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gluten-free breadsticks made with tapioca flour in a paper bag
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5 from 6 votes

Gluten-Free Breadsticks

Gluten-Free Breadsticks (aka Biscoito de Polvilho)  are a Brazilian snack, similar to Brazilian cheese bread, made with tapioca flour and can be either baked or deep-fried. Serve with coffee, tea, or any other drink of your choice.
Course:Snack
Cuisine:Brazilian
Keywords:baked, deep-fried, gluten-free breadstcks, quick recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 22 breadsticks
Calories134 kcal
Cost $ 0.35 per breadstick

Equipment

  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 Baking tray
  • oven or dee-fryer

Ingredients

  • 4 cups tapioca flour about 500 g  (or more if the dough gets too stick to shape the breadsticks)
  • cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (If deep-frying, you will need extra cold oil -- enough to deep-fry)
  • ½ tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon dried rosemary optional (skip the herbs and add ½ tablespoon sugar if deep-frying the breadsticks)
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature

Instructions

Baked Homemade Breadsticks

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (about 180 degrees C). Line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, stir tapioca flour and Parmesan cheese together until combined in a large heat-proof bowl; then set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, stir together the milk, oil, salt, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour the hot liquid mixture over the flour mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon until combined. The mixture will be lumpy. Let cool enough to handle the dough with your own hands.
  • Add eggs to one side of the bowl, break them with a fork and give a quick stir. Then, using your hands, mix them with the lumpy flour mixture until obtaining homogeneous dough, about 3-4 minutes. If the dough is too stick to roll, add just a little more tapioca flour and mix well until you can form into balls and then sticks.
  • Lightly grease your hands with a drop of vegetable oil. Using a tablespoon as measurement, spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the dough onto your hands, mold into balls and then roll into sticks, 2-inch (mini breadstick) to 4-inch long each (medium breadstick).
  • Arrange them on the lined baking sheets, leaving a space (1 to 2-inches) between them.
  • Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until tapioca breadsticks are puffy and lightly golden on top. Yield will vary according to the size of the tapioca breadsticks (22-45 breadsticks). Mine were approximately 4 inches long a piece, yielding about 22 breadsticks.
  • Serve while still warm accompanied by coffee, tea, or any other beverage of your choice. If desired, you can brush a bit of melted butter on top of the tapioca breadsticks. Enjoy!

Fried Quick Breadsticks:

  • Follow steps 2 to 5 above, but make the dough without the herbs and add about ½ tablespoon of sugar to the dough.
  • Place the shaped breadsticks in a pan with enough cold oil to deep-fry. These will prevent the dough to pop up while frying! Then, heat the oil on medium-high heat until bubbly. The breadsticks will float to the top!
  • At this point, turn the heat down to low and finish frying them until lightly golden brown. If you fry them in hot oil from beginning to end, they will pop up and may burn you.

Recipe Notes

Sour tapioca starch (polvilho azedo) is often used to make these tapioca breadsticks (biscoito de polvilho). Since it is not typically available at local supermarkets in the US, I used tapioca flour instead -- which is a suitable substitute, and can usually be found in the flour/cake aisle.
 
Storage
Gluten-free breadsticks are best eaten fresh and warm. If you have leftovers, let them cool, and then place them in a sealable bag. They keep well for up to 24 hours.
REHEAT: Make sure to wrap them individually in a slightly wet paper towel and reheat in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, or just until warm. Eat right away; otherwise, they will harden!
FREEZE: After making them, place the raw breadsticks on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and freeze them for about 1-2 hours or until firm. Transfer frozen breadsticks to a sealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Bake them right after taking them out of the freezer. Just add about 5-10 minutes to the regular baking time.  

Nutrition

Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 24mg | Vitamin A: 56IU | Calcium: 24mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

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