Niki Louca shares how to make Paximadia Methismena (Drunken Biscotti)

Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for Paximadia Methismena (Drunken Biscotti) with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!

Ingredients:

• 160 gm melted unsalted butter
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup ouzo (doesn’t have to be an expensive brand)
• 1/3 cup whisky (doesn’t have to be an expensive brand)
• 2 heaped spoonfuls of freshly ground aniseed (doesn’t have to be powdered)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1-1.2 kg plain/biscuit flour
• ½ – ¾ cup sesame seeds

Method:

1. Pre heat your oven to 170C fan force.  Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper and set aside.
2. Put your sesame seeds in a small saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let them “cook” for a minute.  Turn heat off, drain from water and allow to cool completely.  Once cooled, spread them on a clean tea towel so that any water will be absorbed by the tea towel.
3. In a standalone mixer with the K/flat beater, add the sugar, cooled butter, oil, orange juice, ouzo and whisky and whisk for 2-3 minutes.
4. In a bowl, mix 1kg of flour and baking powder together and stir through the aniseed.
5. With the mixer on low speed, and using/change over to the dough hook, add the flour mixture in increments to the wet ingredients making sure they are well mixed before the next addition.  Mix well till a soft dough forms.  If you need extra flour add a ¼ cup at a time till you get a smooth dough.  It should not stick to your hands.
6. Divide dough into 4 equal parts.  Cover dough with clean tea towel while working with one peace at a time.
7. Roll dough into a long sausage style roll – about 4cm thickness.  Then roll this sausage like roll through the sesame seeds so it is evenly covered.  Transfer the roll onto your baking sheet and cut all the way through the bottom into 1cm slices.  It is important that you do the cutting only when you’ve transferred the dough onto the baking sheet, otherwise it will fall apart when transferring.
8. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
9. Bake till golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the tray.  Once slightly cooled, go over the cut with a knife making sure the precut slices are separated from each other.  Once they’re fully separated, lay them flat, not overlapping each other, and put them back in the oven for another 15 or so minutes till the sides are light golden colour.  Repeat with the remainder.
10. Once all the biscuits are done, transfer them all onto one tray, overlapping them and on top of each other and place the tray back in the oven.  Oven must be off – they will finish their baking with the residual heat from the oven.  They can stay in the oven up to ½ hour.
11.  Remove from oven and let them cool completely.  Transfer them to an air tight container and will remain fresh for 2-3 months (that is if they last that long).

Note: I usually make twice the quantity, particularly now at Christmas as I offer them to family and friends as gifts along with other home baked goods.  The above recipe makes approximately 70-75 biscuits.

Niki Louca runs cooking classes in Melbourne. For more or to book classes visit My Greek Kitchen at www.mygreekkitchen.com.au or Instagram @mygreekkitchen. You can email Niki at: niki@mygreekkitchen.com.au.