Baicoli

Venetian biscuits baked as a loaf, chilled a day, then sliced thin and dried out.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (butter), dairy (milk).

Ingredients

• 400 g strong white flour
• 7 g fast-action yeast
• 80 g caster sugar
• 70 g butter, soft
• 150 ml warm milk
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then work in the butter, milk and egg white to a firm dough.
2. Knead 10 minutes and prove 90 minutes until doubled.
3. Shape into two narrow loaves, about 4 cm across, and prove again 45 minutes.
4. Bake at 190C for 20 minutes, until just coloured. They are small loaves at this stage, not biscuits.
5. NOW CHILL THEM A FULL DAY, wrapped. This is not resting for flavour — a fresh crumb tears under the knife, and a day in the fridge firms it enough to slice at two millimetres.
6. Slice as thinly as you possibly can with a serrated knife.
7. SECOND BAKE, 120C FOR 25 MINUTES, turning once, until dry and pale gold with no give. They should snap, not bend, and will keep a month in a tin.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes