Super Tasty Ciabatta Bread – The Quick And Easy Way

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You love bread. You especially love the Italian Ciabatta variety of delicious breads. You’d like to try and bake one yourself but are intimidated by the complex and time consuming process that all of thousands of copy cat recipes found on the internet call for.

Well, this simple, quick and easy  ZenChef Ciabatta bread recipe has you making some today and you’ll be making it regularly from now on in, I promise you that.

What’s the ZenChef’s secret? It’s in simplicity, minimalism and efficiency to achieve outstanding and flavourful results.

Typical Ciabatta recipes call for a Biga* as a key to success and my recipe is no different in this regard but I remove the mysticism from the process.

My recipe also calls for some olive oil, the addition of which is subject to some debate. To me it adds a bit of a savory taste and as Ciabatta is often dipped in olive oil and Balsamico or used to make paninis, it follows that adding olive oil to the dough just makes it taste better for a variety of uses. Now, if you’re mostly going to eat it with butter and jam on it, just skip the olive oil.

Why do I use honey? To help the yeast get a head start many recipes call for the addition of a small quantity of sugar to the warm water and yeast mix. Substituting wild flower honey has two benefits. One, it supercharges the yeast activation and two, it adds a certain subtle exotic note to the taste of the bread.

Let’s talk about hydration. Ciabatta breads typically use high hydration doughs that is to say 75% water or more. I count the olive oil as a liquid towards hydration so this recipe is about 81% hydration (72% if you count the water only). I like this level of hydration as it still results in a light and airy bread but keeps the dough more manageable, i.e. less messy to handle.

Lastly, don’t be intimidated by the number of steps in the instructions. I just like to be detailed but they are not complicated. Read through them once and you’ll see that they fall into the “easy” category. If you already have some experience baking bread you’ll find most of them to be be quite familiar.

* Biga, aka Sponge, Preferment and any number of other versions of the same concept is simply a dough made some time ahead that uses more or less the same ingredients as will go into the bread recipe you are going to be making. For a simple general purpose Biga/Preferment that you can use in pretty much any bread recipe, check out my Preferment recipe HERE.

Super Easy, Super Tasty Ciabatta Bread

ZenChef
A simple and quick recipe to make delicious Ciabatta bread that rivals or betters the best you've ever tasted.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Proofing 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Course Baked Goods, Bread
Cuisine International, Italian

Equipment

  • Large Bowl
  • Dough Scraper
  • Bench Scraper
  • Kitchen Scales digital, general purpose, up tp 5 Kg
  • Micro Scales digital, small quantities, up tp 100 g
  • Measuring Cup 500 ml
  • Parchment paper wide format
  • Baking Stone or Baking Sheet
  • Small baking/casserole dish Non stick, metal, 20cm x 20cm
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Turner or spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g Biga/Preferment
  • 550 g Bread Flour Can substitute All Purpose
  • 400 ml Water Warm, 40℃/110℉
  • 25 ml Honey I use Wild Flower
  • 4 g Yeast Traditional, dry
  • 11 g Salt Pink Himalayan or regular
  • 50 ml Olive Oil Extra Virgin

