1
Make the preferment the night before baking (mix all the ingredients).
2
Make the wet mix and let rest for about 5 minutes or until it becomes a gel. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients. When the wet ingredients have become a gel, add the preferment to the gel. Mix well, then add the wet mix to the dry ingredients.
3
Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, then continue with your hands until you get a homogenous dough (it will be wetter and stickier than the bread dough). Fold a few times with a plastic or silicon spatula, and form a ball. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
4
Spread the dough using wet fingers, into a rectangle of about 8 inches x 9.8 inches. Sprinkle the cheese and the poppy seeds evenly over the dough, and pat lightly, so the cheese and the poppy seeds adhere to the dough.
5
Cut the dough into 0.5-inch wide strips. Separate the strips and gently stretch each one. Cover the baking tray with plastic foil, and let it rest at room temperature between 2 and 3 hours.
6
Preheat the oven to 410F on fan or 450F bottom and top heat. Bake for about 15 minutes. The cheese on top will be golden brown, and the sticks will still have a soft texture.
7
Take them out on a cooling rack. Serve after 10-15 minutes. What you don't eat the same day, freeze and reheat in the oven before eating.