Gilded Cage Breadsticks Cheese (Printable)

Delicate breadsticks form a dome encasing a luxurious blend of fine cheeses and fresh accompaniments.

# What You'll Need:

→ Breadsticks

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
03 - 1 teaspoon sugar
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 2/3 cup lukewarm water
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1 egg yolk (for glaze)
08 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)

→ Cheese Selection

09 - 3.5 ounces triple-cream Brie, cubed
10 - 3.5 ounces aged Comté, cubed
11 - 3 ounces truffled goat cheese, rolled into small balls
12 - 3 ounces blue cheese (such as Roquefort), crumbled
13 - 1.75 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved

→ Accompaniments (optional)

14 - 1 small bunch seedless red grapes
15 - 2 tablespoons honey or fig jam
16 - Fresh thyme and rosemary, for garnish

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add lukewarm water and olive oil. Mix until a dough forms, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
02 - Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
03 - Preheat oven to 390°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
04 - Divide the dough into 18 to 20 small pieces. Roll each piece into a thin stick approximately 1/8 inch thick and 10 inches long.
05 - Place breadsticks on the tray. Lightly brush with egg yolk and sprinkle sesame seeds if using.
06 - Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once during baking, until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely.
07 - On a serving platter, mound the cheeses at the center. Add grapes, honey or fig jam, and fresh herbs if desired.
08 - Carefully build a dome by arranging breadsticks over the cheese mound, using cheeses and adjacent breadsticks for support. For stability, press breadsticks gently into the cheeses or assemble over a small bowl as a mold, then remove the bowl.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks like you spent hours in a professional kitchen, but the technique is genuinely manageable and comes together quickly.
  • Your guests will actually taste the quality of each cheese rather than drowning in a saucy dish, making every element matter.
  • Once you've made it once, you'll understand how to adapt it with whatever cheeses your market has that day, so it never feels repetitive.
02 -
  • Warm breadsticks will absolutely snap and bend, so don't rush the cooling step no matter how excited you are to assemble.
  • If your dome feels unstable, you can gently press the bottoms of a few breadsticks directly into the softer cheeses for anchor points—this sounds destructive but actually works beautifully.
  • The breadsticks will soften slightly from the humidity of the cheese once assembled, so serve within 15–20 minutes of building for maximum crispness.
03 -
  • Brush your breadsticks with egg yolk just before baking rather than ahead of time—it gives you more control over the color and shine.
  • If you're nervous about the dome collapsing, you can actually build it on parchment paper first, then transfer the whole thing to your serving platter as a unit.
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