Recipe(tried): Italian Wine Biscuits

Italian Wine Biscuits

This is a hard, fairly dense cracker-type of bread.

Wine, as in containing wine? Or as in to serve with wine? Well, both, actually. These sweet, peppery-hot biscuits are a variation on a traditional Italian favorite, biscotti di vino, hard, semisweet biscuits served with an after-dinner cheese, or as a pre-dinner aperitif, along with wine. Sangria, that Spanish concoction of mild wine and fruit, is a perfect accompaniment. But they're fine with a grape juice spritzer, too, or lemon-scented club soda.

2 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 to 6 tablespoons sugar, to taste*
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon (non-alcoholic is fine)
1/2 cup vegetable oil*The greater amount of sugar will make a biscuit which is just about as sweet as a cookie; the lesser amount will yield a more "savory-type" biscuit.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, pepper, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wine and vegetable oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat vigorously till the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Break off a piece of dough about the size of a walnut (about 3/4 ounce), and roll it into a ball. Poke a hole in the middle of the ball to make a small "bagel-shaped" biscuit. Place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake the biscuits in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until they're golden brown (they'll actually look kind of purple; that's OK). Remove them from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: about 32 biscuits