1 Stir together baking soda and ½ cup boiling water in small bowl. Cool.

2 Roll out puff-pastry sheet to 12-inch square on lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, making sure it doesn’t stick. Cut into 24 half-inch-wide strips (a pizza cutter works well for this). Cut strips in half to yield 6-inch lengths. Slide parchment onto baking sheet, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

3 Preheat oven to 400˚F; have 2 ungreased baking sheets ready.

4 Brush puff-pastry strips with cooled baking-soda mixture. Return to refrigerator 5 minutes.

5 Sprinkle puff-pastry strips with salt and pepper. Twist each strip 3 or 4 times, then place on baking sheet, lightly pressing ends onto sheet so that twists hold their shape. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets, then transfer to airtight container.