Cantuccini: TWD Baking with Julia

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia - 55th installment. The recipe is Cantuccini.

Crunchy!

Almond biscotti - can't get enough of them :-)  I didn't even have to shop to bake these -  I was able to make them with what I had on hand.   They were really easy, and I love the fact that the recipe made so many of them. I cut them to the 1/4" width recommended, which is on the thin side compared with some biscotti I have made. They are very crunchy, as described in the recipe - perfect for dipping in coffee or milk. 

Kneading the sticky dough on a board

I found the dough rather sticky to knead and shape.  After reading the P&Q on the TWD site,  I wondered if I should use two eggs instead of three eggs, but I stuck with the recipe and used three.  I used a lot of flour to knead and shape.  I'm not sure if it would help to use fewer eggs - maybe they wouldn't rise the same way.  I'm also not sure why the kneading had to be done on a board...maybe it folds air into them (?).

Logs after baking

The logs seemed a little flattish, but they sliced up and baked up nicely.  It was good advice to let the logs cool thorough, and it helps to use a serrated knife for slicing. 

Slices ready for second round of baking

  

Potato Lefse: TWD Baking with Julia

Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia - 54th installment. The recipe is Potato Lefse.

Hard to photograph well (white on white), but easy and delicious!   You make the mashed potatoes, chill them overnight, and then add the dry ingredients.  You end up with a dense, but also somewhat light dough.  I was skeptical about the inclusion of sugar in the dough, but they really tasted great. 

Dough ball before rolling

I was amazed how thinly they could be rolled out.  I didn't have a linen-covered board, but I laid a floured towel out on my board, and made sure the pin stayed pretty well floured.  A few holes developed when the pin got stuck occasionally, but it was easy to patch.  

Dough just put onto the griddle

I wasn't always able to roll them out into neat circles, so some were irregularly shaped.  Having such a large pancake on the griddle made it more apparent that the griddle has sections that are hotter than others.  It was difficult to get them evenly browned.

We ate them as suggested, rolled up with butter, sugar and jam toppings.  Maple sugar and cinnamon sugar were voted the favorites.