American Biscuits Versus European Biscuits

Etymologically, the word biscuit means twice cooked. You will see this name applied also to the cakes described. The Italian hiscotti, the French biscottes, and the German zwieback are true biscuits. Their dough is first shaped into loaves, baked, and cooled completely. Then the loaves are cut into ⅓-inch-thick slices, which, dried in a slow oven, become “biscuits” that can be kept a long time in a canister.

You can make biscotti with either semisweet or sweet yeast dough and brioche dough in the French and German manners, or you can prepare them from a baking powder leavened dough as in the Italian biscotti that follow.