Pepper Bake Bread

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

8 T unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 smallish onion 3oz. finely chopped

1/2 Scotch bonnet or 1 fresh hot green chili pepper finely chopped

Procedure

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Cut off 1 tablespoon of the butter and set it aside. Slice the remaining butter thinly and add it to the flour. Rub it in so the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I would do this in the food processor.)

Put the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small frying pan and set over medium heat. Saute the onion for 4-5 minutes or until the pieces are translucent with a few brown spots. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Now add the onion mixture and the chopped chile to the bowl of flour. Mix. Add about 6 tablespoons of warn water, or enough to form a soft but not sticky dough. Knead for about 5 minutes. Form a smooth ball of dough and put it in a bowl. Cover with a lightly dampened cloth and set aside for 30 minutes. Knead again for 5 minutes. Form a smooth ball and flatten it so you have a cake about 1 inch high. Put the cake in a small, shallow cake pan or on a baking sheet, cover with a lightly dampened cloth, leave in a warm place for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the bread in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.