Happy April everyone!
This is the month that really starts to feel like spring; things are starting to bloom outside in my garden and the days are brighter and a little warmer. As the world collectively is going through something that we all thought we would never face, I still have hope we can come out of this with lessons learned. Maybe appreciating all the things we take for granted on the daily; like spending time with family and friends, letting our kids play at the park, or the fact that we can go and buy groceries knowing the shelves are always filled with what we need. Maybe we can think about how the earth has been suffering for years and we are starting to see pollution reduced. As a family we have tried to make some conscious efforts to change our environmental impact over the past few years; recycling as much as we can, not wasting food that we buy and changing some of the products we use in our home. Some of these things include reusable straws, bamboo toothbrushes, soaps that are earth friendly, reusable makeup wipes, food wraps that can be used again, and of course grocery bins and reusable fruit and veggie bags. The list goes on and on of all the easy changes we can make to help save our planet. Don’t forget, Wednesday, April 22nd is Earth Day!
I don’t know about you but we have been cooking up a storm since all this craziness started, maybe because it brings me comfort to cook for m
y family and get my mind off things. I have been baking some things we can freeze to save us money on groceries. Muffins and breads are always great as premade gluten free bakery products are expensive. One thing my family loves is Brazilian cheese breads (Pao de Queijo). These crispy yet chewy little puffs are the best thing I have ever tasted since going gluten free. So I thought I would give you guys my recipe for these on the blog this month. I usually make several batches and freeze them, just pop them into a toaster oven to warm and crisp.
Brazlian Cheese Bread
½ cup of olive oil
⅓ cup of water
⅓ cup of unflavoured unsweetened cashew milk or soy milk (dairy milk can be used as well)
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups of tapioca flour or arrowroot flour
⅔ cups of fresh grated parmesan cheese (or any cheese you like, we use old cheddar as well for a change of flavour)
2 eggs beaten
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Put the oil, water, milk and salt into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, stir in tapioca flour and stir until smooth. Set aside and let it cool for 10 -15 minutes.
Stir in the cheese and egg to the mixture until combined, the mixture will be sticky and stretchy. If the batter is too runny add a few spoonfuls of your tapioca flour, do not add too much as your breads will be too dry. Drop 1 ⁄ 4 cup sized balls onto the parchment lined cookie sheet. I use a large cookie scoop.
I like to use my stand mixer to make these as it’s easier than mixing by hand but it can be done without the mixer.
Bake for 15 -20 minutes until lightly golden. They should be crispy on the outside and chewy and stretchy on the inside. Depending on your oven, as I bake with a gas one, baking time may vary. If needed, add on 2 minutes at a time until they reach the crisp outside with a chewy centre.
They should be a round puff shape. Sometimes the batter can be a little runny depending on your tapioca starch. If that happens you can always bake them in mini muffin tins, or I let them flatten on the tray and use them as mini sandwich or slider buns.
As well as trying different cheeses you can also add a clove of grated garlic to the batter. We also sprinkle “everything bagel seasoning” on ours.
Hope you enjoy these and let me know how they came out. Tag me in your post when you try out the recipe @healing_hashimoto on Instagram.
My wish to you and your family is to stay healthy during this challenging situation. Let’s try to enjoy this time together and be thankful for all we do have.
Cheers Wendy
Comments