Cheese Twists
Different Levels of Twistiness
Time: 3 Hours
Ingredient Availability: 5/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Sometimes I just want a snack. Sure, I can buy some from the store, but I much prefer to know everything that goes into what I eat. Of course, I don’t always do that, but it’s something I think about a lot. Plus, things you make at home are often better than those bought in store. This recipe from King Arthur’s Baker’s Companion seems pretty simple, but I know how finicky making a buttery dough can be.
Key Ingredients & Omissions:
I didn’t leave anything out of this recipe. I decided to use the recipe for the blitz puff pastry since I didn’t have to double any of the ingredients, as the alternative puff pastry recipe did. I’m pretty sure you can use regular parmesan instead of parmagiano reggiano, but I already had the latter.
Tools:
Stand Mixer
Plastic Wrap
Cooking Review:
Making Blitz Puff Pastry: 2 Hours
To start, I cut up the three sticks of butter into smaller cubes, about 1/2” in all dimensions. I refrigerated it while I grated the parm. Next, I measured out the flour into the bowl of the stand mixer and added the butter. On a low speed with the paddle attachment, I combined the two until there were large chunks of butter throughout the flour. Next, the salt was dissolved in the water, added to the flour mixture, and mixed in on a low speed until a shaggy dough formed. I transferred the dough to a floured surface and folded it over on itself a few times to bring to together. The dough was wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 30 minutes before being rolled out on a floured surface and letter folded 4 times. After refrigerating for another 30 minutes, it was ready to be used. I let mine rest for a little longer.
Mix filling & Egg Wash: 9 minutes
In a small bowl, I combined the cheese, paprika, and cayenne. In another bowl, I beat the eggs and water to create an egg wash.
Form Twists: 17 minutes
I split the dough in half and rolled it out into a large rectangle. It was supposed to be 12x24”, but It was difficult to get it to that size, so I did my best to get it close. I brushed the whole surface with egg wash then sprinkled about half of the cheese filling on half of the dough. I folded side of the dough without the cheese over the cheese side and rolled it out a little more. Using a pizza cutter, I cut the dough into strips about 3/4” wide. The strips were then twisted and arranged on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Finally, they were brushed with more egg wash. I only made half of the recipe this time.
Bake & Cool: 29 minutes
I baked my twists for 19 minutes then transferred them to a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes before giving them a try.
Analysis:
This is one of those foods that gets better the more you eat it. That’s not to say that it’s not good from the first bite, though. Immediately, you get a pretty buttery and flaky bite from the pastry, which is very nice. The more you eat, the more of the cheese flavor you get along with a little spice from the cayenne and paprika. The recipe is pretty simple, but the dough may give you a little trouble, as you need to be careful not to let the butter soften too much before it gets into the oven. I’m going to give this recipe an 8/10. I have no complaints about the flavor, it can just be a little annoying to make.
