Paximádia portokaliou - orange and olive oil vegan biscotti

   

   Baking slices of bread twice has always been a popular method to expand the life of fresh bread. Nomads, fishermen, -  anyone away from home with no means to get fresh bread, could use  the dry, twice-baked  slices of bread by rehydrating  it (often with wine in Greece) and in this way have a filling meal or snack.
 In Greece we still use a lot of twice-baked slices of bread which we call paximádia (παξιμάδια). These are mostly made with wheat flour, corn polenta, or even barley. In Crete they are called dácos (ντάκος). Mostly served as an appetizer, paximádia are often topped with finely chopped tomato and feta, or crushed in salads for taste and texture. 
Sweet paximadia, made from lightly sweetened dough, with olive oil and citrus zest, is a vegan version similar to the Italian biscotti. It is a healthy cookie for morning coffee, and an always available homemade treat for guests.

Paximádia portokaliou
Makes about 20 cookies

180gr olive oil (or half olive, half vegetable oil)
150gr sugar
100gr orange juice
½ tsp baking soda
Zest from an orange
Vanilla flavoring (to taste)
¼ tsp salt
500gr all purpose flour

In a large bowl add the olive oil (or the olive oil -vegetable oil combination), orange juice, sugar, orange zest, salt, vanilla and soda, and mix them with a whisk wire until they are combined.
Add the flour to the oil- orange mixture and mix until the flour is incorporated and an elastic dough forms.
Transfer the dough into a pan lined with parchment and form into a log that is about 30cm long. Bake at 180 for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the log from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
With a sharp knife, slice the log crosswise into individual cookies, each about 1cm. Place the cookies back on the baking sheet, and bake at 170 C for 20 minutes or until golden.
Let the cookies cool on a rack and store them in a cookie box for up to two months!