Fette Biscottate: Italian Breakfast Toast

Italian fette biscottate on a plain white plate, spread with concord grape jelly.

Fette Biscottate: Italian Breakfast Toast

Learn how to make fette biscottate, the classic Italian breakfast toast also known as Italian rusks. These twice-baked slices are wonderfully crisp and golden, perfect with butter, jam, or jelly.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Resting/proofing/cooling 3 15

Total Time 4 45

Servings servings

Calories 90kcal

Author Maria Vannelli (retired RD)

Ingredients

400 grams whole wheat flour approx. 3⅓ cups
50 grams sugar ¼ cup, granulated
3.5 grams active dry yeast 1 teaspoon
3 grams salt ½ teaspoon
200 grams milk ¾ cup, lukewarm
1 egg room temperature
48 grams olive oil ¼ cup, extra virgin
additional flour to dust wooden board for kneading and rolling
additional milk for brushing the loaf

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
Whisk the wet ingredients. In a measuring cup, whisk the lukewarm milk, egg, and olive oil until well combined.
Knead the dough: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, knead on medium speed for 6–8 minutes, until the dough comes together in a ball. It should be smooth and elastic, slightly tacky but not sticky. If needed, turn the dough out and knead briefly by hand with a light dusting of flour to finish. (Alternatively, knead entirely by hand for 8–10 minutes.)
Rest the dough: Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly floured bowl, cover, and let it rest in a warm spot for 15 minutes. (Oven with light on or proof mode in the oven works well.)
Prep the pan: Line a 12 x 5-inch (30 x 13 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it.
Shape the loaf: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 9 inches (30 x 23 cm), roughly ¼ inch (0.6 cm) thick. Use your hands to gently square the edges.
Starting from one short side, roll the dough up tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam and the ends to seal.
Transfer and proof: Place the dough seam side down into the prepared loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. The dough should puff up.
Time to bake: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Brush the top of the dough with a little milk.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and the loaf reaches an internal temperature of 190–195°F (88–90°C).
Cool: Remove the bread from the oven, run a knife around the edges, and lift it out using the parchment.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely — at least 1½–2 hours — before slicing.
Second Bake (Toast the Bread):
Once the loaf is completely cool, use a serrated knife to slice evenly into pieces about ¼–⅜ inch (0.6–0.9 cm) thick.
Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15-20 minutes. Flip the slices and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until crisp and golden.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. The slices will firm up even more as they cool.
For all the details — including step-by-step photos, tips, and troubleshooting — be sure to check out the full post above.
You can also watch the video on the recipe card.

Video

Notes

Tips:

Use lukewarm milk (38–40°C / 100–105°F): This is the ideal range to activate the yeast.
Adjust flour if needed: If the dough feels sticky, dust your hands or work surface with a little whole wheat flour. Avoid adding too much, or the toasts may turn dense.
Don’t rush the rise: Let the dough double in size before baking. A slow rise gives the toast its light texture.
Cool before slicing: For neat, even slices, let the baked loaf cool completely — even overnight, if possible. Warm bread will squash or tear when cut, making it harder to get clean slices for toasting.
Use a serrated bread knife: Gentle sawing motions give you clean slices without pressing the bread flat.
Slice evenly: Aim for slices between ¼ inch (0.6 cm) and just under ⅜ inch (about 0.9 cm). This range gives the best results. Thinner slices will toast too quickly, while thicker ones may stay soft in the middle.
Toast low and slow: Keep the oven temperature gentle during the second bake (300°F/150°C). This ensures the slices dry out without burning. Bake until the slices feel dry — they’ll crisp up even more as they cool.
Experiment with flours: Using whole wheat bread flour instead of regular whole wheat gives the dough a sturdier structure, which makes the slices a little easier to cut and keeps them crisp after baking. Mixing the two works beautifully.

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.

Nutrition