everyday or every week? I do! Every time I feed my starter, I try to find recipes that include the sourdough discard so I am not wasting all that flour. So far, I have made rosemary sourdough crackers, peanut butter sourdough cookies, sourdough pancakes, double chocolate sourdough waffles and most recently almond sourdough biscotti. You can probably find a lot of sourdough recipes on crackers, cookies and pancakes, but biscotti, not so much. Plus the biscotti recipes I found typically use a 50% hydration sourdough starter, which means I have to convert my 100% hydration sourdough starter first to a 50% starter before I can make my biscotti. So in the end, I decided to make my own biscotti recipe using my 100% sourdough starter. It involved studying numerous basic biscotti recipes and calculating flour to water ratios to incorporate my sourdough starter discard. I was worried about how it will turn out but, it is so good that if there’s a biscotti contest, it will easily win top 3 (and nobody would even be able to guess that it’s made with sourdough starter discard!).
Can you use any type of sourdough starter?
Absolutely, as long as it’s a 100% hydration sourdough starter. 100% hydration just means it’s 1 to 1 ratio of flour to water. Your 100% hydration starter can be made with any type of flour. My sourdough starter is made with rye, all purpose flour and water. When I feed it, usually once a week (I take it out of the fridge and leave it to rest in room temperature for 2 hours before I feed it), I use 50g organic rye flour and 50g all purpose flour with 100g room temperature filtered water. The amount of starter that I actually keep for feeding is around 25g, which means I discard around 200g matured starter each time.
After the biscotti are completely cooled, I like to store them in a sealed glass container. They can be kept up to a month! If they turn soft, there’s an amazing trick. Simply turn the oven to 250°F, pop in the biscotti for 15 min and turn off the oven, leaving the biscotti in the oven to cool down slowly. They will taste just the same if not better with a more concentrated flavor.
Can you add other dried fruits and nuts?
You can add any kind of fruits and nuts that you like. I recommend a maximum of 2 cups of fruits and nuts mix. When you have too much fruits and nut, it will be hard to keep the dough together, especially when you slice the dough for your second bake.
Almond Sourdough Starter Discard Biscotti
Level: (easy to hard)
Yield: 22-24 biscotti
Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour (you can substitute with all purpose flour instead)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange zest (one whole orange, or one whole lemon)
1 tablespoon honey (you can substitute with sugar instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F degrees
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl
In a separate bowl, cream together all wet ingredients except for the sourdough starter discard
Stir in the sourdough starter discard in the wet mixture
Combine all the dry and wet mixtures until blended. Do not overwork the dough otherwise gluten will develop and make the biscotti chewy
Divide the dough into 2
Roll each dough into 10″ long and 4″ wide rectangle (roughly 1 1/2″ thick)
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 30-35 min until lightly golden
Let cool for 10 minutes and then cut into 1″ thick wedges
Turn the wedges on the side for second bake
Reduce the oven heat to 325°F degrees and bake the wedges for another 15-18 min until golden brown on the edges
Let cool completely before storing them in an airtight container
Baking it for the third time really sealed the flavors and make them very crispy. If you like crunchy snacks like these biscotti, you will like my crunchy vanilla almond granola. Or if you are using your sourdough to make some pizza dough, here’s a fun twist to using your pizza dough.
More baking posts for you!
Double Chocolate Sourdough Starter Waffles
Strawberry Chocolate Buns With Sourdough
Cherry Oat Bars
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Leave a comment or share it with others that will enjoy it as well.
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One of the reasons biscotti is the perfect crunchy treat is its double-baking process. After the initial baking, the biscotti is sliced and then baked again, which gives it its unique dry and crunchy texture.
It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.
Sourdough discard works well in many baked goods that don't require lively yeast—flat foods like crackers, tortillas and pancakes. Or you can use it to flavor recipes that rely on leavening from other sources, such as active dry yeast, baking soda and baking powder.
If the biscotto feels soft, like a piece of cake, give it another 5 minutes in the oven. If it feels firm but still gives a bit when you poke it, take it out for rather soft-textured but still crunchy biscotti.
Keep your biscotti in the oven long enough to bake well. Line the container with paper to absorb any excess moisture. Store your biscotti in an airtight container only when they're cool. Keep your biscotti container in a cool, dry place.
Despite their centuries-old heritage, there is no one perfect way to make biscotti. Some recipes call for eggs only, which is the traditional method, while others swear by butter or oil. The choice is yours; just keep in mind that those made with butter or oil will have both a softer texture and a shorter shelf life.
For softer cookies, simply bake them for a little less time than the recipe specifies. For biscotti that can stand up to dunking, bake until they are as crunchy as you like.
If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.
I left my sourdough discard out at room temperature for a few days. Is it okay? As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.
Yes, you can overfeed your sourdough starter. Audrey explains: “Every time you add more flour and water, you are depleting the existing population of natural bacteria and yeast.” If you keep adding more and more, eventually you'll dilute the starter so much that you'll just have flour and water.
The World's 'Oldest' Sourdough Starter Was Made With 4,500-Year-Old Yeast. There's no bread quite like sourdough. In addition to being tasty as a sandwich bread, delicious as sourdough croutons, and even great just toasted with butter, sourdough's production process is decidedly unlike other breads.
It's usually pretty obvious when your starter has gone bad. You will either see mold or discoloration (generally pink or orange). If you see either of these things, you will need to toss your starter. The smell is usually a big give away.
Reviving a dormant sourdough starter is a simple process. Begin by discarding all but 1/2 cup of the old starter. Then, feed the remaining starter with fresh flour and water. The feeding ratio should ideally be 1:1:1 (starter:flour:water).
The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.
Be sparing with any flour you put on the work surface to roll your dough too. Too much will dry it out and cause the cookie to crumble (so to speak). If your freshly baked biscuits seem too soft after they're cooled, then they're either under baked, or there is too much liquid in the recipe.
Because the dough can be sticky and hard to form, it's important to chill the batter for a good 30 minutes before baking the first time. Prepare a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper then dust it with a little flour. Transfer the batter to the baking sheet and chill in the fridge.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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How do you store the biscotti fresh?
How do you store the biscotti fresh?
Almond Sourdough Starter Discard Biscotti
