Ingredients
Pastry
- 400 gplain flour
- 250 gcold butter or margarine
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspsugar
- about 120 ml iced water
- 1 tsplemon juice or vinegar
Filling
- 400 gsharp mature cheddar, grated
- 1 tspmustard, optional
- black pepper
- a pinch of cayenne
To finish
- 1egg, beaten
- a little grated cheese for the top
To serve
- warm, from a bakery bag, with a soft drink
Directions
- Use a genuinely sharp mature cheddar, and use plenty of it. Grate it rather than slicing it, so it melts evenly through the roll. Season it with black pepper and a pinch of cayenne, and add a little mustard if you like. That small amount of heat and sharpness is what stops it being flat, and it is standard.
- Keep the butter genuinely cold, straight from the fridge, and cut it into cubes. Cold pieces of fat melt in the oven and release steam, which pushes the layers apart and creates the flakiness. Warm butter simply absorbs into the flour and gives something dense and short instead. Rub or cut the butter into the flour, salt and sugar, leaving plenty of pieces the size of peas.
- Leave those larger pieces visible rather than rubbing everything smooth, since they are what make the layers. Wrap it and chill it for at least an hour. Roll the dough into a rectangle, fold it in three like a letter, turn it and roll it again.
- Repeat that fold two or three times, chilling it between if the butter begins to soften. Chill it again for thirty minutes after the final fold. Now roll it out to about four millimetres and cut it into rectangles. Roll it evenly, since uneven pastry gives some rolls raw and others burnt. Lay a generous line of grated cheese along one long edge of each rectangle.
- Leave a clear border of pastry at the far edge and at both ends. That border is what seals the roll, and cheese pushed to the edge means it never closes and the filling escapes. Brush the far edge with beaten egg and roll it up firmly, finishing seam side down. Press the ends closed with a fork or your fingers.
- Seal the ends properly, since molten cheese finds any gap and runs out onto the tray. Now chill the assembled rolls for twenty minutes before baking. Brush the tops with beaten egg and scatter a little grated cheese over. Cut two or three small slits in the top of each.
- Bake at 200°C for twenty to twenty-five minutes until deep golden and puffed. Let them cool for five minutes before eating, since the cheese inside is genuinely scalding. Serve them warm, which is when they are at their best. They keep two days and are refreshed briefly in a hot oven, and they are never as good cold.
Technique
- It is a fixture of Guyanese bakery counters alongside pine tarts and salara.
- A sharp mature cheddar is essential, since a mild cheese gives nothing.
- Some cheese always escapes and caramelises on the tray.
Substitutions
- Ready-made puff pastry, which is a common shortcut.
- Any strong hard cheese in place of cheddar.
Variations
- Made with a little onion in the filling.
- Made small, as party rolls.
- With a hotter pepper filling.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cheese roll?
Cheese roll is a snack from Guyana: flaky pastry roll filled with sharp cheddar, eaten warm.
How long does Cheese roll take to make?
Cheese roll takes 40 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 rolls. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Cheese roll?
Yes, within limits. Ready-made puff pastry, which is a common shortcut. Any strong hard cheese in place of cheddar.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cheese roll?
Use a genuinely sharp mature cheddar, and use plenty of it. Grate it rather than slicing it, so it melts evenly through the roll. Season it with black pepper and a pinch of cayenne, and add a little mustard if you like. That small amount of heat and sharpness is what stops it being flat, and it is standard.
