Puff Pastry Cheese Straws
Sharp cheese pressed into laminated pastry, twisted into strips, and baked until shatteringly crisp.
Makes 20 straws · Prep 15 min · Bake 15 min
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 lb Rough puff pastry or store-bought puff pastry — thawed if frozen
Filling
- 1 cup Sharp cheddar or Parmesan, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika or cayenne
Finish
- 1 Egg, beaten
Instructions
Prep
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line two baking sheets.
Fill
- Roll the pastry into a rectangle. Brush half with egg wash, scatter the cheese and paprika (if using) evenly over that half, and fold the unfilled half over on top. (Tip: Press down firmly all over after folding to help the cheese and pastry bond together.)
- Roll the folded pastry out gently to about 1/4 inch thick, pressing the cheese into an even layer inside.
Shape
- Cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then twist each strip several times along its length and lay on the sheets, pressing the ends down to stop them unwinding. (Tip: The twist is what maximises exposed surface for crisping — don't skip it in favour of laying the strips flat.)
Bake
- Brush with more egg wash and bake until deeply golden and crisp all the way through.
Cool
- Cool on a rack — they crisp further as they cool.
Tips
- Straws untwisted in the oven: Press the ends firmly onto the parchment before baking, or weigh them down slightly with a second sheet for the first few minutes until the pastry sets enough to hold its own shape.
- A genuinely good scrap recipe: This is a fair use for leftover rough puff or store-bought puff pastry trimmings from another bake — the cheese and twist forgive a slightly uneven, patched-together sheet in a way a delicate pastry wouldn't.