Cheese Straws

My husband, Andy, rarely makes requests for treats so when he asked me to bake cheese straws I had to comply.  They are very easy to make, take hardly any time to put together, and are made from ingredients you probably already have in stock.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Heat the oven to 200C/400F

Ingredients

50 grams self-raising flour
pinch of cayenne pepper
25 grams butter
100 grams grated cheddar cheese
1 or 2 teaspoons milk - if needed

Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl EXCEPT the milk.  You may find the dough comes together without using any milk. 

Rub together until you have a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs.  Now knead this until it makes a stiff dough.  If you can't get the dough to come together add a drop or two of milk and knead again. 

Place the dough between two pieces of cling film and roll it out until it is pretty thin.   Cut into 'straws' and place the straws onto the prepared baking tray.  Leave some space between them so they have room to spread out. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Place the cheese straws on a wire rack to cool.  

I used Cheddar cheese but Red Leicester would be lovely, too.