CHEESE STRAWS III

Recipe:  Cheese Straws

Cheese straws aren’t “straws” at all, but something more like crackers.  Almost, but not quite, a short crust.  Kind of like Cheez-Its®, but with more cheese (and much more flavor).  

They’re usually baked in narrow strips (up to ½-inch wide) in lengths of 4 inches or more.  So they come out looking a bit like straws, which is probably how they got their name.  But you can find them in other shapes as well.  I like to cut out rounds using a fluted cookie cutter.  

Cheddar cheese is the usual flavoring, but you can use any sharp, firm cheese that catches your fancy.  Basically, you grate the cheese and combine it with flour, butter, salt, and often cayenne pepper.  Form the mixture into dough, roll, cut out your cheese straws, and then bake.  That’s it.

Most general-purpose cookbooks offer a version of Cheese Straws, and all recipes are pretty much the same. My favorite rendition is in The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, and my recipe is adapted from theirs.

This recipe makes enough for a dozen people or more, which is often more than I want.  So I usually freeze half the recipe for a future occasion.  You can easily cut this recipe in half, if you wish.  Or double it and freeze even more (which is what I like to do). 

It takes about 10 - 15 minutes to mix and roll out the dough, and another 12 minutes or so to bake.  You can make the dough a day or two ahead and refrigerate it (in well-sealed cling wrap) if you choose.  Baked straws will keep in an airtight container for 2 or 3 days — if you have any left, that is!

Ingredients

•  8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups; you can substitute another hard cheese of your choice)
• ~2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (or more; optional, but adds a nice sharp note)
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter cut into 8 or more pieces (can use frozen butter if you wish)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or ¾ teaspoon regular table salt
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste; ¾ teaspoon will provide a nice ping, but won’t be too spicy for most people)
• 1 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream (skim milk is OK)
• additional flour for dusting when rolling out the dough
• additional butter to grease a cookie sheet (optional)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grate cheeses (the easiest way is to use the grating disc on the food processor).
3. Put grated cheese in the bowl of a food processor (if it isn’t already there).  Using the metal blade of the food processor, pulse two or three times to cut up the cheese.  Add the flour, butter, salt, and cayenne pepper to the cheese in the food processor, and pulse several times (for a total of about 30 seconds) until the mixture has a coarse texture (like cornmeal).
4. Add 1 tablespoon of milk or cream, and pulse briefly.  Feel the texture of the dough.  Using your fingers, can you form the dough into a cohesive ball?  If yes, you’re ready to form the dough.  If not, continue adding milk or cream a tablespoon at a time until you can do so. 
5. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Using your hands, knead the dough until it forms a nice, cohesive mass.  (Note:  Sometimes the dough mounds up on the blades of the food processor during Step 4, forming a nice ball for you; but usually it doesn’t.)  At this point, I often wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate it overnight (you can also freeze it; put cling-wrapped dough in a freezer bag).
6. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until the thickness of the dough is about ¼-inch.  You want to form a rectangle, but if you’re like most of us, you’ll have some jagged edges.  No worries.
7. Cut the dough into the shape you prefer.  Use a sharp knife — I usually use a pizza wheel.  Most people like to cut straws ¼ to ½-inch wide in lengths from 4 to 10 inches.  You can also use a cookie cutter to cut rounds, if you prefer — they’re quite attractive.  If you have irregular pieces of dough leftover after cutting, simply reform into a ball, roll out again, and cut some more straws.
8. Grease a cookie sheet lightly (to help avoid sticking; can also using baking spray) or line the cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat (my preference).  You will need 2 cookie sheets if making the full recipe.  Carefully (so they don’t break apart) place straws on cookie sheet(s), leaving gaps of at least ¼ inch between the straws (more is better if you have enough cookie sheet real estate; as the straws bake, they’ll expand, and if they touch their neighbors, they will stick together).
9. Bake the straws in the middle rack of the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, or until done.  Mine usually are done at 12 or 13 minutes.
10. You can serve Cheese Straws hot or at room temperature.  They’re good both ways, but they’re particularly scrumptious when fresh from the oven.