Salty Fingers – Crunchy Homemade Cheese Sticks from Childhood

Smiki's Corner
Jan 17, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Jan 19

Savoury Sticks – Crunchy Bites from Childhood

Some of our fondest childhood memories are tied to smells and flavours that stay with us for life. For me, one of those flavours is savoury sticks crunchy little bites that vanish faster than you can take them out of the oven. Children adore them, and I still remember making them with my mum in the kitchen, laughing and experimenting with different flavours.

This recipe shows just how easy it is to make them at home. The possibilities for variations are endless add your favourite cheese, sprinkle some seeds or try different spices to create your very own perfect flavour.

Ingredients

1 sachet fast-action yeast
1 tsp sugar
300-400 ml warm milk
1 kg plain flour
250 g butter, melted

For brushing

2 beaten eggs
1 tsp sea salt flakes, to sprinkle

Activate the yeast

Put the yeast and sugar in a mug with 100 ml of warm milk and leave for a couple of minutes to rise.

Make the dough

In a large bowl, mix the flour and melted butter together, then stir in the yeast mixture. Gradually add the remaining milk until you can form a soft dough with your hands. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes.

First rise

Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Shape the fingers

Roll out the dough to about 1 cm thickness, then brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into sticks about 2 cm wide and 10–15 cm long. You can leave them straight or twist them slightly for a more rustic look.

Bake

Place the sticks on a baking tray and bake for 8–10 minutes, until lightly golden.

Tips

Add grated cheese into the dough for extra flavour. Sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds before baking for a fun twist. Serve warm with Red Pepper Chutney or cheeses but even once cooled, they stay deliciously fragrant. Store in airtight containers to keep them from going hard.

Now it’s time to sit back, pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy your freshly baked savoury sticks. Crunch them slowly or nibble them all at once either way, they’re best enjoyed with a warm drink and a moment of relaxation. And while you savour these little bites, why not take a trip with us to Cairo? Read all about our adventure, the sights, sounds and flavours of the city and let your imagination wander as much as your taste buds!

Stories That Don’t Fit in a Suitcase

Check out other recipes from the series

My Favourite Recipes in the Media

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Slani Štapići

Sećanja iz detinjstva često su začinjena mirisima i ukusima koji nas prate čitav život. Za mene, jedan od tih ukusa su slani štapići hrskavi zalogaji koji nestaju brže nego što ih iznesete. Deca ih obožavaju a ja ih pamtim još iz vremena kada sam ih pravila sa mamom u kuhinji, smejući se i praveći male eksperimente sa ukusima.

Ovaj recept pokazuje koliko ih je jednostavno napraviti kod kuće. Mogućnosti varijacija su beskrajne dodajte svoj omiljeni sir, pospite malo sjemenki ili isprobajte različite začine kako biste stvorili svoj vlastiti savršeni okus.

Sastojci

250 g maslac, topljen
300-400 ml mleka, mlakog
1 kg brašna
1 vrećica suve germe (7g)
2 jaja za premazivanje
morska sol za posipanje

Priprema

Maslac istopiti pa ohladiti, germu razmutiti sa malo toplog mleka i sačekati da nadodje. Kad je sve pripremljeno zamesiti testo sa mlakim mlekom, mesiti 10-ak minuta da se lepo sve sjedini. Prekriti čistom krpom i ostaviti na toplom da se testo udvostruči, otprilike 45–60 minuta.

Oblikovanje štapića

Kada je testo naraslo, preručiti ga na pobrašnjenu radnu površinu i blago premesiti. Razvaljati oklagijom na debljinu od oko 0.5–1 cm, premazati razmućenim jajetom i posoliti. Ostrim nožem seći trake širine 2 cm i dužine 10 cm, te ih samo blago zavrnuti a mogu ostati i ravne.

Pečenje

Štapiće slagati u tepsiju na papir za pečenje i peći u prethodno zagrejanoj rerni 10ak minuta na 180 °C, ili dok ne dobiju zlatnožutu boju.

Savet

Pre pečenja, štapiće možete posuti susamom, makom ili drugim semenjem po želji. Poslužite ih tople uz kečap, ajvar, sireve ali i hladni su mirisni i ukusni.

Kada se ohlade, čuvajte ih u vatrostalnim činijama sa poklopcem ili zamotajte u foliju da se ne osuše, jer će inače postati tvrdi. Odlični su i kao dodatak uz mezu.

Sada je vreme da sednete, naspete sebi šolju čaja i uživate u sveže pečenim slanim štapićima. Grickajte ih polako ili pojedite sve odjednom kako god, najbolje je da ih konzumirate uz topli napitak i najvažnije trenutak opuštanje. A dok uživate u ovim malim zalogajima, zašto ne biste pošli sa nama na putovanje u Kairo?

Pročitajte sve o našoj skitnji, zvucima i ukusima grada i pustite mašti da luta koliko i vašim nepcem!

Priče su na linku ispod.

Priče koje ne stanu u kofer!