It’s my family history writing group on Monday… this might mean cheese straws! At about half time we have a break for tea/coffee/biscuits/cake etc, and sometimes I bake something… so maybe I might do something savoury, something easy, like cheese straws.
I have several recipes, and I realised they were all rather similar so I’ve combined and adjusted them. The original recipes used gluten-free flour, which I think gives a lovely crisp texture, but you can easily use ordinary plain flour!
Monday writing group cheese straws
- 8 oz fine whole meal flower plus 1 tbsp baking powder, or 4 oz each plain white flour and white spelt flour
- 1 pinch each cayenne pepper and black pepper
- pinch of salt, optional, ditto sugar
- 2 oz butter
- 2 eggs, beaten, plus milk as needed to make a soft dough
- 4 oz grated cheese
- put flour, peppers and butter in a bowl, rub together until they’re like breadcrumbs.
- mix in cheese, reserving a little to sprinkle on top
- add eggs one at a time, and adding milk as necessary, and pull together to a soft dough
- rest for 5-10 mins (unless you’re in a hurry) then roll out on a floured board, roll out to preferred thickness
- sprinkle over reserved or extra cheese and a little more cayenne then cut into strips/triangles/circles/ twists etc and place on a greased, lined, baking tray (sprinkle on more cheese if you think it needs it)
- bake at 220°c, 425°f, gas 7, for 10-12 mins until golden and crispy
Lois Elsden 