Cheese Sticks (Saratele)
Savory Romanian-style cheese sticks made with ricotta and gruyere, chilled overnight, then rolled, brushed with egg, topped with shredded gruyere, and baked until golden.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- paddle attachment
- dough hook
- Large Bowl
- Plastic Wrap
- Oven
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- skewer
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 8 ouncericotta cheese
- 1 cupplain yogurt
- 6 ouncemargarine
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
- 2 teaspoonsactive dry yeast
- 4 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 cupsgruyere cheese shredded
Instructions
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine 8 ounces ricotta cheese, 1 cup plain yogurt, 6 ounces margarine, 1 egg, 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, and ½ teaspoon salt. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the mixture is well combined.
- Add half (2 cups) of the 4 cups all-purpose flour and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining flour, switch to the dough hook, and mix on low–medium until the dough forms a cohesive ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Cut the chilled dough into two pieces. Roll one piece into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the rectangle into long strips and place the strips on the prepared baking sheets with space between them. (You can poke holes in each stick with the end of a skewer if you like; this is optional.)
- Beat the remaining egg (the egg reserved for egg wash) and brush it over the tops of the sticks. Evenly sprinkle 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese over the egg-washed sticks.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the sticks are golden brown. While the first batch is baking, roll and prepare the remaining piece of dough the same way and bake it after or alongside the first batch, depending on oven capacity.
- Remove the cheese sticks from the oven and let them cool a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Please note that I have doubled the recipe in the video, because we just love these so much.
Butter can also be used in place of margarine.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
This recipe yields about 6 dozen sticks and nutritional information is based on about 4 sticks per serving.
You can keep them right on the counter on a plate! Or just wrap the bread sticks with plastic wrap, then refrigerate. When serving again, you can place them on a pan directly in the oven for a few more minutes to heat them through.
These are great to make ahead. Prepare them as you would then wrap the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month so that they stay frozen and separated. Take them out of the freezer and allow to thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to eat. Next bake them and serve.
Butter can also be used in place of margarine.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
This recipe yields about 6 dozen sticks and nutritional information is based on about 4 sticks per serving.
You can keep them right on the counter on a plate! Or just wrap the bread sticks with plastic wrap, then refrigerate. When serving again, you can place them on a pan directly in the oven for a few more minutes to heat them through.
These are great to make ahead. Prepare them as you would then wrap the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month so that they stay frozen and separated. Take them out of the freezer and allow to thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to eat. Next bake them and serve.