Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 385F

Before you start, line a baking sheet with parchment.  Place another sheet of parchment on your work surface and sprinkle it generously with about 2 heaping tablespoons sugar.

Roll the puff pastry dough into a square approximately 14” x 14” (about 1/4” thick) on the sugar-dusted parchment.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar evenly onto the puff pastry.  Cover with plastic wrap and gently press the sugar into the pastry with your hands or a rolling pin.  (The plastic prevents the sugar from bouncing off the pastry.)

Remove the plastic and, with a sharp knife, cut the pastry into long, 1/2” wide strips.  If the pastry is too warm to cut easily, place it in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm the dough.

Select one pastry strip at a time, and grasping it from both ends, gently twist the long strip dough in opposite directions, to fashion a spiral.

Transfer the pastry spiral to the parchment-lined baking tray and press each end of dough to the rim of the baking tray, to secure it in place.  This helps prevent the dough from contracting when it’s baked.

Continue with the remaining strips, leaving about 3/4” between strips.

Cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.

Bake the dough, well-chilled, for about 10 – 15 minutes, or until golden, turning them over once during baking to ensure even browning on each side.

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Variations

Sweet or savoury, there’s no limit to what you can sprinkle or spread on puff pastry.

For sweet straws, dust your parchment work surface with sugar and sprinkle or spread the pastry lightly with:
• Brown Sugar
• Jam or Jelly
• Sugar and Cinnamon

For savoury straws, dust your parchment work surface with flour and sprinkle or spread the pastry lightly with:
• Parmesan cheese and dried herbs
• Tomato jam
• Pesto with and goat cheese
• Tapenade