cheesymite scrolls

Australian food might just be a mish mash of international cuisine - you could say we take the best from every country of the world and put our own stamp on it - but there is one thing we are arguably all patriotic fans of. Vegemite. Ok, now Vegemite happens to be owned by an American company, but it is undeniably Aussie. Our parents grew up with, we grew up with it, our kids will grow up with it. My mum tells me stories of being a kid in Brisbane in the 60s and having vegemite soup - hot milk with a spoon of vegemite! Shudder.

A new-ish spin on this old favourite is the Cheesymite Scroll. These rolls of soft white pastry dough, filled with lashings of vegemite and creamy cheddar cheese are a delicious treat. My newly discovered love for all things bread-esque inspired me to try making these. I hope you enjoy.

You will need:

650g white bread flour

7g dried yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon salt

450mL warm water (approximately)

Vegemite

Cheddar cheese

What to do:

Put the bread, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add1/2 the warm water and stir to combine. Slowly trickle the remaining water, stirring constantly, until you get a dough that holds together well. You might need less or more than the specified water - I tend to go by feel.

Once you have a dough that holds together, knead it on a lightly floured surface for around 5 minutes, until you get an elastic consistency. Transfer it back to the deep mixing bowl and leave, covered, for around 1 - 2 hours. The dough should have doubled in size.

Punch the air out of the dough and briefly knead once more. Roll the dough into a long snake and chop it into 10 evenly sized pieces. Use a rolling pin to flatten this dough into a long, flat strip, approximately 5cm high. Use one hand to stretch the dough out as you roll.

Spread the vegemite over the dough strips, leaving 1cm clean at each end. I found it easiest to use my fingers for this job so as not to tear the dough.

Grate the cheese into a bowl and sprinkle this liberally over the vegemite.

Use some water and wet either end of the strips of dough. Tightly roll the bread to form scrolls, being careful not to spill too much cheese. Once you get to the end, press the wet lip of dough tightly against the side of the scroll to hold it in place.

Preheat the oven to 220'c. Line your scrolls up in a baking dish and leave to rise for a further 20 minutes. Transfer to a middle tray in the oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. When you remove them, the scrolls should make a hollow sound when tapped on the base, and the cheese should be golden and melted.

I hope these make you the happiest little vegemites possible!