Cheese Wafers or Straws - flour

Method

• Put flour and salt in mixing bowl.
• With fingers, work half the butter into the flour until it resembles damp, crumbly sand.
• Add the remaining cold butter chunks and the cheese and stir with a fork to distribute.
• Stir in milk and quickly gather dough into a ball with floured hands.
• (There should be visible butter chunks in the dough.)
• Squash dough into a rough rectangle about 1 inch thick.
• Dust dough with flour and roll to a long rectangle about 8 by 14 inches and about 1/2-inch thick, with the longer side facing you.
• Fold dough into thirds: first fold in right side, then left side on top of it, making a nearly square package three layers high.
• Dust again with flour and roll out to make same size rectangle, then fold it again.
• Dust and repeat once more.
• Wrap well in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day in advance.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut dough in half.
• Refrigerate half the dough and roll the other piece out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
• (Do not roll too thin or pastry will not puff.)
• To make wafers, cut dough into 2-inch rounds with a sharp cookie cutter (or cut into diamonds with a knife).
• To make straws, cut dough in strips 1/2-inch by 5 inches.
• Twist strips 2 or 3 times and press down ends to prevent unfurling.
• Place wafers or straws on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Paint lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt.
• Add sprinklings of cumin seed, black pepper, rosemary or smoked paprika if desired, and a little more grated cheese.
• Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until well browned and crisp.
• Let cool before serving.
• Repeat process with remaining half of dough.
• Note: To make heart-shaped palmiers, cut dough in half as above.
• Working with one dough half (and refrigerating the other), roll dough to a rectangle about 12 by 8 inches and 1/8-inch thick, with the longer side facing you.
• Paint entire sheet of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with cheese.
• Tightly roll each of the long edges toward the center so you have a long, somewhat narrow log consisting of 2 connected side-by-side cylinders.
• Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.
• Pinch the round side of each slice to form a heart shape.
• Flatten each heart-shaped slice with rolling pin and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Dab each heart with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt.
• Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until well browned.