Instructions
 

  • If you are keeping your Biga/Preferment in the fridge, take it out and let it come up to room temperature
  • If you have a large amount of Biga/Preferment, measure out 100g
  • To the warm water add the honey and stir to dissolve
  • Add yeast to water and give it a quick stir with a wooden stir stick
  • Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast forms a foamy cap
  • Meanwhile measure out flour into the bowl
  • Add salt to flour and thoroughly mix into flour
  • Drop the Biga/Preferment into the flour and using your hands, pinch off small amounts into the flour until all is used up
  • Toss the flour and bits of Big/Preferment until evenly distributed
  • When ready, add the water, honey and yeast mix to the flour
  • Add the olive oil
  • Use a wooden spoon to mix flour and liquids until you get a shaggy dough (2-3 minutes)
  • Use your hands and a dough scraper to quickly knead the dough into ball (1-2 minutes)
  • Cover the bowl with cling wrap and set aside letting it rise until doubled in size, about one hour
  • While you are waiting for the dough to rise/proof, prepare your oven by placing your baking stone or inverted baking/cookie sheet on the middle rack
  • Place the baking/casserole dish on the lower rack
  • After about 30 - 45 minutes preheat the oven to 250℃/480℉
  • Prepare a large cutting board or inverted baking sheet and cover it with a piece of parchment paper about 38 cm x 38 cm
  • When the dough has sufficiently risen, turn it out onto a flowered work surface using dough scraper if necessary
  • Quickly roll dough into an oval log dusting with a little flour as needed
  • Grab the log at one end and lift it up above the work surface letting the weight of the dough elongate it downwards giving it a couple of jiggles to help it along
  • Place the dough back on the work surface and fold it in half lengthwise
  • Rotate the dough 90°, grab it at the far end and repeat the lift and jiggle
  • Repeat the process 3 more times
  • Quickly shape the dough into a ball and put it back into the generously floured bowl
  • Cover and let it rise a second time for about 30 minutes
  • Turn the dough back out onto you floured work surface and slice off a 100 g to 150 g portion of the dough with a bench scarper. Place that into a re-sealable plastic container and move it to the fridge. This will be the Biga/Preferment for your next batch of bread.
  • Roll the main portion of the dough into a ball and cut it in half
  • Take one half, shape it into a log about 30 - 35 cm long and place it on the parchment paper about a third of the way in from the edge
  • Take the other half of the dough, shape it into a log about 30 - 35 cm long and place it on the parchment paper about a third of the way in from the opposite edge. You should have a few centimeters between the two logs
  • Generously dust the logs with flour, cover with a clean cloth or towel and let them rest for 10 minutes
  • Remove the cloth and with a sharp knife, razorblade or lame, slash the dough logs 3 or 4 times at a shallow angle along their length
  • Quickly open the oven, grab the board with the parchment paper and dough logs on it, move close and parallel to the baking stone or sheet and slide the logs onto the surface by grabbing the parchment paper at the far end and dragging it onto the baking surface
  • Toss 4 or 5 ice cubes into the baking dish below the baking surface and close the oven door
  • Set the oven timer for 30 minutes
  • After 10 minutes, open the oven, quickly slide the two logs off the parchment paper and onto the stone/sheet with the help of a turner and give the logs a couple of spritzes with the spritz bottle.
  • Close the door and lower the temperature to 230℃/450℉
  • After another 10 minutes quickly spritz the logs one more time
  • Continue baking for the remainder of the 30 minutes
  • Remove the breads from the oven and place on a metal rack to cool
  • Once cooled off, tear off a piece of your master piece and enjoy as is is or with just a bit of butter. You might never make bread any other way.
Keyword bread, chiabatta

 

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Almost No Knead Bread

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There are a lot of no knead bread recipes out there and most of them are pretty much the same. I call my recipe “Almost No Knead Bread” because no matter what, a bit of kneading is still required although it really is minimal. The real secret to my version is using a “Preferment” or “Pâte Fermentée”. (Find the recipe here).

What does that mean? A “Preferment” or “Pâte Fermentée” is simply a quantity of bread dough made a few hours or days ahead of time or retained from a previous batch of bread dough and all or a portion of it is incorporated in the batch your going to make presently. This adds, among other things, big flavour, texture, quality and a longer shelf life to the bread. For a bit more information about that, follow the recipe link above.

The recipe that follows makes a “boule” of bread. The same recipe can be used to make any other shapes of bread such as round, oval, and oblong loaves.

