I don’t know why it has taken me so long to share a gluten free cheese straw recipe, especially seeing as they used to be my favourite bakery item from Reeve’s the Baker in Winchester. I always remember having them as a childhood treat after visiting the dentist, back when they were 25p each! Nothing beats a warm cheese straw fresh out of the oven, the cheesier the better…
The recipe below makes around 12-15 cheese straws, depending on how big you make them. They last for a few days in an airtight container. This recipe is gluten free, but it can also be made lactose-free if you are intolerant.
Gluten Free Cheese Straws
Ingredients
- 175 g Gluten free plain flour
- 100 g Butter
- 150 g Cheddar cheese (grated)
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Xanthan gum
- 1 Eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 or 180 degrees Celsius.
- In a large bowl, mix together the butter, flour, baking powder and xanthan gum and rub between your fingers to form breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the beaten egg (leave a drizzle for later) and add the cheese to form a dough, again leave a tablespoon of cheese for later.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface until 1cm thick and cut into straw-like rectangles.
- Place on a lined baking tray, brush with the leftover beaten egg (add a little water if there's only a small amount) sprinkle with a little extra grated cheese, and bake for 15 minutes.
- Leave to cool before serving.
Let me know if you give these a try! I sometimes sprinkle them with a little paprika or cayenne pepper for a little bite, but I’ll leave that up to you!
If you enjoy making pastry, you should also check out the Red Pepper and Tomato Quiche recipe in my latest book, A Beginner’s Guide to the Low FODMAP Diet. Or for something sweeter, check out my Gluten Free Lemon Tart.
Happy baking,
Alice x
I tried these yesterday but unfortunately they ended up with a bitter after taste, was this because I used bicarbonate of soda instead of baking powder? I thought they were one of the same thing but now think this might be my mistake? The cheese straws cooked beautifully, and held their shape so I would love to try them again.
Thanks for your message, baking soda and bicarbonate are very slightly different I believe as the bicarb needs an acid to neutralise it and can leave a slight bitter taste, whereas baking soda has added ingredients – hope this helps! Dip them into some low FODMAP salsa to sweeten.
Hi I was just wondering whether this would work if I substituted the butter for baking block (‘stick margarine’). I usually do this with sweet baking and I believe it shouldn’t change the flavour but just wanted to check? Thank you 🙂
Absolutely, I often using baking blocks too and they work just fine x
That’s so helpful thank you!
Sorry I just had another question- do you know if it is possible to make the dough and leave it in the fridge overnight? And if this is okay, how long should I get the dough out the fridge for the next day before rolling out, cutting into straws, and baking? I’m planning a surprise birthday tea for my mum and I want to prep as much the night before after she’s gone to sleep ahaha!
Haha good idea! Yes you can definitely refrigerate overnight. I’d just bring it out 15 minutes or so before to bring it back to room temperature before rolling out. I hope you all enjoy them! x
Thank you again for all your help!