Gluten-Free Makeovers (62 page)

What could be more delightful than sipping coffee and nibbling biscotti in an outdoor café? The coffee and the café have always been within reach, but the sleek biscotti was more elusive until I created this gluten-free version. Now my image of a romantic café is complete. This formula is inspired by several recipes and leans heavily on eggs for its texture.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable spray.

Combine the flour blend, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs on medium speed until they have doubled in volume and turned light yellow, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and beat to combine. Add the butter, oil, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until mixed. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until blended. Fold in the almonds.

Spoon the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and form into a 15 × 4½-inch log. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer the log to a cutting board. With a very sharp knife, slice diagonally into twenty to twenty-four ½-inch-wide slices. Lay flat and bake until golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 7 minutes. Cool completely and store at room temperature in an airtight container. These will keep 5 to 7 days or may be frozen.

Avoiding Nuts?
Omit the almond extract and almonds and substitute ⅔ cup chopped dried cranberries or pumpkin seeds or ½ cup Perky’s Crunchy Rice or Flax Cereal (see Pantry, page 274).

Dairy-free

I wanted to create a biscotti that did not crumble or lose its shape as gluten-free pastries are apt to do. This seemed like a tall order until I discovered this biscotti inspired by several recipes from traditional Italian bakers.

Note that the basis of this recipe is the eggs beaten to ribbon stage. An egg substitution will not work. However people who have a sensitivity to eggs, rather than an anaphylactic reaction, can try using duck eggs.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the flour blend, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt in a medium bowl. Blend well with a fork. Set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl on medium speed until doubled in volume and pale yellow, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the oil and beat just to combine. Sprinkle ⅓ of the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold in. Repeat until all of the flour is incorporated. Fold in the nuts, if using.

Drop the dough in two lines along the length of the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of space between the logs. Use a spatula to mound the dough up and make the logs narrow (about 2 inches by 8 inches). You may need to repeat a couple of times to form the logs, as the dough will spread somewhat. The dough may also be spooned into a lightly oiled 12 × 5¼-inch biscotti pan or two 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pans. Quickly place in the oven.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden on top. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper with the biscotti onto a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.