The other day, a food-in friend was sharing with me the pleasures of eating Guyanese-style Aniseed Biscuits. I have to confess that my memory of the biscuit was not as vivid as his; I vaguely remember large brown flat biscuits with crinkled edges. The biscuits were hard and crisp and they were often broken into pieces when given to us as children.
All the talk about aniseed biscuit and aniseed bread with Pepperpot had us both craving aniseed biscuits. We set out trying to find a recipe. I checked a couple of church booklets with recipes that I have as well as the Internet, and he contacted five of his friends spread across the globe that might have a recipe. We had no luck. I did find a recipe that called for equal parts (by weight) of flour and sugar along with an egg and aniseed. The instructions said, “Beat the egg, flour and sugar to death and bake in a hot oven.” I couldn’t help being amused. You can’t get much more direct instructions that those.
The other thing I found out is that there are lots of other countries that have some type of aniseed biscuit, the most popular being made very much like that of a biscotti – the twice-baked Italian cookie/biscuit.
Using my basic biscotti recipe, I added aniseed and it satisfied my craving for the taste of aniseed biscuit. I am not sure if my friend will make the aniseed biscotti because he says that he does not like biscotti. I shared mine with two Guyanese friends living here in Barbados. When I opened the glass jar in which the biscuits were stored, the whiff of aniseed transported them back to a place and time of their childhood in Guyana.
If you have a recipe for the Guyanese-style aniseed and you are willing to share it with In Good Taste, please inbox me: [email protected]
Aniseed Biscotti
Yield: 24 pieces
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine table salt
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole aniseed
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 13 x 18 sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and aniseed in a bowl and set aside.
- Whisk together the milk, eggs, oil and essence.
- Add the egg-milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The mixture will be crumbly and a little sticky.
- Divide the mixture in half and place on the parchment-lined baking sheets about 5 inches apart. Shape the dough into a thick 8-inch long log, flattening the top a little.
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes; meanwhile, reduce the heat to 325 degrees F.
- Slice each log, using a serrated knife, into 12 pieces; cut straight across or diagonally. Assemble the slices, cut side up on the same sheet pan it was originally baked on. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes on one side then flip the biscotti and bake on the other side for 12 – 15 minutes or until firm to the touch.
- Cool on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature with a hot beverage.
- Store in an air-tight container and it will last for 2 weeks. In a cooler climate the biscotti will last longer at room temperature.
NOTE
- It is important that the biscotti be completely cool before storing so that it remains very firm.
