At the 2013 National Celiac Convention, they shared with everyone a fantastic recipe for Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread posted on Simply Recipes by Elise Bauer. It was published in the Celiac newsletter as well. I'm told in Argentina they are called Cheepa, and they live up to their name! If you buy your tapioca starch from Real Canadian Superstore or Extra foods, for anywhere from $0.79 to $1.48 you can get a package with enough to make 2 batches of 20-24 puffs. That is, if you are trusting of the quality and glutenfree purity. If you invest in a tested product bearing a Gluten Free claim, it will be priced accordingly.
It's a dead simple recipe, and it needs just one special piece of equipment - a mini-muffin pan. 12 or 24 teeny cups. They go on sale for as little as $5. I have both - one fits in the toaster oven, one goes in the big oven. Spring for what you can afford, and the non-stick are indeed welcome. Some brands are more non-stick than others, and I still spray the pan. Be sure to get spray that IS not the "baking" variety that has wheat flour in it.
IF by chance you have plain shiny aluminum pans, I wouldn't be spending the 5 seconds to consider them - don't! It's agony getting them out no matter how well you grease/butter/lubricate them!
IF by chance you have plain shiny aluminum pans, I wouldn't be spending the 5 seconds to consider them - don't! It's agony getting them out no matter how well you grease/butter/lubricate them!
You also don't want to try the full size muffin tin - close that drawer right now! *NOTE: Although, I have heard some folks have made full sized ones, I have not tested how long that would take or if they rise properly with this recipe. They may have used a more traditional recipe.
These little clouds of delightfulness are super simple, and pretty much anyone can make these perfectly. If, perhaps, you forget an ingredient, or mis-measure… well, that's definitely one for the learning experience. You can weigh, measure, whichever you are comfortable with.
Salt - it's one thing that is the variable here dependant on the cheese you select. I have omitted it almost 100% of the time, but in some cases, I add a dash or two. A teaspoon… seems much to my taste, and I love salt.
Go ahead, use a blender or a food processor. I found the blender to be frustrating, but it could just be my blender! I also gave up grating the cheese. If you are using the food processor, chop the cheese to 1-2" cubes, and just pulse/blitz it until it seems like there are no large bits left. Up to you… your knuckles.
Enjoy!
