Poppy Seed Sticks Recipes

POPPY-SEED STICKS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll each piece of puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle, less than 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the rolled-out dough to baking sheets; refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Remove dough from refrigerator, and generously brush one puff-pastry sheet with egg yolk. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the sheet, then cover with poppy seeds. Brush the second pastry sheet with egg yolk, and place on top of first, yolk sides together. Gently press the two sheets together so the poppy seeds stick between them. Return the pastry to refrigerator, and chill another 15 minutes.
• Remove the pastry from the refrigerator, and brush the top generously with the remaining egg yolk. Using a pizza wheel or a long sharp knife, cut the dough into 10-inch-long strips that are 1/4 inch wide. Hold a piece of dough in the middle, and start twisting in the direction of each end; twist until entire piece of dough is tightly coiled. Transfer twist to a baking pan; press the ends to metal. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Bake until the sticks are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, and store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

PARMESAN AND POPPY SEED STICKS

Steps:

• Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions, just until it is soft enough to cut. (This should take about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature). Puff pastry should still be very cold. Preheat oven to 425 degrees with two racks.
• In a small bowl, mix to combine cheese and cayenne pepper. In a second small bowl, combine sesame and poppy seeds with salt, and set aside.
• Arrange cold puff pastry on work surface. Cut puff pastry lengthwise into two equal 5-inch-wide halves. Brush each half with beaten egg. Sprinkle one half with cheese mixture and other half with seed mixture. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut each half crosswise into twenty 1/2-inch strips.
• Working one at a time, twist each strip into a double spiral, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, 1/2 inch apart. Using your thumb, press the ends of the strips down into the parchment to prevent unraveling. Transfer to freezer, and chill until very firm, about 20 minutes. (Refrigerator may be used for chilling but will take at least twice as long.) Check dough while chilling to make sure it stays twisted.
• Transfer the straws to the oven, and bake until golden, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking time for even browning, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the straws on a cooling rack.