Cheese Straws
An old southern classic for a reason – these are just plain good. The dough freezes beautifully when wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Ingredients #
- ½ lb. sharp cheddar (or other hard cheese), grated and room temperature
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1 scant tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ c. flour
- 2 tbsp. cold water
Instructions #
Sift the flour, salt, mustard and cayenne into a medium bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cheese and butter on low speed, and then on medium, until well-combined. Gradually add in the flour mixture until completely incorporated. Add the water and beat for 1 minute.
Form the dough into a log 2 inches in diameter, wrap tightly in waxed paper and chill thoroughly.
At this point, the dough can be frozen.
If you’re ready to make cheese straws, roll the dough into a rectangle that is 1/8” thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into strips ¼” – 1/3” wide by 8” long, dipping the knife in flour occasionally to facilitate clean cuts. Carefully transfer the strips to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving ¼” space between them. If the tough dough becomes too soft while you’re working with it, refrigerate it for 15 minutes and then start again.
Bake them at 350 F until the ends just start to brown (12 – 15 minutes). Let the straws cool to room temperature on the baking sheet before serving (they’re too fragile until they’re cool).
A quicker method is to make cheese wafers – just cut ¼” slices off the log of dough and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake as above.