So let’s get baking the best bread you’ve ever made

Almost No Knead Bread

Zen Chef
A delicious bread made with a minimal amount of effort and maximum flavour.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Rise/Rest Times 14 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 15 hours 25 minutes
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine International

Equipment

  • Large Bowl
  • Dough Scraper
  • Bench Scraper
  • Kitchen Scales
  • Measuring Cup 500 ml
  • Large stock or spaghetti pot with lid
  • Parchment paper, wide format

Ingredients
  

  • 625 g Bread Flour
  • 125 g Preferment See recipe link in post
  • 440 ml Water Warmed to 44℃/110℉
  • 2 g Yeast Traditional dry yeast
  • 12 g Salt
  • 10 g Sugar

Instructions
 

  • If you are keeping your preferment in the fridge, take it out and let in come up to room temperature
  • If you have a large amount of preferment, measure out 120g
  • To the warm water add sugar and stir to dissolve
  • Add yeast to water and give it a quick stir with a wooden stir stick
  • Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast forms a foamy cap
  • Meanwhile measure out flour into the bowl
  • Add salt to flour and thoroughly mix into flour
  • Drop the preferment into the flour and using your hands, pinch off small amounts of preferment into the flour until all the preferment is used up
  • Toss the flour and bits of preferment until evenly distributed
  • When ready, add the water, sugar and yeast mix to the flour
  • Use a wooden spoon to mix flour and liquid until you get a shaggy dough (2-3 minutes)
  • Use your hands and a dough scraper to quickly knead the dough into ball (1-2 minutes)
  • Cover the bowl with cling wrap and set aside letting it rise overnight or for 12 hours
  • Turn dough out onto a flowered work surface using dough scraper if necessary
  • Quickly roll dough into a oval log dusting with a little flour as needed
  • Grab the log at one end and lift it up above the work surface letting the weight of the dough elongate it downwards giving it a jiggle to help it along
  • Place the dough back on the work surface and fold it in half lengthwise
  • Rotate the dough 90°, grab it at the far end and repeat the lift and jiggle
  • Repeat the process 3 more times
  • Roll into a ball and place back into the flowered bowl
  • Cover with cling wrap or a tea towel and let it rest and rise for 2 hours
  • Towards the end of the 2 hours take a large dutch oven, stock or spaghetti pot with a lid, place it into your oven and preheat to 250℃/480℉
  • Once the stove is up to temperature, turn out the dough onto your floured work surface, slice off ~120 g with a bench scraper to keep as your next preferment and quickly form the rest into a ball
  • Place this dough ball in the middle of a square piece of parchment paper about 38 – 40 cm square, cover with tea towel and let it rest for a few minutes
  • Open the stove and, using heat proof gloves, remove the lid from the pot (leaving it in the stove), quickly take out the pot and place it on a heat proof surface
  • Remove the tea towel from the dough, grab the parchment paper by the corners and lift the dough into the pot with the paper
  • Take a razer blade, lame, filleting knife or other sharp instrument and slash the dough a few times to create a diamond pattern careful not to burn yourself in the process
  • Place the pot back into the stove and cover with the lid
  • Set a timer for 30 minutes
  • Bring the stove back to 250℃/480℉
  • Once up to temperature, lower the temperature to 230℃/445℉
  • After 30 minutes remove the lid from the pot and continue to bake for another 30 minutes
  • When finished baking, remove the pot from the oven, lift the bread out by the corners of the parchment paper and place on a wire rack to cool
  • Admire your freshly baked masterpiece

Notes

The amount of preferment to use for any given batch of bred dough should be about 20% of the flour used.
I use a stainless steel Lagostina Dutch Oven with a glass cover for baking the bread. it’s about 6L/quarts in size. It has silicone inserts in the handles which I remove as they are only rated for 230 C.
Stretching and folding the dough helps to develop long gluten strands.
I use the same dough for making oval or ciabatta shaped loaves but bake these on a pizza stone.
Keyword boule, bread, no knead bread, preferment
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Preferment, Pâte Fermentée

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Preferments, also known as Pâte Fermentée, Poolish, Biga or Sponge, depending on the bread baking culture and country of origin, are preparations of bread dough ingredients left to ferment for a period of time and are then added to the actual bread dough mix in order to achieve a variety of desirable characteristics in the final loaf of bread.

These include:

  • Acidity
  • Flavour
  • Quality
  • Production time

Acidity in a preferment helps with developing and strengthening gluten structure.

