Brazilian Cheese Bread

Dear Reader, I'm sorry to alarm you with such a dramatic title but I'm guessing that you're as frantically busy as I am and perhaps in need of some dramatic saving with Christmas coming so ominously close. And if anything could save Christmas dinner, it's this bread.

I first had this bread in Los Angeles at a Brazilian churrasco eatery and it was one of those items that I just couldn't forget. It's a beautifully moist, spongy, light slightly stretchy cheese bread that melts in your mouth. I had assumed because of the enraptured reactions of those around us that it was perhaps difficult to make.

Little did I know that it was incredibly easy, gluten free and tastes even better when you make it at home and can be stored in the fridge in a jug and just baked fresh whenever you want it - i.e it is a Christmas culinary miracle! I found the recipe on Elise's fab blog Simply Recipes and adapted it from there adding more cheese and chilli flakes.

Please forgive the photos, they aren't great as I hadn't expected to love them as much as I did so I wasn't even sure that I'd blog them as I made them in such a hurry. In fact they're so much better than the ones you get at restaurants. Pulling apart one of these cheese puffs and seeing the stretch of cheese inside is one of those "forget the shopping list and enjoy" moments.

And yep this is one of those pushy recipes wherein I wholeheartedly recommend making these as your life will change. Okay I'm being very dramatic here but 'tis the season for that!

P.S. But it really will change your life! ;) xxx

So tell me Dear Reader, how are you going this close to Christmas? Is everything going according to plan for Christmas?

Amazing Cheese Puff Bread (Pão de queijo)

Makes 12 cheese rolls

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup milk
• 200g/7ozs tapioca or cassava flour
• 1.5 cups grated cheese (your favourite cheese although I'd use less if you were using blue cheese)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
• Non stick oil spray

Buyer's tip: Tapioca flour is found at Asian grocery stores.

Step 1 - Grease a muffin tin with the spray and preheat oven to 200C/392F. Blend all ingredients except non stick spray in a food processor or blender.

Step 2 - Place in a jug and pour into the greased cavities filling 3/4 of the way up the sides. Bake for 20 minutes. Eat on the same day as baking - they're wonderful out of the oven and even a couple of hours after being baked too.