Description
Have you heard of Brazilian Cheese Bread? If you know anything about a gluten free diet you pay attention when you hear things. Things like “have you heard of that Brazilian cheese bread?” I didn’t need to hear that twice before I searched up what it was.
In Brazil this cheese bread is a popular snack and breakfast food. It consists of tapioca starch, milk, eggs, olive oil, and cheese. Yes, these are made with tapioca starch and no other flours or binders. If that isn’t enough reason to try this cheese bread it is also simple to make. The bread, or buns, is best served warm but the batter can be kept in the fridge for a few days. That means you can bake some fresh made with only a portion of the batter, and do the same thing a day or two later.
The Portuguese name for this cheese bread is Pão de Queijo but it is also called Brazilian cheese puffs, cheese buns or cheese rolls. Like many recipes there are local and regional variations. In Brazil they use Minas cheese, a soft white cheese from the state of the same name, Minas Gerais. In North America most recipes include Parmesan cheese and either mozzarella or cheddar. I like to make these with sharp cheddar cheese.
I have made your Brazilian Cheese Bread several times now and I keep getting asked to make more. They are super easy to make and so delicious!
From cooking class student Julie
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Get The Tools – Brazilian Cheese Bread
- These can be made in a food processor or blender and the batter can be poured or scooped.
- Use a mini scoop (1½ tablespoon size) to portion the batter quickly and evenly into a muffin pan.
- The cheese bread works well cooked in a regular size muffin tin but you can make small ones in a 24-count mini muffin pan or 12-count mini muffin pan.
Organize For Success – The Gluten Free Pantry
A basic gluten free pantry includes tapioca starch. It is readily available, inexpensive and a staple in kitchens where gluten free cooking happens. To learn more about how to use gluten free flours check out my year-long blog post series on How To Use different gluten free flours. The second post in this series is How To Use Starch.
What variation of Brazilian cheese bread will you create? Whip up a batch and pay attention to what you do so they turn out every time.
Ready to get creative? My friend Shirley, over at Gluten Free Easily, inspired me to make these when I saw her variation of this bread for pizza bombs. Let me know in the comments below if you liked this bread and how it turned out. If you like Shirley’s pizza bombs be sure to tell her.
More Bread-Type Recipes
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Brazilian Cheese Bread
If you know anything about living gluten free you pay attention when you hear things like "Have you tried that Brazilian Cheese Bread? It's gluten free!" If you haven't tried it now you know.
Servings: 12 buns
Ingredients
- 2 cups tapioca starch (or cassava flour)
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or crumbled (115 g)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (about 85 g)
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with silicone muffin liners (best option!) or grease.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until evenly mixed, about 1 minute. Scrap down the sides as needed and mix once more. (At this point the batter can be refrigerated and cooked later or even the next day or two.)
- Using a metal portion scoop fill each muffin very close to the top.
- Bake in preheated oven 17-20 minutes until golden and puffed.
- Place on baking rack and let cool in the muffin pan for a few minutes. Transfer all buns to cooling rack and let cool 5-10 minutes longer.* Serve warm.
- These cheese buns freeze well. Thaw at room temperature or thaw and reheat in a microwave.
Notes
Mini cheese buns - Use a 24-count mini muffin tin and decrease the baking time by 5 minutes.
*Cooling time is an important factor in successful gluten free baking. I encourage my students to do the taste test. Try them after they've cooled for 5 minutes, they probably taste under done. Wait another 10 minutes, they'll still be warm and I'm sure you will recognize the difference. Learn to do this with all your baked goods for optimal results.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
2 Comments
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Hi Cinde, I have made your Brazilian Cheese Bread several times now and I keep getting asked to make more. They are so super easy to make and so delicious! I will have to make a double batch next time. And…they freeze very well. I just warm them up in a very low oven. Thanks for another great recipe.
Thanks Julie, I’m glad these are a hit for you! I put these in my lunch right out of the freezer and enjoy them with a salad. Let me know if you make any variations of these, I did a pesto-cheddar version a long time ago and of course the pizza version I have posted. So many possibilities! Happy baking!