Flavour is greatly enhanced by acids and esters developed in the preferment resulting in enhanced wheaty and yeasty aromas and a slight tang in the mouth.

Quality of the bread is further enhanced by the higher levels of acidity which in turn helps the bread stay fresh longer.

Production time can also be reduced with a preferment essentially reducing the time required for bulk fermentation.

Preferments can be made from scratch or by retaining a portion of bread dough just prior to final shaping and baking.

By repeatedly keeping a portion of bread dough for future use you will end up with a preferment that contains several generations of prior preferments and gradually gains even more powerful characteristics.

So, without further ado, here is my recipe to get you started with your initial preferment.

Preferment

Zen Chef
Recipe to create a preferment from scratch
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Baked Goods

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g Bread Flour
  • 3 g Yeast Traditional Dry Yeast
  • 5 g Salt
  • 325 ml Water Warm, 43℃, 110℉

Instructions
 

  • To the warm water add the sugar and stir to dissolve
  • Add the yeast and stir
  • Let rest for 10 minutes until yeasty foam develops floating on top
  • Add flour to a large enough bowl
  • Add salt to flour and mix thoroughly
  • Add yeast and sugar water to flour and stir with a wooden spoon to obtain a shaggy dough
  • Set aside and let it ferment for several hours
  • If not using immediately after initial fermentation, place into a re-sealable container and refrigerate

Notes

For an initial preferment, let it ferment for at least 6 hours or overnight.
The recipe above makes a large batch of preferment suitable for making several loafs of bread.
Adjust quantities to suit your needs (e.g. about a quarter for a single loaf of bread).
Once you have made a dough using this preferment, simply keep a portion of the dough for future use as preferment (about 120g for making a single loaf of bread) and store it in the fridge. It will keep pretty much indefinitely.
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Crispy Free Form Amaretti

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Amaretti Cookies
Amaretti Cookies

Crispy Free Form Amaretti

Bruno
Amaretti are an Italian bitter-sweet almond flavored macaron. Amaretti cookies or bisquits are often used as an ingredient in some other recipe ( see notes). They can be hard to find in your local grocery stores however and may also be a seasonal item. This recipe is a super easy way to make some yourself with ingredients that every grocery store carries.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g Almond flour or ground almonds
  • 100 g Icing sugar
  • 3 Egg whites
  • 1 tsp Almond extract 2 for a stronger flavour

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl mix the almond flour or ground almonds with the icing sugar
  • Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks
  • Fold the egg whites and the almond extract into the almond/sugar mixture
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Using a couple of teaspoons, scoop up some Amaretti mix and drop onto the parchment paper leaving a couple of centimeters of space in between
  • Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours
  • Preheat the oven to 150°C
  • Bake the Amaretti for 30 minutes or to a nice golden colour
  • Let cool and store in an air tight container

Notes

An example of one of my recipes that uses Amaretti cookies is found HERE
Keyword almond extract, almond flour, amaretti
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Rosemary and Pecan Biscotti

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Rosemary and Pecan Biscotti

Bruno
A savoury biscotti to serve at cocktails or with a hot bouillon. The aromatic rosemary is supported with a hint of cayenne pepper and the pecans round out the Umami of this unconventional biscotti.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling between bakes 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine International, Italian
Servings 24 biscotti

