We love Vegemite. Not just the taste, but what it represents – something uniquely and indisputably Australian. So with the brand turning 100 this year, we wanted to celebrate.
We took a look inside the factory where 20 million jars are made annually, and put together a timeline of Vegemite’s greatest cultural moments, from temporarily being banned in Victorian prisons to stirring controversy on major US talk shows.
But we also needed a recipe to join the steak-and-Vegemite pie already in our archives. Enter these simple yet moreish biscuits from last year’s title The Vegemite Cookbook. Because as every true-blue Aussie knows, Vegemite and cheese go together like a sausage and sauce, or white bread and sprinkles.
Vegemite and cheese biscuits
Prep time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes rest
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes 24 biscuits
Ingredients
¾ cup (110g) plain flour
2 tbsp self-raising flour
100g cold butter, chopped
1 tsp Vegemite
½ cup (60g) cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup (40g) parmesan, finely grated
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Method
Place the flour, butter, Vegemite, cheddar cheese and half the parmesan into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Add 1 tbsp of cold water and pulse until the mixture starts to come together.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work bench and gather the dough together. Roll into a
3.5cm diameter log and roll in sesame seeds. Wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for
30 minutes to rest.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut the log into 1cm slices and place onto the prepared tray. Sprinkle over the
remaining parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray.
Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days. Rolled dough can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the fridge, or frozen for 3 months. To cook from frozen, add 5 extra minutes to cooking time.
This is an extract from The Vegemite Cookbook, which contains 40 recipes celebrating Australia’s favourite spread. The book is published by Penguin and retails for $29.99
