PARMESAN BLACK PEPPER BISCOTTI

PARMESAN BLACK PEPPER BISCOTTI image

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter milk (you may not need all of this - add sparingly)

Steps:

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 1 cup cheese, and 3/4 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk 2 eggs with milk and oil and add to flour mixture (reserve a bit to brush tops of biscotti), stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and half dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to large baking sheets lined with parchament. Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining cheese and ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheet 180 degrees halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining log, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.