Ingredients
  

  • 550 ml (2½ cups) Flour All-purpose
  • 10 ml (2 tsp) Baking Powder
  • 25 ml (1 tbsp) Rosemary Fresh, finely chopped
  • 2 ml (½ tsp) Salt
  • 1 ml (¼ tsp) Cayenne pepper
  • 3 Eggs large
  • 125 ml (½ cup) Butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 25 ml (2 tbsp) Milk
  • 250 ml (1 cup) Pecans coarsly chopped and lightly toasted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
  • To a large bowl add flour, rosemary, cayenne, salt and mix thoroughly
  • In a medium bowl beat eggs using an electric mixer until fluffy and pale yellow
  • With mixer running, add butter and milk
  • Add this mixture to the flour bowl and stir until combined
  • Stir in pecans
  • Moisten hands with water and grab half the dough
  • Form dough into a roll about 30 cm long and place on one long side of the baking sheet
  • Moisten hands as necessary and form the roll into a log about 33 cm long and 12 cm wide, flattening it down a bit on the process to get a nice biscotti profile
  • Repeat with the other half of the dough placing it on the other side of the baking sheet leaving a gap of about 5 cm between the two
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes to a stage where the dough develops some crack and appears firm when gently pressed on
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes
  • Reduce oven temperature to 160°C
  • Place loaf on a cutting board and, using a bread knife, cut crosswise into slices of about 10 to 15 mm cutting at a slight angle
  • Remove parchment paper from baking sheet and carefully place slices standing up on baking sheet maintaining a gap of 5 – 10 mm
  • Bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes or until biscotti feel dry when touched on the sides
  • Cool and store in a tight container

Notes

This recipe is easily altered to achieve different flavour profiles, e.g.:
  • Use walnuts instead of pecans
  • Use thyme leaves instead of rosemary
  • Add 200 ml of grated Parmesan
  • Use white wine instead of milk
  • Or, use your imagination
 
Keyword cocktail, nibbles, party snack, savoury
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My “Easy Sunday Cake”

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As the name says, the “Easy Sunday Cake” is incredibly easy to make and requires only a few ingredients, very little time to make and yet, is always a great hit with family and guests alike. Credit for the original recipe goes to my mother.

Jump to Recipe

Easy Sunday Cake

The “Easy Sunday Cake” is a light dessert that goes well with an after dinner coffee or digestive.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Swiss
Servings 12
Calories 347 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g (8 oz) Flour Pastry or all purpose
  • 250 g (8 oz) Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 250 ml (1 cup) Milk
  • 150 ml (2/3 cup) Oil e.g. vegetable but NOT Olive oil
  • 1/2 package of Vanilla sugar
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) Baking powder
  • 100 g (3 – 4 oz) Hazelnuts or Filberts ground
  • 30 ml (2 tbsp) Cocoa powder
  • Icing sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F)
  • In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until foamy with a hand mixer.
  • Add milk and oil while continuing to mix on low speed
  • Incorporate flour, hazelnuts, baking powder, vanilla sugar and Cocoa powder
  • Pour mixture into a suitable baking pan (loaf, spring form, Bundt etc.)
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
  • Let cake cool of and then finish with a dusting of icing sugar
Keyword cake, easy

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Espresso Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

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Espresso Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

Bruno
This Biscotti recipe combines the incredibly rich flavours of fresh ground espresso and luxurious chocolate into a most delightful dipper for your early morning coffee.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cooling between bakes 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine International, Italian

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 250 ml Sugar granulated
  • 125 ml Cocoa powder unsweetened
  • 50 ml Espresso finely ground
  • 675 ml Flour all-purpose
  • 12 ml Baking powder
  • 1 ml Salt
  • 3 Eggs large
  • 125 ml Milk
  • 50 ml Butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 5 ml Vanilla extract
  • 250 ml Chocolate chunks and chips semi sweet

Glaze

  • 175 ml Icing sugar
  • 25 ml Water

Instructions
 

Dough

  • Preheat oven to 160°C
  • Line large baking sheet with parchment paper
  • In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa and espresso grounds, stirring until no more lumps remain
  • Stir in flour, baking powder and salt
  • In a medium sized bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until fluffy and pale yellow
  • Slowly add milk, butter and vanilla while continuing to run mixer at low speed
  • Add this mixture to the flour bowl and stir until well combined
  • Incorporate chocolate chunks and chips quickly using your hands
  • Moisten your hands slightly and scoop up half the dough
  • Form dough into a roll about 30 cm long and place on one long side of the baking sheet
  • Moisten hands as necessary and form the roll into a log about 33 cm long and 12 cm wide, flattening it down a bit on the process to get a nice biscotti profile
  • Repeat with the other half of the dough placing it on the other side of the baking sheet leaving a gap of about 5 cm between the two

