Almond Biscotti and Vegan Option

In this instructable, I will show you how to make almond biscotti two ways. One with egg whites and the other with a vegan friendly option.

Almond biscotti, is very nice, albeit quite sweet. But hey, its a treat!

And with that hard to buy for vegan friend's birthday coming up, it seems like the impossible (or very expensive) option to make them some birthday treats. But your not to worry because we have it sorted. Vegan almond biscotti is the way to go. With that great snap consistency it is perfect for a hot cup of tea.

For the vegan version, skip ahead to step 4.

For the almond bread WITH egg whites, you will need:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup 128g flour
• 3/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essences

Whip up the egg whites until almost stiff, then add sugar. Beat well. Fold in the flour, until mostly combined then add the nuts and vanilla essence and continue to fold until it is completely combined. To fold cut down the center then around the side about half way and over the top. Folding keeps all of the air that we created when whipping the egg whites in the mixture.

Cut out a rectangle of baking paper. Place your loaf tin on top and cut vertical lines from the edges to the corners of the tin. Place this inside the tin and align the paper so that it sits flat against the sides.

Pour the mixture into the tin so that the tin is evenly filled. Try to avoid flattening the top with a spatula as this could push some of the air out of the mixture.

Bake you almond bread in a 180 C (356 F) oven for 25 minutes or until cooked.

To make vegan almond bread you will need:

• 60 grams of chick pea brine*
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

*You can get chick pea brine in a can with chick peas

Whip up the chickpea brine until stiff, then add the sugar, beating until it is mostly dissolved. Fold in the flour, then the nuts and vanilla essence. To fold just like before cut down the center then around the side about half way and over the top, folding keeps all the air in the mixture that we created when whipping the brine.

Cut out a rectangle of baking paper. Place your loaf tin on top and cut vertical lines from the edges to the corners of the tin. Place this inside the tin and align the paper so that it sits flat against the sides.

Pour the mixture (it should be fairly stiff) into the prepared tin and bake in a 180 degree Celsius (356 F) oven for about 25 minutes of until cooked.

Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator over night. This softens the bread enough to allow you to cut it.

Once chilled, use a sharp knife to cut the bread into thin slices, about 3-4 mm thick. Lay the slices of almond bread onto a tray and bake them in the oven for 20 minutes at 150 C (300 F) until golden brown.

You can see the comparison of the two breads I have made. The flavor of the breads were very similar, the vegan version having a slightly more caramelized taste to it. The texture was virtually identical, despite appearances.

Both these almond breads are a great snack to have with a nice cup of tea. I like to bag them up and give it as christmas/birthday presents to my friends and relatives.