These bakery-style cheese straws use ready-made puff pastry and are ready in no time at all. They make a really lovely savoury nibble which is perfect to fill that gap before dinner, hopefully without spoiling your appetite. They’re a great favourite with young children too as they can clasp them in their hands and eat independently.
Preheat the oven to 375F/190C/170 Fan and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Unwrap the sheet of puff pastry. If you have a block of ready made pastry, unwrap it and roll it into a rectangle. You want the pastry to be about 3mm thick (1/8th inch)
With the short side of the rectangle facing you, sprinkle over the cheese, leaving a 1cm (1/2 inch) space all around the outside.
Fold the pastry in half by bringing one short side over to meet the other short side. Press it together very gently.
Take your rolling pin and roll the pastry into a rectangle until it is 3mm (1/8th inch) thick.
Working from one short side, along the length of the sheet, cut into 2 cm wide strips of pastry by the width of the pastry.
Lay the strips out on a prepared baking tray and twist the pastry 3 or 4 times to get a corkscrew effect.
Place the baking tray of cheese straws into the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes. This relaxes the pastry and you'll get a nicer crispier cheese straw.
Sprinkle with seasame seeds, if using.
Pop into the oven and bake for between 15 to 20 minutes or until a nice golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition Information: This is computer generated and is intended as a guideline only.Possible Variations:
use a different kind of cheese – I usually use cheddar but double Gloucester is a nice cheese to use in these with its pretty colour.
sprinkle 2 teaspoons of paprika over the pastry with the cheese before you fold it in half. Makes a pretty colour and adds another flavour dimension.
spread a tablespoon of pesto over the unbaked dough and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (1 ball drained of its whey) then carry on as before. Fold it in half and roll out again enclosing the cheese and pesto inside.
marmite – love it or hate it, spread between a teaspoon to a tablespoon of marmite over the dough and then sprinkle with your chosen cheese. Delicious.
Vegan version:Turn these cheese straws into cheese straws that are suitable for a vegan or plant-based diet. Buy ready-made puff pastry that is suitable for vegans, it should say on the label. Most ready-made pastry seems to be suitable these days.Then you need to select your favourite vegan hard cheese and grate it. Sprinkle a tablespoon of nutritional yeast across the dough for additional flavour, sprinkle over the vegan cheddar and cook as per the instructions.
Vegan mozzarella and vegan pesto – spread 2 tablespoons of the pesto across the pastry dough, grate or tear over the mozzarella. Fold the pastry over as per the instructions and re-roll. Cut into straws and bake. These are really good!