Bake

  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes to a stage where the dough develops some crack and appears firm when gently pressed on
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes
  • Reduce oven temperature to 150°C
  • Place loaf on a cutting board and, using a bread knife, cut crosswise into slices of about 10 to 15 mm cutting at a slight angle
  • Remove parchment paper from baking sheet and carefully place slices standing up on baking sheet maintaining a gap of 5 – 10 mm
  • Bake for an additional 25 – 30 minutes or until biscotti feel dry when touched on the sides
  • Cool completely and move slices back together

Glaze

  • Combine icing sugar and water stirring until you get a thick creamy texture*
  • Drizzle the glaze over the biscotti forming several lines along the length of the loafs
  • Let glaze harden overnight before storing in a tight container

Notes

* Add more sugar if the glaze is too thin. It should just barely be able to flow slowly from a spoon dipped in the glaze
Keyword chocolate, cocoa, espresso
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Dried Cherry, Hazelnut and Pecan Biscotti

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Dried Cherry, Hazelnut and Pecan Biscotti

Bruno
The flavour sensations of dried cherries, lightly toasted hazelnuts and pecans and with the added zing of lemon zest, make this biscotti an all-time and perennial favourite. Visually appealing with the dried cherries looking like glistening rubies, serve them with your choice of coffee, or just eat them by themselves. Note that while ordinary lemons will do the job, use Meyer Lemons for that special extra if you can find them. You can also just use only hazelnuts or filberts in this recipe, substituting equal quantities for the pecans.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine International, Italian
Servings 48 Biscotti

Ingredients
  

  • 1000 ml (4 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder
  • 2 ml (½ tsp) salt
  • 125 ml (½ cup) of hazelnuts cut in half, lightly toasted
  • 125 ml (½ cup) pecans coarsly chopped, lightly toasted
  • 250 ml (1 cup) dried cherries
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 4 eggs large
  • 225 ml (1⅓ cups) sugar granulated
  • 125 ml (½ cup) canola oil
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F)
  • Prepare large baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Take a large bowl and combine flower, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, hazelnuts and pecans
  • In a medium bowl and using a hand mixer, beat eggs until fluffy and lightly coloured. Now slowly add the sugar, followed by the oil, lemon juice and vanilla.
  • Make a cavity in the flower mix and pour in the liquid
  • Fold in the flower and mix until liquid is mostly absorbed, then add the cherries and stir until well combined
  • Moisten hands and divide dough in half
  • Pick up first half and on a clean surface quickly form into a log about 30 cm long
  • Place log on parchment paper lined baking sheet and shape into a flattened loaf about 10 cm (4 in.) wide by 35 cm (14 in.) long, moistening hands as necessary.
  • Repeat with second half of dough, keeping loafs about 5 cm (2 in.) appart
  • Bake for 35 – 40 min. or until the loafs start start to show cracks and tops take on a golden colour
  • Remove from stove and let cool until loafs are safe to handle
  • Using a bread knife, cut loafs at an angle into slices about 15 – 20 mm (1/2 – 3/4 in) thick wiping knife with a damp cloth if it becomes sticky
  • Put slices back on the baking sheet, standing them up and spacing them about 5 mm (1/4 in) apart
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F) and bake biscotti for an additional 30 -35 minutes until dry to touch
  • Remove from stove, cool completely and enjoy. Store airtight in a dry place.
Keyword biscotti, dried cherries, hazelnuts
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Lemon, Vanilla and Almond Biscotti

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Lemon, Vanilla and Almond Biscotti

Zen Chef
This biscotti recipe is probably the most basic one found on my ZenGourmand site. One of the perennial favourites, it is however super delish on its crunchy own or as a dipper with your coffee or tea.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling between bakes 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine International, Italian
Servings 36 Biscotti

