Regina Biscuits (with Sesame)
( Biscotti al Sesamo - Biscotti Regina - Viscuotta’Nciminati o ca’Giugiulena )
The Regina or Reginella biscuits are classic cookies originally made in Palermo and baked all over Sicily and in the Italian peninsula.
This crispy-savory cookie originally made with bread dough, has been renovated over the centuries with the addition of sugar, fats, like lard, oil or butter, eggs and various flavoring and in fact the only features remaining of the original cookies are the shape, the crunchiness, and a distant salty taste barely noticeable.
There are two kinds of Regina biscuit made in Palermo and in Sicily: a savory type baked in bread stores and a sweet kind prepared in pasty shops.
The frugal and savory version is made with little fat and a small amount of sugar; the bakers call them Viscuotta ‘Nciminati (which means cookies flavored with cumin an ancient spice called in Italian cimino or cumino that originally was used to aromatize biscuit) or Viscuotta ca’ Giugiulena, a morphed word from gialgiala, Arabic for sesame seeds. . These biscuits are crumbly and are aromatized with lemon’s zest or more rarely with cumin or cimino hence the name ‘nciminati.
The sweeter version is mostly prepared in pastry shops; they are made with a rich dough called pasta frolla, which contains butter, sugar, eggs, and the confectioners call them Biscotti Regina or Reginella.
- Yield36 to 48 Biscuits
- Sicilian DessertsRegina Biscuits (Savory and Sweet Versions)
Ingredients
The Savory Regina Biscuits (Viscuotta 'Nciminati)
- 1 lb.all purpose flour plus 2 cups
- 4 oz. sugar
- ¼ cup oil or 2 oz. lard (at room temperature)
- 1 oz. dry rapid yeast ( 2 envelopes of Fleischman dry yeast)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup of water and more if needed
- 6 oz. sesame seeds or 2 cups
- 1 cup of flour to dust or to add if needed
For the Sweeter Regina Biscuits (Biscotti Reginella)
- 1 lb.all purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
- 8 oz. or 1 cup sugar
- 8 oz. or 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 3 whole medium eggs
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- Water to add if needed
- 6 oz. sesame seeds or 2 cups
- 1 cup of flour to dust or to add if needed
Instructions
The Dough for the Savory Regina Biscuits (Viscuotta 'Nciminati)
Sift together the flour, salt and the dry rapid yeast and place on a working table. Make a well and place in it and combine the sugar, oil, lemon zest, water and milk. Mix all ingredients with the help of a fork and then using your hands knead to bring dough together. If mixture is too dry add a few tablespoons of water, if too watery add some flour. Do not over mix. Do not handle dough more than necessary. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Prepare pan(s): grease and dust with flour cookie sheet(s).
The Dough for the Sweeter Regina Biscuits (Biscotti Reginella)
Sift together the flour, salt and the baking powder and place on a working table. Make a well and place in it and combine sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix all ingredients with the help of a fork and then using your hands knead to bring dough together. If mixture is too dry add a few tablespoons of water, if too watery add some flour. Do not over mix. Do not handle dough more than necessary. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Prepare pan(s): grease and dust with flour cookie sheet(s).
THE SESAME SEEDS
Place the seeds in a pot or working bowl and fill half way with cold water. Use a fine mesh strainer to drain the seeds and place them into a shallow pan. Use sesame seed while they are damp.
THE BISCUITS
Divide the dough into 2 pieces; split each piece in 2 parts. Work one part at the time. Knead dough to make each part compact, and shape it into 1 ½ inch roll.
Cut the roll into about 9 or 10 pieces and form small balls and set on the side.
Transfer each ball one at a time into the pan with the sesame seed and roll it so the outside is almost entirely covered with the seeds and form it into sticks about 2 ½ to 3 inches long and about 1 inch thick. Then place into the greased pan: keep each piece about 1 inch apart.
Repeat the procedure with the other piece of dough.
THE BAKING
When all cookies are ready to be baked, bring the oven temperature to 375F and bake the biscotti for 18 to 25 minutes or until the cookies are a golden color.
You can store the biscuits in an air tight container up to 2 weeks.