Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 13oz plain flour
• pinch salt
• 8oz butter, diced
• 5½oz mature cheddar, grated
• 1¾oz freshly grated Parmesan (or a similar vegetarian hard cheese)
• pinch English mustard powder
• small pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 free-range eggs, yolks only

Method

1. Sift the flour with the pinch of salt into a bowl and rub the diced butter in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
2. Stir the grated cheddar, Parmesan, mustard powder, cayenne and egg yolks into the rubbed mixture, then add 3 to 5 tablespoons of cold water, only as much as the cheese straw dough needs to come together firmly.
3. Wrap the dough and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes so the straws hold their shape when cut.
4. Heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with baking paper for the straws.
5. Roll the chilled dough into a square about as thick as a £2 coin, halve it, then slice each half into strips roughly ½ in wide.
6. Lay the strips carefully on the lined sheet and bake them for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese straws are crisp and lightly coloured.
7. Cool the straws on their tray, then serve them at once or keep them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 30 min

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data