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 80 g Butter softened
  • 160 g Sugar granulated
  • 160 g Sugar brown
  • 10 ml Vanilla extract
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 Eggs large
  • 450 g Flour all-purpose
  • 1 tbsp Baking powder
  • 6 g Salt
  • 100 g Almonds sliced or slivered

Icing

  • 150 g Icing sugar
  • 10 ml Lemon Juice
  • 20 ml Water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

Dough

  • In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars, vanilla, lemon zest and juice to a soft an creamy consistency
  • Add eggs, one at a time, while continuing to mix at medium speed
  • Add flour, baking powder and salt
  • Mix using a wooden spoon until smooth
  • Fold in the almonds using your hands (dough will be sticky)

Bake

  • Moisten your hands slightly and scoop up half the dough
  • Form dough into a roll about 30 cm long and place on one long side of the baking sheet
  • Moisten hands as necessary and form the roll into a log about 33 cm long and 12 cm wide, flattening it down a bit on the process to get a nice biscotti profile
  • Repeat with the other half of the dough placing it on the other side of the baking sheet leaving a gap of about 5 cm between the two
  • Bake for 25 minutes or to a stage where the dough develops some crack and appears firm when gently pressed on
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes
  • Reduce oven temperature to 150°C
  • Place loaf on a cutting board and, using a bread knife, cut crosswise into slices of about 10 to 15 mm cutting at a slight angle
  • Remove parchment paper from baking sheet and carefully place slices standing up on baking sheet maintaining a gap of 5 – 10 mm
  • Bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes or until biscotti feel dry when touched on the sides
  • Cool completely and move slices back together

Icing

  • Combine icing sugar, water and lemon juice stirring until you get a thick creamy texture*
  • Drizzle the icing over the biscotti forming several lines along the length of the loafs
  • Let icing harden overnight before storing in a tight container

Notes

* Add more sugar if the glaze is too thin. It should just barely be able to flow slowly from a spoon dipped in the icing
Keyword almonds, biscotti, lemon, vanilla
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Pear Crostata

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This tart appeals to me because of its fee form and organic shape. It has the look of freedom and spontaneity. It looks artistic and has a certain wow factor.

Pear Crostata

Pear Crostata

Zen Chef
A Crostata is an Italian baked tart or pie. More specifically, it is a rustic, free-form version of an open fruit tart. It can be made with a variety of fruits. Here we use bosc pears, one of my favourite pears.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Canadian, Italian
Servings 8
Calories 424 kcal

Ingredients
  

Pastry

  • 425 ml (1 3/4 cups) All purpose flour
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar
  • 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
  • 150 g (6 oz) butter room temperature, cut in small pieces
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 45 ml (3 tbsp) water, cold

Filling

  • 6 pears bosc, ripe, peeled and cored
  • 25 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar, granulated
  • 45 ml (3 tbsp) butter

Glaze

  • 1 egg white slightly beaten
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar, Turbinado

Instructions
 

  • Place flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and add the butter pieces
  • Pulse on and off until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
  • Mix egg yolk and water and with food processor running, add to the mixture
  • Turn off after a few seconds and turn mixture out onto a floured board
  • Gently knead dough into a ball, flatten into a half dome and refrigerate for 1 hour
  • Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F)
  • Slice pears into 8 sections, place into a baking dish, sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar and dot with butter
  • Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crispy tender
  • Let cool off
  • Remove dough from fridge and roll out on a floured surface to a circle of about 33 cm (13 in)
  • Carefully transfer onto the back of a floured baking sheet
  • Using a fork, pick up pear slices and arrange on the pastry dough in a circular fashion starting in the middle, leaving a clear border of about 7-8 cm (3 in)
  • Reserve remaining pear juices
  • Fold the border over the fruit in a loose fashion, leaving the centre open
  • Glaze the pastry with the egg white and sprinkle Turbinado sugar over pastry and fruit
  • Bake on middle rack for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is a nice golden brown
  • Boil the pear juices down to a lightly syrupy consistency, about 5 min., and pour into the centre of the tart.
  • Serve warm or cold
Keyword fruit, pears, tart
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