How can you resist a freshly baked super cheesy (not to mention super easy to make) pastry?I’m sure I’ve mentioned before here on the blog how irresistible I find a warm, cheesy bakery pastry.My obsession began during my days in Greece, where they have the most incredible cheesy breads and pastries you can imagine – but I still swoon whenever I spot something similar here.
Here in the UK, the equivalent temptation is in the form of a ‘cheese twist’, and many of the supermarkets sell them fresh every day in their bakery sections. They’re gooey, really cheesy, smell divine, and are often still warm when you buy them.Lately, every time the aroma of one of these pastries has wafted up my nostrils, I’ve thought about how easy it would be to make my own with a sheet of ready-made puff pastry and a block of tasty cheese.
I finally got around to giving it a go, and here’s the result!Super easy pesto and cheese twistsAs I happened to have a half jar of pesto lurking in my fridge, I decided to add that too to my cheese twists, but of course it’s up to you whether you add pesto or stick with plain cheese.These are incredibly simple little snacks to make. Literally all I do is unroll a sheet of ready-made puff pastry, spread with pesto and sprinkle with cheese, then fold the sheet in half and slice into 6 strips.
Ingredients
- grated cheese I used a couple of big handfuls of parmesan and strong cheddar, plus a bit extra for sprinkling at the end
- 1 whisked egg or a bit of milk for brushing
- 1 sheet ready-made puff pastry mine was 11 ounces
- 3-4 tablespoons pesto
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 355F.
- Unroll the pastry out onto a floured board or work surface, then spread with the pesto.
- Sprinkle the cheese all over the pesto, then fold the pastry sheet in half (width-wise like a book, so that the shortest ends meet).
- Cut the pastry into six long strips (about 2 to 3cm wide – see picture above).
- Hold each strip at either end and twist, then lay each twist on a baking tray, leaving a small space between each.
- Brush each twist with a little milk or whisked egg, then sprinkle with a bit more cheese.
- Bake for 20 – 22 minutes or until puffed up and golden.