Paul Hollywood's Almond and Orange Biscotti

Makes 30

He may be intimidating to the contestants on “The Great British Baking Show,” but pastry chef Paul Hollywood seems to know every single facet of every dessert and confection. In his book, “Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics” (2022), he offers some recipes better suited to pastry chefs. But his biscotti with almonds and orange rind are very approachable (you can also make them with lemon rind). Where other biscotti recipes produce dough that is hard to handle, this one, once you mix it, is quite straight-forward. Don’t be intimidated while you’re mixing. There’s only flour, leavening, and toasted chopped nuts in the bowl but when you add the eggs (the only liquid), it will seem like there's not enough liquid to moisten the flour. But there is. Just keep stirring and don’t add more liquid than instructed. The baking process is two-step: first you bake the dough as logs, cool them slightly, slice on the diagonal, and bake again until they begin to brown and they’re dry and crunchy. This is an exceptionally good biscotti.

¾ cup raw (unpeeled) almonds

¾ cup sugar

Grated rind of 1 orange

1½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 eggs, beaten to mix

Extra flour (for sprinkling)

1 teaspoon orange or vanilla extract

1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper. Have on hand an extra sheet of parchment paper and an 8-inch baking dish.

2. Scatter the almonds in the baking dish. Toast in the oven for 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until they are starting to brown. Tip them onto a cutting board; leave to cool. Chop the almonds coarsely.

3. In a bowl combine the sugar and orange rind. Use a firm rubber spatula to blend them thoroughly. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and almonds. Mix well.

4. Stir the extract into the eggs. Sprinkle the eggs on the flour mixture and stir until the mixture forms a dough. At first it will feel like there's not enough liquid, but keep stirring, cutting through the mixture, until there are no dry patches on the bottom of the bowl and the mixture forms a dough. Don’t add more liquid.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Divide into 2 pieces. Form each into a log about 9-inches long by rolling them under your palms. Set them on the baking sheet 5 inches apart. Press them gently with the heel of your hand to flatten them. They will be about 1½-inches wide.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the position of the baking sheet from back to front halfway through baking, or until the tops are pale golden and firm to the touch. Remove them from the oven. Slide the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes to firm up slightly.

7. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

8. Carefully peel the logs off the parchment paper and transfer to a board. With a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into ¾-inch slices. Put the extra sheet of parchment on the baking sheet. Lay the slices on the clean parchment, cut sides up.

9. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the slices over, and bake 15 minutes more, or until they are pale golden at the edges. (Total baking time is 50 minutes.)

10. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Sheryl Julian. Adapted from “Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics.”