Sara’s Italian Pepper Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water 110⁰ F.
1 package Active Dried Yeast (not Instant)
½ teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
3 ¼ teaspoons Kosher or Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Coarsely Crushed Black Pepper Corns
2 Tablespoons Fennel Seed
1 cup Olive Oil (Virgin is best but do not substitute any other kind of oil, must be Olive Oil)
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 egg lightly beaten for egg wash

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375⁰ F.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with
parchment paper.
Pour warm water into bowl and sprinkle with yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar. Allow yeast to proof
for 5 minutes (will be foamy). Add to yeast mixture: baking powder, salt, crushed black pepper,
fennel seed and olive oil. Stir to combine and then add flour a cup at a time to incorporate. Mix
until well blended and a dough begins to forms. Lightly work the dough with your hands until
the texture is oily and smooth. If the dough is too sticky, then mix in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose
flour at a time, until smooth.
Using your hands, pinch off a 2-tablespoon size piece of dough. Roll the dough between lightly
floured hands. Roll into a thin cigar shape that is approximately 8 inches long. Form a U shape,
then criss-cross the pieces until a braid forms. Place 15 biscuits per baking sheet. Brush tops of
biscuits with egg wash. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating pans mid-way through. Biscuits should
have a golden color and be crisp on the bottom. Remove from oven and place on a cookie rack
to cool completely.
Biscuits should be stored in an air-tight tin container (preferably tin to maintain their crispness)
and kept in a cool area, such as a cupboard. Properly stored, they should last up to one month.

*Instead of Crushed Black Pepper and Fennel Seed:

You may add 1-3 Tablespoons of *Fennel Seed, Anise Seed, Fresh Rosemary, Sun-Dried
Tomatoes, Red Pepper Flakes, Poppy Seed, Sesame Seed, Dried Minced Garlic or Onion (just
about anything you can imagine and any combination of seeds/herbs.