Gluten Free Cheese Bread

Project 365 – #183

I’ve seen these called Brazilian Cheese Puffs, but I made ours a little differently than the traditional cheese puffs.  These are naturally gluten free due to the ingredients.  I love how quick and easy these are to make. You literally just toss the ingredients in the blender, blend, pour, and bake.  Simple, easy, delicious.  These little bites are packed with flavor.

After my sister had these at a restaurant, she called me to see if I could come up with a recipe that would work.  I hunted here and there for different recipes.  In the end, I combined several different recipes and added my own twist to come up with this version.  (There were several “fails” along the way. lol!)  These have a slightly chewy texture.  My family enjoys these with a crispy “crust”, so I bake mine longer than you would normally bake a Brazilian Cheese Puff.  (The cheese “puffs” pictured above are a crispy version baked in a shallow mini-egg wilton pan.)

Gluten Free Mini Cheese Bread Puffs Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 egg (room temp is best)
• 1/3 C plain yogurt
• 1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 C cheddar cheese
• 1 C tapioca starch/flour
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1/4 C water (room temp)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Place all ingredients in blender.  Blend until completely combined.  This will be thin batter.
3. Pour mixture in prepared mini muffin tins.
4. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees F.
5. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until slightly golden.  (I bake longer since we like to have that nice crispy outside crust.)
6. Remove from pan.  Serve immediately or cool and store in airtight container.

Other options:

Pour approximately 1/4 inch (or less) layer of batter into pan, top with seeds/grains/cheese, and bake as above.  Serve with marinara or other dipping sauce.  (This is basically a slightly chewy flat bread.  The one shown above has black sesame seeds on it.)

Experiment with different cheeses and seasonings for a completely different flavor profile.