Parmesan-Black Pepper Biscotti
I first came across this recipe last year while browsing the archived posts on Smitten Kitchen and I promptly printed out the recipe, filed it away in my recipe binder and added it to my online recipe box on Epicurious, where recipes from the now-defunct Gourmet magazine reside (moment of silence). And in both those spots this recipe stayed, never tried...until now. I made these savory biscotti to include in some of my annual cookie gifts to friends this year, and they almost didn't make it into the gift bags because people, these biscotti are amazing, and they should come with a serious warning because the aroma will make you want to dive headfirst into your oven as they bake, and grab one hot right off the baking sheet as they cool, and tempt you to cause a scene in the post office as you come *this close* to begging and pleading with the postal worker not to send off your cookie gift boxes because you changed your mind and want these spicy-salty morsels back with you where they belong. But you won't do any of those things because first, you know better and second, after seeing how easy these are to make, you'll be able to bake up a batch faster than you can say Parmigiano Reggiano.
I had so much fun showing you the process photos of how to make my Cinnamon Whipped Cream, that I thought I would do the same with these biscotti. The word biscotti in Italian is a translation for "twice cooked", or in the case of cookies, "twice baked", which is exactly what you have to do when you make biscotti in order for them to get their trademark crunchy texture. Ready to learn how to make biscotti? Follow me! Quantities and directions for this recipe will be listed at the end of the post.
Start by griding up whole peppercorns in a spice grinder and set aside. Tip: Buy a separate coffee grinder to use just for spices so your coffee doesn't taste like pepper. If you don't have a spice grinder, just put them into a plastic zip bag and take a frying pan to them a few times. It's a great way to release a little agression!
Cube 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of cold, unsalted butter and set aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups Parmigiano Reggiano (please use the real stuff), and 1 tablespoon of the ground peppercorns.
Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients and using a pastry blender or your fingertips, blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixtures resembles coarse meal. The butter pieces should be roughly the size of peas.
In a small bowl, whisk 3 eggs with the milk and pour it into the flour-butter-cheese mixture, and stir everything with a fork unitl a soft dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a well-floured board and form into a disk. You may need to finish combining the dry ingredients together on the board. Work as quickly as possible without over-handling the dough. You want the butter pieces to stay cold and intact.
Divide the dough in quarters.
Form each dough quarter into flat logs and transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Whisk remaining egg and brush the egg wash over each log. Sprinkle each log with the remaining black pepper and more Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bake the dough logs in a preheated 350 degree oven until pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Cool on baking sheets or on a board for 15-20 minutes.
Slice each log into 1/2-inch thick slices using a serrated knife and transfer back to the parchment-lined baking sheets in a single layer. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake turning over once halfway through the baking time, until golden and crisp, 35-45 minutes. Cool on baking sheets on a rack and store in an airtight container.
Parmesan-Black Pepper Biscotti
Makes about 5 dozen
Adapted from EpicuriousThe one change I made to this recipe was cutting the amount of salt in half. The original recipe called for 2 teaspoons of salt, which I thought was too much given the fact that Parmigiano is already salty. Using 1 teaspoon was a very good decision--they were not overly salty and the salty tang of the Parmigiano really came through.
1 1/2 T. whole black peppercorns
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup milk (whole or 2%)Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Pulse peppercorns in a spice grinder until coarsely ground. Cube the butter and set aside in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups of the Parmigiano, and 1 tablespoon of the crushed pepper. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and combine the ingredients using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a smaller bowl whisk together 3 of the eggs with the milk and pour into the flour-butter-cheese mixture and mix with a fork until a soft dough forms.
Transfer dough onto a well-floured board and knead a few times to incorporate any remaining dry ingredients. Form the dough into a disk and divide into quarters. Form each quarter into a flat log and place 3 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets (2 logs per baking sheet).
Whisk remaining egg and brush the egg wash over each log. Sprinkle each log with remaining pepper and more Parmigiano. Bake for about 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through the baking time, until the dough logs are light golden and firm. Remove the dough logs from the oven and allow them to cool for 15-20 minutes on the baking sheets.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Transfer each log to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, cut 1/2-inch thick slices and place them back on the parchment -lined baking sheets in a single layer. Bake the biscotti for 35-45 minutes, turning each one over once halfway through the baking time, until they are golden and crisp. Cool the biscotti completely on the baking sheets and store in an airtight container.
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