Biscotti

1. Assumption

     Before making biscotti, I did not know that olive oil can be used in baking cookies. I thought that olive oil was only used in cooking vegetables and main meals. By making biscotti in lab, I learned that olive oil can be used in baking and how it affects the texture of the cookie.

2. Dish

      I chose the “southern Italian” biscotti because the fat ingredient is olive oil. Biscotti is a hard cookie with nuts in it and its name comes from the Latin word biscotus, which means twice baked.

This picture is of biscotti made with olive oil which showcases its nut filled inside.

3. Chemical Analysis

       The ingredients in biscotti are almonds, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Since the almonds are toasted in this recipe, they add more crunch and flavor to the cookie. In one bowl the egg, lemon zest, sugar, olive oil, almond extract, and vanilla extract are mixed in a bowl. In another bowl the chopped almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt are mixed together. Then the flour mixture is gradually added to the olive oil mixture. By mixing the flour with olive oil, this prevents a strong gluten matrix from forming. The reason a strong gluten matrix does not form is because the glutenin and gliadin proteins are coated by the fat, preventing the water from interacting with the proteins. The hydrophobic parts of the protein bind with the hydrophobic olive oil. This also does not allow the protein and starch granules to become hydrated which creates a hard and crunchy cookie. On a molecular level, the glucose and water molecules are not forming many hydrogen bonds. Another reason the cookie will be crunchy is because the water content in this recipe is low. Olive oil is 100% fat and one egg is about 76% water. Even though eggs have a high percentage of water, one egg is used in this recipe and does not contain enough water to make a difference in the texture of the cookie.

          Another ingredient in the dough that affects the texture of the cookie is baking powder. Baking powder is a chemical leavening agent that is made of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), an acid (cream of tartar), and a filler/diluent. When added to the low water and olive oil mixture, the baking powder is activated and begins the reaction. This causes the production of carbon dioxide which will help the dough rise. Since the biscotti dough does not contain a lot of water, not a lot of carbon dioxide will be produced. Thus, the biscotti will not rise a lot. After the biscotti is shaped into a log, it is baked for 14 minutes. Then the biscotti cools for about 15 minutes and bakes again at a lower temperature for seven minutes. By baking the cookie twice, this creates a hard biscotti because the water is evaporating each time in the oven.

4. Cultural Analysis

        Italians refer to many cookies as biscotti but Americans refer to the long twice baked cookie with almonds as biscotti. Supposedly, the oldest biscotti was very hard and dry because it was made without fat. The first biscotti was called Biscotti di Prato and was made in Tuscany in the city of Prato in the 14th century. These biscotti were made out of almonds and did not contain olive oil or butter. Eventually Italians in the north put butter in their biscotti and Italians in the south put olive oil in their biscotti. These ingredients created a crunchy and hard cookie, but not as hard as the older biscotti recipes. A reason Italians in the south put olive oil in their biscotti was because olive oil was readily available and there was an abundance of olive trees. The south of Italy is where many olive groves were which allowed people to cook with the oil. Since olive oil was available to people in the south, it became a preferred fat in biscotti.

         Even on the seas, biscotti was a favorite. Many sailors packed biscotti for their journeys because it did not get moldy and lasted a while on their voyage. A reason the biscotti did not get moldy was because the moisture was taken out of it from baking it twice. One famous explorer who ate biscotti on his journeys was Christopher Columbus.

5. Integration

        Making extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil is a hard task. As told by Tom Mueller in the book, Extra Virginity the Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, the olive harvest is bitter. The harvest begins in early December when the air begins to get cold. The workers climb in the trees to pick the olives and even use canes to knock down the olives they cannot reach. This work is tiring and dangerous because there is always a risk of falling. Once the olives are picked, they need to be centrifuged or grinded the old fashion way in order to extract the juice. Then the workers have to make sure there are no pits in the oil before heating the oil to no greater than 28 degrees Celsius (above 28 degrees Celsius can cause the oil to degrade). The workers also have to make sure no adulteration of the oil occurs. When adding olive oil in biscotti it creates a hard cookie because the limited water molecules cannot bind to the gluten proteins. Thus creating a dry cooking. Even though the process of making olive oil is hard, it is rewarding and the oil made can create a delicious hard cookie.