Yeasted Honey Biscotti di Miele

There's nothing better than the smell of baking bread,
Unless it's mixed with the smell of baking cookies.

I made bread on Monday and my family devoured the honey wheat loaf, so I figured it was time to make these biscotti di miele.
They're essentially honey wheat bread in cookie form, made with whole wheat flour, just a ad of honey, and then rolled in coarse raw sugar before baking.
These remind me of something I would have eaten as a little kid after one of my Dad's Saturday Domino's runs. I've always been partial to the hardly sweet Italian cookies, and these are no exception.
They're so old world tasting, it's hard to believe Nonna didn't make them for you.

If you're afraid of yeast, this is a great practice recipe for you because it has a yeast in comparison to flour (pretty much guarantees that it will rise) and the second rise is in the fridge, over night. You can even leave it for up to 24 hours, so there's no need to worry about leaving it for set times, like most bread recipes.

The Perfect Little Cookie to Snack on While Blogging

These biscotti are not overly sweet, beautifully caramelized on the outside, and have a unique texture that you are guaranteed to crave after you make these for the first time.
They're like a soft breadstick, with a a caramel-honey flavor, and a bit of yeast on your tongue after you swallow.

Biscotti di Miele
Makes about 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter

1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour
2.5 tbs cold butter, cut into cubes
2 tsp dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105º)
1/4 cup honey, 1 tsp set aside
pinch of salt
about 1/3 cup turbinado sugar for rolling

In a small bowl of cup, dissolve the yeast in the water with 1 tsp of honey. Let the mixture it for 5 minutes, until foamy. Add the rest of the honey and mix well.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt with a fork. Add the cubed butter and cut into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter, until the mix is crumbly.
Add all of the yeast mixture to the flour and mix until the dough starts to form a ball.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow it to sit and rise in a warm place for an hour, or until doubled in size.
After an hour, punch the dough down and transfer to the refrigerator, covered with plastic, to rise over night.
The next morning, roll the dough to about 1/4" thick, on a floured surface. Cut the cookies into circles, then cut the circles into 1/2 circles. You can re-roll the dough 2 times (3 times maximum)
Roll the half circles in turbinado sugar, twist into a stand and pinch the edges together to form a twisted ring.
Lay the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to rise, uncovered for 5 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Twist the cookies one more time before baking for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crisp on the outside.
They should develop a crust that resembles a vey thin bread crust.