Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Straws

These little things are combination of a cheese straw, cheese cracker and pie crust. They the crunchiness of a cheese cracker, the size of cheese straw and the flakiness of a pie crust.

For me, bacon and cheese are a match made in heaven almost like peanut butter and chocolate or sweet and sour. They are just perfect together.

The bacon is salty and smoky with the cheddar cheese is creamy and tangy and even more tangyness if you use sharp cheddar cheese or extra sharp cheddar cheese (my favorite). It a great balance.

Like I said in the title, these are a combination of a cheese cracker and a cheese straw. It has the compact size of a cheese cracker but the flakiness and crunch of a cheese straw.  A cheese straw is traditional made from leftover biscuit dough with grated cheese mix it and twisted or cut into shapes then baked to crispy perfection.

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Bacon Cheddar Cheese Straws

Prep: 10 to 15 minutes
Chill: 12 hours
Baking: 12 to 14 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 cup Unsalted Butter, frozen
3 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, can use a mild cheddar freshly shredded is best
4 to 5 tablespoons Milk

6 striped Cooked Bacon, chopped and cooled
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper 
1/2 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, optional

1. Chop then saute bacon until done. Let bacon cool completely.
2. Shred cheddar cheese in flour, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper then shred butter into flour mixture. Work together until well incorporated.
3. Add cooled bacon and milk a tablespoon at a time. The dough will be slightly sticky and crumple. Tip the bowl over on a flour surface or wax paper. Work the dough together until you can form a ball.
3. Divide into two pieces forming into a ball then flattened slightly. Wrap each dough balls with cling wrap. Chill the dough overnight, at least 12 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees then line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll chilled dough out between two sheets of wax paper or cling wrap with a little flour. Keep the other dough ball in refrigerator as you roll the other out.
5. Roll dough out to a 1/2 inch thick then cut dough into 1 by 4 pieces. Place the straws on the parchment lined cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart.
6. If dough becomes warm, place back into refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Cool on a wired before consuming or storing.

Note: Place cheddar cheese in the freezer for 30 minutes before grating, this will help when grating because of the heat of your hand.
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