Friselle are my signature housewarming gift. My friends have deemed them “addictive”, and claim to throw parties just so I will re-stock their stash.
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Friselle (Italian Pepper Biscuits)
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 (gift bags) 1x
Description
Friselle are my signature housewarming gift. My friends have deemed them “addictive”, and claim to throw parties just so I will re-stock their stash.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp coarse black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) olive oil
- 1 cup (240 ml) cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine dry ingredients.
- Whisk together oil and water, add to dry ingredients. (Tip: Measure 1 cup of oil in a liquid measuring cup, then add cold water until it reaches the 2 cup line. You can whisk them together in the measuring cup itself).
- Use a spatula to gently fold the liquid into the dry ingredients. (When everything is properly mixed, you should have fluffy dough that is still moist but does not stick to your hands.)
- Roll a handful of the dough into an inch-thick log (don’t overwork the dough, be gentle!). Cut into half-inch slices. Repeat.
- Line-up biscuits on a greased baking sheet (I use olive oil to grease the baking sheet. They can be lined up very close together as they do not expand much).
- Bake for about an hour, rotating trays after 30 minutes. (When ready, the biscuits will be hard but still light in color – though they may be toasty brown on the tray-side).
Notes
- This is a recipe where substituting whole-grain flour is not the best idea.
- But, if you must, a blend of 50% wholegrain and 50% unbleached still works fairly well.
- If your dough seems too dry after mixing, add cold water in small amounts.
- If the dough is too wet and sticky it will be too difficult to work with. (If your dough is too wet, add flour gradually).
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 biscuits
- Calories: 130
Frequently Asked Questions
What should the dough feel like before I start rolling it into logs?
Fluffy and moist but not sticking to your hands. You get there by folding 1 cup olive oil and 1 cup cold water into the dry ingredients with a spatula, not a mixer. If it is too dry, add cold water a little at a time. If it is too sticky to roll, work in a bit more flour gradually.
Why does the recipe use white flour instead of whole-grain?
This is one of those recipes where the substitution genuinely does not work well. Whole-grain flour changes the texture and weight in a way that affects how the biscuits bake and dry. If you must use it, a blend of 50% whole-grain and 50% unbleached all-purpose still produces a decent result.
How do I know the friselle are done after an hour at 350 F?
They will be hard when you tap them, but still light in color on top. The tray-side may be toasty brown, which is fine. Rotate the trays at the 30-minute mark for even baking. Do not pull them early chasing golden color on top or they will not be hard enough.
These are indeed addictive!!
to much olive oil and do not bake for one , that is too long.
My grandfather used to make these every year. Except that he used lard instead of oil. He also went heavy on the pepper. When we would go to visit we would eat these sometimes with butter spread on them. So delicious, if not the most healthy.
I searched for this recipe and voila! Except that I used a dry white wine, something you’d love to drink, instead of water. They’re great as a snack and floating in a bowl of soup.
Do these come out hard after baking? I hope so!
They sound like something wonderful I remember from my childhood in an Italian neighborhood in north Jersey. We used to get these “pepper bread” from a bakery that only made Italian bread. They were like very hard (stale) biscuits that we would soften in a bowl of lentil soup or pasta fasule.
They’re like little hard biscuits but not anything like hardtack. At least the times I’ve made them I bite into them and they crumble then melt in my mouth. I lived in Naples back in the early 70s. I never encountered these until I was living NY NYC
Thank you Anne-Marie! And yes – I’ve definitely made batches with extra pepper for my family as well :) I’ve been wanting to try taralli, so would love any recipe recommendations you may have!
I made these, they are wonderful and so easy, The only change I made was to add more pepper because our family loves pepper! I make homemade pepper taralli from an old Italian recipe, but it is time consuming and these are a quick alternative! Thank you for a great recipe! My taralli recipe calls for fennel seed and black pepper! I might try to add fennel seed to this at some point, but it s great just the way it is!
Hi Suze –
You can make them up to two weeks in advance, but I wouldn’t freeze the dough or the baked friselles. They stay good for a month or so (at the very least). Enjoy!
Sounds like a great idea! I definitely intend to try these. In fact, there’s a “gift occasion” coming up for which these would be idea. I am wondering how well these keep (and whether they freeze) — or if I am going to have to bake at the last minute.:-)