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Pão de Queijo Vegano / Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread
Brazilian Cheese Bread (pão de queijo) is a great treat: gooey, warm little breads full of flavor. As their name suggests, they are full of cheese, and eggs, too, but the real secret to their unique texture is tapioca flour; this starchy flour creates all the texture in the bread. To create a vegan version, I followed the lovely recipe (and adorable video) from Vegetariano come o quê?, which is in Portuguese, and uses mashed potatoes instead of cheese to create texture. These are delicious, and I’ve provided an English/Americanized version of the recipe for you below.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups of tapioca flour
- 2 cups of potatoes or yucca (your choice), cooked, and mashed
- Salt, to taste (1 tsp)
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
*Preheat your oven to 350.
Boil the water and the oil together in a saucepan. Mix together the tapioca flour and salt in a separate bowl. When the water has boiled, add it to the dry mix, stirring rapidly. It is ok if it does not all come together. Then add the cooked, mashed potato and mix together until a smooth dough forms; if needed, add more hot water. Add the baking powder and mix well, until it has all incorporated in the dough.
Pat a little oil on the palms of your hands and shape the dough into small balls (whatever size you’d like). Place them on a cookie sheet and bake until golden, about 30-40 minutes. The pães de queijo (cheese breads!) may be frozen.
YUM. making some this weekend. may vamp the recipe a bit.
