Cheese crackers appetizer

I have never bought good cheese straws from the store, so for many years I have been making them at home. This recipe has passed through my kitchen many times. It’s not complicated, the ingredients are simple, and the dough turns out tender and slightly crispy every time. It’s the kind of snack that disappears quickly, especially when we have guests or on a long journey.

Quick Info

Total time: 2 hours (including rising and baking)
Servings: about 2 large trays (approx. 80-100 cheese straws, depending on size)
Difficulty: medium, mainly during the kneading process

Ingredients

200 g cheese (grated finely)
200 g butter at room temperature
200 g lard (preferably pork, for tenderness)
1 whole egg
1 yolk
200 g sour cream (fatty, 20-30%)
100 ml lukewarm milk
1 cube fresh yeast (25 g)
2-3 teaspoons salt (to taste)
approx. 1 kg white flour (as needed for the dough)
For decoration:
1 egg white
1 pinch of salt
caraway seeds (or sesame, according to preference)

Preparation method

1. Grate the cheese finely and place it in a large bowl.
2. Add the whole egg, yolk, sour cream, and salt. Mix quickly with a spoon to distribute the wet ingredients well.
3. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk. Pour the mixture into the bowl.
4. Add the lard, cut into larger spoonfuls.
5. If you have a bread machine with a kneading function, transfer the mixture to its bowl. If not, work everything directly in the bowl.
6. Add the soft butter in several places over the mixture.
7. Start adding the flour: first, add half of the amount and start kneading (by hand or machine). After a few minutes, gradually add the remaining flour until the dough reaches the right consistency: elastic, non-sticky, but not too hard. Do not add all the flour at once – you may not need the full 1 kg.
8. If using a bread machine, let it knead twice for 15 minutes each. If kneading by hand, take your time to work it well, about 20 minutes, until the dough is uniform and shiny.
9. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let it rise for 30-40 minutes in a warm place (do not rush the rising by placing it at too high a temperature, otherwise it won’t turn out tender).
10. Remove the dough onto a work surface. You don’t need flour for rolling, as the dough is greasy and doesn’t stick.
11. Divide it into 4 equal parts.
12. Take each piece in turn, roll it out with a rolling pin until you get a sheet about 5 mm thick.
13. Cut with a knife or pizza cutter into strips about the width of a finger. If you want jagged edges, use a special wheel.
14. Place the strips in a tray lined with baking paper.
15. Whip the egg white with a pinch of salt and brush each cheese straw.
16. Sprinkle caraway seeds (or sesame) on top.
17. Place the tray in the preheated oven at 200°C, on the middle rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until they turn slightly golden.
18. Remove the cheese straws onto a rack or paper, so they don’t get soggy at the bottom.
19. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Why I make this recipe often

The dough with lard and cheese stays tender for a long time. The cheese straws do not harden overnight and last for several good days. They are useful for parties, picnics, or packed lunches. They can also be made in advance, and the ingredients are simple; I almost always have them at home.

Tips

The dough does not need flour on the table – it is greasy enough.
For a crispier result, roll the sheet thinner and bake at a high temperature.
If you want to keep them more tender, do not bake them too hard, just until they turn golden.
Do not let the dough rise too quickly or at very high temperatures, so it doesn’t lose its tender texture.

Substitutions

Lard can be replaced with butter, but the texture will be slightly different (less tender).
You can use grated parmesan or another hard cheese if you don’t have regular cheese.
For decoration, you can sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds if you don’t like caraway.
Sour cream can be replaced with Greek yogurt, but the taste will be slightly tangier.

Variations

You can add a pinch of sweet or hot paprika to the dough for color.
If you like a saltier taste, sprinkle a little coarse salt on top before baking.
For a cheesy version, replace part of the cheese with crumbled feta (not soft or watery).
They can also be cut into round or rectangular shapes if you want a different look.

Serving ideas

They are good on their own as a snack for a movie or with coffee.
You can place them on appetizer platters alongside salami, cheese, olives, and deviled eggs.
They make a great snack for travel or picnics, they don’t crumble easily and don’t dry out quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Can the dough be frozen?
Yes, the raw dough can be well wrapped and frozen for up to 2-3 weeks. When thawing, let it come to room temperature before rolling it out.

Can I use dry yeast?
Dry yeast works too – use 7-8 g, mixed directly into the flour. However, I’ve noticed that fresh yeast gives a finer texture for this type of dough.

Can the cheese straws be baked in advance?
Yes, they stay good for 3-4 days at room temperature in a closed container. If you want to make them a few days before an event, do not bake them too hard.

Is it necessary to use lard?
Lard provides tenderness. If you use only butter, they will be a bit harder, but still good. I wouldn’t recommend margarine, as it changes the flavor and doesn’t provide the same texture.

Why doesn’t the dough rise much while proofing?
It’s normal – being greasy, with a lot of butter and lard, the dough will not rise like bread. It just needs to become a little more aerated; it won’t puff up spectacularly.

Nutritional values (estimated, for 1 cheese straw from 100 g baked dough)

Calories: 80-90 kcal
Proteins: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Fats: 6 g

The cheese and lard increase the fat content, but you don’t eat many at once. They are a dense snack, not dietetic.

Storage and reheating

After they have cooled completely, place the cheese straws in an airtight container or a paper bag. They last well for 3-4 days at room temperature. If you want to reheat them, put them in the preheated oven at 160°C for 3-4 minutes – they become crispy again. I do not recommend the microwave, as they will get soft.

Grate the cheese using a fine grater. Add the whole egg, yolk, sour cream, salt, yeast dissolved in milk, and lard. Mix all the ingredients with a spoon. Since I now have a helper in the kitchen, namely the bread machine, I decided not to work too hard, so I set the machine to knead instead of me. For this, you need a large bread machine with two kneading blades. So, the mixture I prepared was placed in the bread machine, I added the soft butter, placing a spoonful here and there in the machine, and finally the flour. First, add half a kilogram of flour, and after a few minutes, add the rest of the flour. My bread machine has a special kneading program of 15 minutes, so I set it to knead the dough twice. After kneading, I turned the dough into a large bowl and let it rise in a warm place covered for 30-40 minutes. Divide the dough into quarters, take a piece and roll it out on the work surface with a rolling pin. With a serrated pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips the width of a finger. Place each strip on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with caraway seeds, and brush with beaten egg white mixed with a pinch of salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes until golden on top. Repeat the same process with all the dough until finished. Enjoy your snacking! The dough having fat and butter, it is preferable not to rush the rising, meaning to place it on the radiator or in the oven at low temperature. There is no need to flour the work surface because the dough contains enough fat and does not stick. Make them as thick and wide as you want; the important thing is to bake them at a high temperature to make them crispy.

 Ingredients: 200 g cheese 200 g butter at room temperature 200 g lard 1 egg 1 yolk 200 g sour cream 100 ml warm milk 1 cube of fresh yeast 2-3 teaspoons salt 1 kg flour Decor: cumin seeds 1 egg white a pinch of salt

 Tags:  savory snacks savory snacks cheese delaco savory snacks cumin