Pao de Queijo (Brazillian Cheese Bread

Hey all, if you are looking for a healthy post, I'm sorry, I can't help you. This is definitely an everything in moderation scenario. Husband and I were at the farmer's market for our anniversary weekend and we stumbled across a new booth selling brazillian cheese bread. They had a HUGE sign that said GLUTEN FREE!!! so of course I had to sample and then inevitably purchase the treats. After demolishing the ones I bought in under an hour I knew I had to have them again. I went to my favorite gluten free store, Against the Grain and found that they sold the dough. So I bought that and ate it in about the same amount of time. Then I took to Google and Pinterest and found 4 different recipes for these delicious treats. I found some tapioca flour at Kitchen Kneads for a great price so it was just a matter of time. We tweaked this recipe a little by using Cojita cheese. We also were going to add diced jalapenos but decided to master the recipe first and then add the peppers. Consider it mastered. It was super easy! Thing 2 who is gluten free gobbled up 2 and a half of these things he calls cupcakes. Even super picky, super sweet niece ate one! I decided to use them as hamburger buns since we were having a 4th of July BBQ and oh my goodness. I am never eating a hambuger on a normal gluten free bun again! They even tasted better than normal buns or ciabattas! They are totally high calorie for which I apologize but it is a great gluten free alternative to a normal roll or bun or bread. 5 out of 5 stars and 2 thumbs way, way up!!! Just some advise, when it says serve warm, they mean it. Heat it in the microwave if you are eating it the next day. Also we didn't have to add any additional flour after the 3 1/2 cups.

Source: chefinyou.com

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter melted
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3-1/2 cups tapioca flour + 2 tbsp
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 cup grated farmer's cheese or any firm, fresh cows milk cheese (I used fresh Mozzarella)
• 2-3 tbsp grated cheddar cheese (optional)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk, salt, vegetable oil and butter in a pot, and bring to a boil.
2. As soon as it boils, remove from heat. Stir tapioca flour into the milk and butter mixture.
3. Stir in the eggs and the cheese, and mix well.
4. Let mixture cool for 15-30 minutes, so that it will be easier to handle.The recipe mentions refrigeration for 15 minutes. But if you see the picture below with the measurement they provided it was more of a bread broth and when I added extra flour it became like this. Much better. The measurement I have provided makes it easy to roll into balls.But then as I mentioned previously add it with discretion. Its still sticky but flouring your hands make it easier.
5. With floured (tapioca flour) hands, shape the dough into small balls. and place them on a baking sheet.
6. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are puffed up and are golden. They will rise slowly and puff up mostly in the last 5 or 10 minutes. You know they are done when there is amazing aroma wafting (tapioc'ish (#!#$?) smell?), the bread puffs up with lots of cracks (looks like some dinosaur egg hatching!) and it gets this v. slight yellowish glow with flecks of yellow here and there (cheese flecks?)
7. Serve warm
               

And yes, that is mayonaise and BBQ sauce dripping from my burger. Don't judge.

Real Bagels

We had some good friends over for breakfast this morning so we decided to give these a whirl last night. We didn't have enough bread flour so we used all purpose. We also didn't have the barley malt syrup so we left it out. We were very nervous at first, ok I'll be honest, we were nervous the whole way through, but they actually turned out pretty good. The boiling is weird but gives them that outer crust. A few tips. Don't use the wax paper. It sticks to the bottom. And we had to broil them for a minute or so to get them slightly golden. All in all they tasted like bagels which in my mind is a success. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 28 ¹⁄₂ ounces bread flour divided (about 6 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup (omit if you cannot find)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 12 cups water
• ³⁄₄ cup sugar

Directions

1. Combine 2 cups warm water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Weigh or lightly spoon 28.13 ounces flour (about 6 1/4 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, syrup, and salt to yeast mixture. Mix dough at low speed 6 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic; add enough of remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 12 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), shape each portion into a ball. Make a hole in the center of each ball using your index finger. Using fingers of both hands, gently pull dough away from center to make a 1 1/2-inch hole. Place bagels on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat bagels with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 10 minutes (bagels will rise only slightly).
3. Preheat oven to 450°.
4. Combine 12 cups water and 3/4 cup sugar in a Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Gently lower 3 bagels into pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the bagels to a wire rack lightly coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining bagels, working in batches of 3. Divide the bagels between two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 450° for 7 minutes. Rotate pans, and bake for 7 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
5. Note: Omit barley malt syrup if you can't find it.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 255

