The name comes from the combination of wine and hard alcohol that goes into these and makes them extra crunchy.
In this instance, instead of the usual eau de vie (raki or tsikoudia or even clear vodka) I used this delicious Two Fields Zakros Clean Dirty Martini which is a wonderful combination of vodka, vermouth and extra virgin olive oil sitting very comfortably alongside the olive oil used to make them.
The precise amount of flour varies when baking depending on the viscosity of the liquids used and the flour itself so add it gradually towards the end. The important thing is to stop when the dough is soft and can be moulded in your hands. Too much flour will make the biscuits hard.
Oil based dough must not be over-worked as the oil tends to seep out.
Ingredients (makes approx. 100 pieces)
- 300ml mild extra virgin olive oil
- 150g caster sugar
- 75g sesame seeds, toasted and extra for sprinkling
- 50ml dry white wine
- 50ml clear spirit of your choice
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 750g plain flour, approx.
Method
Preheat the oven to 2000C and line a couple of large baking tins.
In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
In another, large bowl using an electric hand held mixer beat the oil, sugar, cinnamon and cloves until pale.
Add the toasted sesame seeds (I often crush half of them in a mortal or spice grinder to release yet more sesame flavour) and add the flour gradually mixing with a spatula until you have a soft dough. As soon as you can take some of the dough in your hands and are able to shape it, the dough is ready to be used.
I like to have equal size and weight biscuits as the baking is more uniform that way and like them small so I weigh 10-12g of dough for each biscuit. If you like yours bigger, you will need to adjust the baking time.
Roll the biscuits in the extra sesame seeds and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Turn your baking tins round half way through for an even bake.