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A metal rack with cheese buns and someone pulling one apart showing how stretchy they are.

Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

These cheese buns, a popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil, are made from tapioca starch. If you're cooking gluten free, for the rest of your life, I recommend you try every specialty food from every culture that is naturally gluten free. This is one of them.
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Course: Baking, Bread, Rice Free Baking
Cuisine: brazilian
Keyword: Brazilian cheese bread, Brazilian cheese buns
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 12 buns
Author: Cinde Little

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)
  • cup whole milk
  • cup olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon 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. Reheat in microwave on 50% power for a warm, stretchy, chewy treat.

Notes

Silicone muffin liners or baking pans are perfect for this recipe!
If you want to enjoy them fresh out of the oven the batter will keep in the fridge for 3 days. Just stir, portion and bake up as many as you want. Some celiacs use a toaster oven.
Mini cheese buns: Use a 24-count mini muffin tin and decrease the baking time by 5 minutes.
*Cooling time is essential for 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 5 or 10 minutes, they'll still be warm and I'm sure you'll recognize the difference. Learn to do this with all your baked goods until you know the baking time and cooling time that gives the best results.