As I have mentioned before, we are cooking gluten free for my daughter Sarah. It has been a real challenge! However, I have been so blessed to find recipes she loves. I typically make a recipe for her and freeze the leftovers so she can pull them out whenever she needs something quick or whenever I am not making a meal that is strictly gluten free for the rest of us. Honestly, gluten free products and flours cost so much, we can’t afford to all eat this way.

My husband (who does the grocery shopping) had brought home some packs of bagels and English muffins for the rest of us and I needed to find a bread that Sarah would enjoy that would have a comparable “chewiness.”

For a first attempt, this recipe was incredibly easy and super delicious! In fact, I split a couple of rolls between the rest of our family for the “taste test,” and the bread was a hit with everyone. Even my husband suggested I regularly make them for everyone to eat.

This recipe is a traditional recipe made in Brazil and is naturally gluten free. The Tapioca Flour used was difficult for me to find. We live in a small town, however even in the health food stores we visit a couple of hours away didn’t carry it. However, I finally found an inexpensive source – an Asian market in Knoxville. Tapioca Flour will be a staple in our house from now on! I am anxious to experiment with this recipe, possibly making similar breads out of it. I am thinking gluten free Italian Bread, and possibly trying to shape the rolls into a bagel shape with wet hands. I’ll let you know if it works. Also, I believe that you could substitute the cheese with your favorite and even leave out the garlic. So here’s the recipe:

Brazilian Cheese Bread

1/2 cup olive oil or butter
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca flour
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour olive oil, water, milk, and salt into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour and garlic until smooth. Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the cheese and egg into the tapioca mixture until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Drop rounded, 1/4 cup-sized spoonfuls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe yielded 8 (4 inch flattened) rolls for me.

You can see in the photo above how similar in appearance the inside is to an English muffin, and the bread is chewy like a bagel. Yum!

Note: I flattened my “scoops” out somewhat on the baking sheet (before baking) to resemble English Muffins when sliced open. I had a bunch of English muffins in the pantry and was in the mood to make some vegetarian Eggs Benedict.

Here is a photo of this incredible bread with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce:

(This photo would have looked nicer if I had planned for it and picked a different colored plate! But it tasted delicious!)