Brazilian Cheese Bread Adds Pizzazz

This recipe for Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread) adds an international flair to any meal.  You’ll love the soft and chewy texture and cheesy flavor of this gluten-free recipe—and you’ll also like how it’s low in lactose, which is great for anyone with lactose intolerance or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) following the low-FODMAP diet.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (use lactose-free milk to lower FODMAPs)
½ cup coconut oil
1 tsp. salt
2 cups tapioca flour
2 eggs
1½ cups shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine milk, oil and salt. Whisk occasionally, and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Once large bubbles appear in milk, remove from heat.
2. Add tapioca flour to saucepan. Stir until no more dry tapioca flour remains and dough has a gelatinous texture. Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed for 1–2 minutes or until smooth.
3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs. With mixer at medium speed, slowly add eggs to dough. Use a spatula to scrape down any dough stuck to sides of bowl. With mixer on medium speed, add cheese, and mix until fully incorporated and dough is sticky, stretchy and soft.
4. Roll a generous tablespoon of dough between your palms to make golf ball–size rounds. Space the rounds 1–2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (TIP: As you are making balls of dough, dip your fingers into a bowl of olive oil or coconut oil to keep dough from sticking to your hands.)
5. Reduce heat to 350° just before putting dough balls in the oven. Bake for 25–30 minutes. Remove dough balls once the outsides are dry and just starting to color with orange flecks.

PER SERVING (1 bread ball): 92 cal, 6g fat (1g mono, 0g poly, 5g sat), 17mg chol, 168mg sodium, 8g carb (0g fiber, 0g sugars), 3g protein

SOURCE: The recipe by Colleen Francioli is posted by permission of Delicious Living (and its parent company New Hope Network), a trusted voice in the natural living community for 30 years. Photo by Jennifer Olson.