Italian Pepper Biscuits Recipes

ITALIAN PEPPER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
• Prepare yeast.
• Add olive oil, salt and egg - mix. Add spices and flour. Knead dough until smooth. Place in a clean bowl, cut a cross into dough, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 1/2 hour in a warm dry place.
• Remove dough, follow the cut you made and cut in 1/4 "chunks". Cut each 1/4 piece in strips. Roll dough with fingers into strips around 8-10 inches. Fold in half to make ends meet and twist. You can leave the biscuits in this shape or connect ends to make a twisted circle. Whatever shape you like!
• Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the first cookie sheet in the oven on the bottom rack. After 15 minutes remove cookie sheet from bottom rack and place on top rack. Then place the 2nd cookie sheet on bottom rack. After 15 minutes, remove cookie sheet from top rack and let cool. Then continue again w/cookie sheet on bottom rack and moving it to the top rack.
• Each cookie sheet must stay in the oven a total of 30 minutes - 15 minutes bottom rack and15 minutes top rack.
• Enjoy.

TARALLI PUGLIESI - ITALIAN BLACK PEPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Create a well in the middle to add the wet ingredients.
• Slowly pour the water and oil into the well of the flour. Blend together and gradually incorporate into the flour using your hands. The dough will be dense.
• Dust a working surface or cutting board with flour, To the stiff dough, knead for about 3 minutes to develop the gluten.
• Preheat oven to 400º.
• Pull off small pieces of dough about 1 Tablespoon in size. Next, roll into ropes about 6 inches long and very narrow. Form a ring and then pinch the edges together.
• Place them on a prepared baking sheet, nonstick or with cooking spray. Leave space between each tarallo, they do not expand very much but will a little bit.You can get a dozen on each baking sheet. You can bake one at a time or both at once - just be sure to rotate the pans halfway through and keep them as close to the center of the oven as you can.
• Brush with oil and bake 20 minutes in the middle of your oven. The bottoms will be lightly browned.
• Remove carefully from the baking sheet and let cool on a baking rack.
• Enjoy immediately as a snack, appetizer, or small bite. Serve with wine or other small bites like cheese, fruit, or salumi. Great to serve on a charcuterie board or in a breadbasket.

BISCOTTI DI PEPE - TARALLI - ITALIAN PEPPER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water.
• Sift flour salt and pepper onto mixing board.
• Make a well in the center and add yeast and oil.
• Blend together and gradually incorporate into flour.
• The dough will be stiff.
• Knead 10 minutes.
• Place in oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with towel and let rise until doubled in bulk.
• Preheat oven to 375º.
• Break off small pieces of dough and roll into ropes about 6 inches long.
• Form a ring and pinch edges together.
• Place on baking sheet and let rise 20 minutes.
• Brush with oil and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

GRANDMA ANNA'S ITALIAN PEPPER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, pepper, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves for cookies together into a large bowl.
• Place shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments until melted. Pour into dry ingredients and mix with a spoon.
• Add milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla; mix with a spoon to combine. Add raisins, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped walnuts and mix with your hands to combine. Roll dough into small balls and set 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Prepare glaze while cookies cool. Place confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Add milk, orange juice, and orange zest and mix until smooth.
• Brush glaze onto cooled cookies or spread with a spoon. Decorate with sprinkles.

CRACKED PEPPER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add thyme and cracked black pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer thyme mixture to small bowl. Whisk in milk, then egg. Cover and chill until mixture is cold.
• Blend flour, baking powder and salt in processor. Add 3/4 cup butter. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk mixture. Using on/off turns, process until moist clumps begin to form. Transfer dough to floured work surface. Knead until dough holds together, about 6 turns. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using 2-inch-diameter biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out biscuits. Reroll dough scraps and cut out additional biscuits, making 16 biscuits total. Transfer biscuits to large baking sheet.
• Bake biscuits until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Serve biscuits warm. (Biscuits can be prepared ahead. Cool. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature 8 hours or freeze up to 2 weeks. Rewarm biscuits in 350°F oven just until heated through, about 8 minutes.)

OLIVE-OIL PEPPER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, semolina, sugar, pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, then stir in wine and oil. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead with lightly floured hands until smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes.
• Put dough in a lightly oiled large bowl and cover bowl with oiled plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Bring 4 cups water to a boil with remaining teaspoon sea salt in a medium pot.
• Meanwhile, halve dough, then cut each half into 10 pieces. Keeping remaining dough covered, roll 1 piece of dough into a 20-inch-long rope on an unfloured surface. Cut rope into 5 pieces, then roll each piece into a 4-inch-long rope, connecting ends of each to form a ring. Transfer to a lightly floured kitchen towel (not terry cloth). Repeat with remaining dough.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Oil 2 large baking sheets.
• Boil rings in 4 batches just until they float, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to oiled baking sheets, arranging rings 1/2 inch apart.
• Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.

NONI'S TARALLI

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in a bowl.
• Combine flour, wine, oil, fennel seeds, and salt in a large stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Knead on low speed. Add yeast mixture slowly. Continue to mix until a smooth ball is formed and dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove dough from the bowl; knead into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
• Cut the dough into 2-inch cross sections; roll into 1/2-inch-diameter "tubes." Cut tubes lengthwise into 1/4-inch cross sections. Roll each from the center out; fold ends over one another.
• Boil taralli in the hot water in groups of 10 until they rise to the top, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon. Continue with remaining taralli. Let dry for 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place dried taralli onto baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven, flipping as needed, until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.