Whole-Grain Polenta Biscotti with Lemon and Hazelnuts
As you may know, we're sort of nuts for whole grains. To that end, there are plenty of whole-grain recipes on this site. You might want to check this out. Or this. Or this.
Today, I've got a whole-grain polenta biscotti. Yep, whole grain. Because there are whole-grain versions of the classic, Italian, corn ingredient out there. For example, Anson Mills makes one. Click here and scroll down a bit for the "polenta integrale." It's coarse ground. And a gorgeous treat. Bruce buys it in big bags and keeps it in the chest freezer downstairs.
It makes these biscotti crunchy--very--and irresistible. Have a glass of red wine on hand. Or a cup of tea. Because dunking is necessary.
So let's get to it.
First off, chop up about 2/3 cup skinned and roasted hazelnuts. I'll admit Bruce cheated here and bought the whole, roasted, skinned hazelnuts at the supermarket. And lest you think he shopped at some chi-chi market, he bought them at our local Stop-&-Shop.
The best way to chop them is to put them in a plastic bag, seal it tight, and bash them with a rolling pin. If you've got counters that can pit or chip, do this activity on the floor. But don't take out your marital frustrations on the bag. Just give it some good, steady whops. And check the bag's seal every once in a while so bits of hazelnuts don't go flying across the kitchen on your next whack.
Now position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of your oven. Preheat the oven to 325F (165 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Next, mix all this in a bowl: 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar; 1/4 cup (50 grams) coarse-ground, whole-grain polenta; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; and the finely grated zest of 1 small lemon. Stir it good so the baking powder is evenly distributed in the mix.
Beat 3 large eggs and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) limoncello (or plain ol' brandy) in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well-combined and pale yellow but not yet fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the beaters off, add the flour mixture, and beat at a very low speed just until a soft but crumbly, dry dough forms.
Scrape down and remove the beaters. Use your cleaned hands to work the chopped hazelnuts into the dough.
Dust a clean, dry work surface with lots of that coarse-ground, whole-grain polenta. Turn the dough out onto it. Divide the dough in half. Knead one half until smooth, until the nuts are evenly distributed throughout. Then gather this half of the dough again into a ball and roll it under your palms into a log about 12 inches (30 cm) long. Place this on one of the baking sheets.
Repeat with the other half of the dough. Place this log on the second baking sheet.
Bake in the top third and bottom thirds of the oven for 10 minutes--then reverse the baking sheets top to bottom and continue baking for 15 more minutes.
Remove the logs on their sheets from the oven, set them on a wire rack, and cool for 30 minutes. (Maintain the oven's temperature.)
Transfer one log to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice it into 1/2-inch-thick (1-cm-thick) cookies. It's best to slice on the diagonal so you get the longest biscotti possible. Place these cut side down on the empty baking sheet. Don't worry too much about air space--just get them on there.
Repeat with the other log and the other baking sheet.
Return the cookies to the oven (in the top and bottom thirds) and bake for 10 minutes. Flip all the biscotti over and reverse the sheets top to bottom. Continue baking for another 10 minutes, until dry, brown, and crunchy.
Transfer the baking sheets to that wire rack and cool the biscotti to room temperature. Be patient--unlike Dreydl. The biscotti need to cool completely so they don't steam--and so you don't lose any of that prized crunch. But once they're at room temperature, they'll keep in a cookie jar or a sealed bag on the counter for at least 1 week--and can be frozen for several months.
And as for the rest of that polenta, may I suggest this?
Mark Scarbrough | Posted on Friday, August 12, 2011 at 8:45AM | in Cookies, Fabulously Empty Calories, Grains
Reader Comments (7)
I am crazy for polenta! I've never seen whole grain, but I'm certainly going to look for it so I can make these gorgeous biscotti...
Dreydl is adorable! I would not be patient either.
Rhonda: The problem is, he knows he is.
RMW: Seriously. Whole-grain polenta. Coarse-ground. First off, incredible in decadent things like sweet polenta cakes. But also so good as polenta on its own.
M.
I just added your giant and awesome looking ultimate cookbook to my amazon wish list :)
Thanks, Rhonda. (Shhh, it's at Costco, too.)
M.
I make hazelnut biscotti every Christmas and I love coarse ground polenta. Would love to try a new recipe. This one sounds wonderful. I'm confused about how much baking powder should be used and how much zest should be used. Can you please clarify? Thank you.
Lynne: Sorry about that. Thank you so much for being eagle-eyed. I suppose I was caught multi-tasking again! I've corrected the post so the recipe is now good to go. And I had a couple of these biscotti for breakfast this morning, dunked into my coffee. Ever so wonderful! But more importantly, thanks again for catching that error.
M.