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Biscotti di San Martino
Ricotta-filled fennel biscuits
Biscotti di San Martino: Palermo's fennel biscuits for St Martin's Day, filled with ricotta cream
St Martin's Day, 11 November, is when Sicilians traditionally open the new wine, and in Palermo it is marked with biscotti di San Martino: round, hard, fennel-scented yeast biscuits shaped like little turbans. Eaten plain, they are dunked in sweet Moscato; the pastry-shop version is split, soaked in a sweet syrup and filled with ricotta cream and candied fruit. This recipe soaks them in an orange syrup, so it is alcohol-free; adults can use Moscato or Marsala. Choose a vegetarian ricotta if needed. Chef's tip: bake them twice, the second time low, so they dry right through and keep for weeks.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- 2 ⅞ oz lard or buttersoft
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup lukewarm waterabout
For the filled version (optional)
- 9 oz ricotta (vegetarian if needed) (optional)drained
- 1 ¾ oz icing sugar (optional)
- ¾ cup orange juice with 2 tbsp sugar (optional)warmed
- 1 oz candied fruit (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, 3 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 tbsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 pinch salt. Rub in 2 ⅞ oz lard or butter, then add 1 cup lukewarm water and knead for 8 minutes to a smooth, firm dough.
10 minStep 2: Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each into a rope 25 cm long and coil it into a tight, raised spiral, like a turban, tucking the end underneath. Set on lined trays.
15 minStep 3: Cover and leave for 1–1½ hours, until risen by about half.
Step 4: Bake at 400°F (350°F fan) for 20 minutes, until golden, then lower to 275°F (250°F fan) and bake for 20 minutes more, until dry and hard. A common mistake is skipping the second bake: they go stale and soft instead of crunchy.
40 minStep 5: Cool completely. Eat plain, or, for the filled version, split them, brush the cut sides with ¾ cup orange juice with 2 tbsp sugar, and fill with 9 oz ricotta (vegetarian if needed) beaten with 1 ¾ oz icing sugar and 1 oz candied fruit. Filled biscuits keep in the fridge for a day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does biscotti di San Martino take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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