Fat: 1.1g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 322mg

Fiber: 1.7g

Protein: 8.3g

Tomato-Provolone Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo

This was another "what do we have in the kitchen" recipe. We used our homemade pesto and the honey-oatmeal wheat bread and although it tasted great I think it would be even better on sourdough as the recipe says. Husband and I gobbled this up pretty quick so it must have been a 5 out of 5 stars and super easy to make.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons organic canola mayonnaise (such as Spectrum)
• 5 teaspoons refrigerated pesto
• 8 (1 1/2-ounce) slices sourdough bread
• 4 (1/2-ounce) slices provolone cheese
• 1 cup arugula leaves
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine mayonnaise and pesto in a bowl, stirring well.
3. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil bread 2 minutes or until toasted. Turn bread over; place 1 cheese slice on each of 4 bread slices. Broil 1 minute or until cheese is bubbly. Spread about 2 teaspoons pesto mixture over each cheese-topped bread slice. Arrange 1/4 cup arugula and 2 tomato slices over pesto mixture; sprinkle tomato slices evenly with pepper and salt. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of remaining pesto mixture evenly over one side of each remaining bread slice; place 1 slice, pesto-side down, on top of each sandwich.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 329

Fat: 16.7g

Cholesterol: 16mg

Sodium: 630mg

Fiber: 2.9g

Protein: 11g

Honey-Oatmeal Wheat Bread

This is definitely one of those recipes where if I can do it you can too. On my quest for the perfect sandwich bread I found this and since we had everything for it already I decided to give it a whirl. When adding all the ingredients I kept thinking "there is NO way this will taste good" with molasses and honey and oats but I am happy to report this was REALLY good. Thing 1 and I split a piece and he begged for more so it is definitely kid friendly. Husband gobbled up the bread butt so fast I could tell he wasn't lying when he said he loved it. It is a little more calories than I would hope for in a piece of bread but I figure with all the good stuff baked in to it I'd rather this than a piece of wonder bread. 5 out of 5 stars from everyone in the house.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour divided
• 2 ¹⁄₂ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup uncooked regular oats
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¹⁄₄ cup honey
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Vegetable cooking spray

Directions

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a 2-cup glass measuring cup; let yeast mixture stand 5 minutes.
2. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, and salt.
3. Beat yeast mixture, 1 cup all-purpose flour, honey, and olive oil at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until well blended. Gradually add whole wheat flour mixture, beating at low speed until a soft dough forms.
4. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface, and knead 9 minutes, adding additional all-purpose flour (up to 6 tablespoons) as needed. (Dough will be slightly sticky.) Place dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray, turning to grease top of dough.
5. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Roll each portion into a 13- x 8-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Roll up each dough rectangle, starting at 1 short side, jelly-roll fashion; pinch ends to seal. Place loaves, seam sides down, into 2 (8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch) loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.
7. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until almost doubled in bulk. Remove and discard plastic wrap.
8. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped and are golden. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans, and cool on wire racks.
9. Note: If you don't have a heavy-duty electric stand mixer, you may mix dough by hand with a wooden spoon.
10. This recipe makes two loaves, so freeze one after cooling to help it stay fresh longer. Slice first, if desired; then wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and place in a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 1 month.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 150

Fat: 2.4g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 297mg

Fiber: 2.4g

Protein: 4g

No-Knead Overnight Parmesan and Thyme Rolls

 

This was my latest attempt at bread making and it was fun! Anything that involves bread and cheese is good by me. Thing 1 helped me make these and was very interested in the process which was fun. There are a lot of strong flavors especially the thyme so make sure you like thyme before you make this recipe. I liked this a lot the night I first had it but it was even better the next day when I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and paired it with our yummy potato soup leftovers. That made it a 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons warm water (100° to 110°)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¹⁄₃ cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• ¹⁄₂ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese divided
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1 ¹⁄₁₀ ounces whole-wheat white flour (about 1/4 cup)
• 5 ³⁄₅ ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups) divided
• Cooking spray
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add thyme to pan; cook 1 minute or until bubbly and fragrant. Add thyme mixture and milk to yeast mixture, stirring with a whisk; add 1/4 cup cheese, sugar, salt, and egg, stirring well.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon whole-wheat white flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Using a wooden spoon, stir whole-wheat white flour into yeast mixture. Weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add all-purpose flour to yeast mixture, stirring well. Add enough of remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth but very sticky dough. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Dough will not double in size.)
4. Remove dough from refrigerator. Do not punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough into a 12 x 7–inch rectangle. Brush dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese evenly over dough; sprinkle with pepper. Beginning with a long side, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut roll into 8 (1 1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until rolls have risen slightly.
5. Preheat oven to 400°.
6. Place pan in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 375°. Bake rolls at 375° for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 161

