In Mary Anne Esposito's cook book "Ciao Italia" there is a recipe for pepper biscuits.

Be sure it's "Ciao Italia-Traditional Italian Recipies From Family Kitchens" copyright 1991 because she has a series of books that are titled Ciao Italia (etc)

Are "Taralli" what you mean?  They are ring-shaped, and have a hard-pretzel sort of texture, which can be flavored w/ black pepper, sometimes fennel seed, and there are sweet versions as well.  Even if yours weren't ring-shaped, you can use the dough to make one big log and then slice them and re-bake them as you would for biscotti.

You can start a recipe search here.  Just scroll down about a quarter of the way from the header, and find the article on Taralli.

http://turosdolci.wordpress.com/

But you can find all sorts of recipes just by Googling "Taralli."  Giuliano Bugialli also had a recipe for them in his book Foods of Italy, I think.

Are you a paysan?

--Dan DiMuzio

Here's a recipe from a friend of mine, in her family they are shaped as twists [tiny] hope is closer to what you're looking for, they are golden and yummy =-)

1 cup olive oil, extra virgin
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seed
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, hand mix olive oil, water, salt, black pepper, and fennel seed. Add baking powder and flour. Mix until well blended and a dough begins to forms. Lightly work the dough with your hands until the texture is oily and smooth. If the dough is too sticky, then mix in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour at a time, until smooth.

Using your hands, pinch off a 2-tablespoon size piece of dough. Roll the dough between lightly floured hands. Roll into a thin cigar shape that is approximately 8 inches long. Form a U shape, then criss-cross the pieces until a braid forms. Place 15 biscuits per baking sheet. Brush tops of biscuits with egg wash. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating pans mid-way through. Biscuits should have a golden color and be crisp on the bottom. Remove from oven and place on a cookie rack to cool completely. Store in an air tight container up to 4 weeks. {30}

Thanks Dan DiMuzio for recommending my recipe. There are many different recipes for taralli, some with black pepper, red pepper flakes, fennel or just egg etc. Some made with beer or wine, some boiled and baked or just baked. My recipe on http://turosdolci.wordpress.com (Piacere - Food & Travel without rules!) is just one of them. Another is also written on http://nowpublic.com where I wrote an article about Egg taralli and the recipe can be found there. They are a biscuit made in a oval shape and are eaten by everyone any time of the day in Italy.  They are often dipped in wine. They have a long shelf life if stored well.  Please read my blog for a rather easy recipe.  There are recipes for pizza dough, Pizza Rustica and I will be listing other pizza recipes in the future. 

We have a boscotti business in Massachusetts, USA (http://pturo.com) and this is one of my family recipes from Vieste Foggia. You can leave out the fennel. As you can see this uses flour and semolina, yeast and are boiled and then baked. 
Puglian Taralli
Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes @ 375 degrees F
Yield: 5 Dozen

Dry Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached

2 cups semolina flour

2 teaspoons dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed, or 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns, or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

WET INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry white wine, warmed

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, warmed

DOUGH

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm wine and let it stand for several minutes, then stir it into the wine and mix well.  In a large bowl put all the remaining ingredients and your chosen seasoning. Mix and knead well until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Return to a clean bowl and cover the dough with plastic wrap or a dampened towel and let it rise for 30 minutes or longer in a warm place.

ASSEMBLY

Divide the dough into pieces. Roll them into 1/2” cylinders. Cut them into 6” lengths. Bring the two ends together and join them to make a round doughnut - like shape. Press your thumb on the ends to seal them.

BOILING

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop the taralli in a few at a time. When the taralli rise to the surface, remove them and put them on a clean towel to dry.

BAKE

Arrange the boiled taralli on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Note:  When crushing the black pepper, do not use a grinder.  The finely ground powder from the pepper will make the taralli taste hot.  Use only hand crushed pieces.

My husband's grandfather, from Italy used to make a black pepper bagel type bread.  It was started with potato water.  Risen over night. and fried in oil like a donut.  Very chewy texture.  It was traditionally made for Easter. It is outrageous with ham.  I am looking for this recipe as there is no one in the family who has it or can make these.