Fat: 6.3g

Cholesterol: 32mg

Sodium: 246mg

Fiber: 1.3g

Protein: 6.3g

 

Rustic White Bread

Bread attempt number 2 = successful! This recipe was much easier/quicker and turned out much better for sandwiches which is what I was looking for. This one is kneaded by hand which as a non-bread maker I didn't have a clue how to do so once again I took to Google and found this You Tube video which was quite helpful. Thing 1 ate the end piece ( or as we affectionately refer to it in our house, the bread butt) and his response was "That's a yummy bread Mom." I think I am almost ready to tackle a sourdough so be looking for that in the future. For now, enjoy this bread that is a 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 3 cups bread flour divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 large egg white lightly beaten

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)
4. Punch dough down. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Shape dough into a 6-inch round; place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 450°.
6. Uncover dough. Combine 1 teaspoon water and egg white, stirring with a whisk; brush over dough. Make 3 (4-inch) cuts 1/4 inch deep across top of dough using a sharp knife.
7. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until bread is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 128

Fat: 0.6g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 201mg

Fiber: 1g

Protein: 4.6g

Crusty French Boules

I decided to take on the challenge of bread making since I have been scared of it for so long. Don't ask me why I picked a recipe that takes like 2 days to kick off my bread making practice, temporary insanity maybe, I just did. Surprisingly it wasn't awful. Not wonderful, but not awful. Normally Husband helps me with the cooking and actually does the majority of it but I took such ownership over this recipe about the only things I let him do were rip the plastic wrap and spray the bowl. I'm glad too because once this came out of the oven I had such a sense of accomplishment. I know, normal people make bread all the time but for me this was a triumph and the start of something hopefully fantastic. This was a pretty good recipe but I was expecting something a little different to come out of the oven. The loaves were very thin and flat so they didn't make great sandwich bread like I was hoping. The flavor and texture were good so that was a plus. I left the pâte fermentée in the fridge for just under 3 days (supposedly 48 hours is best) and it was just fine. I think I will attempt another bread and see which one I like better. Ok, maybe a few more. All in all a 4 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 5 ⁶³⁄₁₀₀ ounces all-purpose flour divided (about 1 1/4 cups)
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon active dry yeast
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• Cooking spray
• ³⁄₄ cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 4 ounces bread flour (about 2/3 cup)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal

Directions

1. To prepare the pâte fermentée, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1/2 cup warm water, and beat at low speed until mixture is thoroughly combined. Add enough of the remaining 4 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough just begins to pull away from sides of bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes. Place dough in a small bowl coated with cooking spray. Place a piece of plastic wrap coated with cooking spray directly on dough. Refrigerate 48 hours or up to 3 days.
2. Remove pâte fermentée from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
3. To prepare the dough, place 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon yeast. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes or until bubbles form. Add pâte fermentée to yeast mixture; let stand 10 minutes. Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups) and 4 ounces bread flour (about 2/3 cup) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flours and 1 teaspoon salt to bowl; beat at low speed until flour is incorporated. Increase mixer to medium speed, and beat for 6 minutes. (Dough should form a ball.)
4. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; lightly coat dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, dry place, free from drafts, for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down, and divide into 2 equal portions. Knead each portion for 1 minute. Shape each dough portion into a 5-inch round by pulling the sides down, pinching and tucking them under the bottom center of dough, forming a smooth, taut surface on the top. Place dough rounds on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 1 hour and 15 minutes or until doubled in size.
5. Place a small ovenproof saucepan with 3 inches of water directly on the floor of oven. Preheat oven to 450°.
6. Uncover dough. Spray dough lightly with water. Make 4 (4-inch) cuts 1/4 inch deep in dough to form a grid across top of each loaf using a sharp knife. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Remove water pan from oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when bottom is tapped. Cool on a wire rack. Cut each boule, crosswise, into 12 slices.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 82

Fat: 0.3g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 148mg

Fiber: 0.6g

Protein: 2.5g

View recipe at plantoeat.com