Pão de Queijo
Brazilian cheese bread: small puffs of tapioca-flour dough enriched with eggs, milk and cheese, baked golden and chewy on the outside, soft and stretchy inside. Naturally gluten-free; eats hot from the oven, with coffee for breakfast or alongside any Brazilian meal. Snack-sized; you'll eat several.
Overview
Sweet (sour, "polvilho doce" or sweet) tapioca starch combines with hot milk-and-oil mixture (scalds the starch), then eggs and grated cheese. The mixture is sticky and unmanageable, refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up, or use damp hands to roll. Small balls bake until puffed and golden. Best straight from the oven.
Ingredients
- 250 ml whole milk
- 80 ml vegetable oil (or 80 g unsalted butter)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 250 g sour tapioca starch (polvilho azedo) or sweet tapioca starch (polvilho doce; both work; sour gives the proper Minas style)
- 2 eggs (large)
- 200 g parmesan (or a mix of parmesan and a soft, mild Brazilian-style cheese like queso fresco or feta)
Method
Stage 1 - Scald
- Combine the milk, oil and salt in a small pan.
- Bring to a steady boil - pull off the heat the moment it bubbles up.
Stage 2 - Mix with starch
- Place the tapioca starch in a wide bowl.
- Pour the hot milk mixture over; stir with a wooden spoon - the starch will go from powder to a stringy, lumpy paste.
- Cool 10 minutes (you'll be adding eggs; don't cook them).
Stage 3 - Eggs and cheese
- Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating before the next. The mixture will look broken; keep mixing - it comes together.
- Stir in the grated cheese.
- The dough will be sticky and a bit unruly.
Stage 4 - Rest
- Refrigerate 30 minutes; the dough firms up significantly.
Stage 5 - Shape
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Wet your hands; pinch off walnut-sized pieces; roll into balls.
- Place on lined baking trays, 3 cm apart (they puff).
Stage 6 - Bake
- Bake 22-25 minutes until puffed and deep golden.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Eat hot from the oven, ideally within 10 minutes of baking.
Notes
- Tapioca starch only: Cornflour or cassava flour is not the same - they don't give the chew that defines pão de queijo. Polvilho is sold at Brazilian grocers and online.
- Sour vs sweet polvilho: Sour (azedo) is fermented, gives a slight tang and more lift. Sweet (doce) is milder. Both work; many recipes mix 50/50.
- Eat fresh: The chew is at its best within 10 minutes of baking. Cooled pão de queijo is still tasty but loses its character - re-warm at 180°C for 5 minutes to revive.
Storage
- Best fresh. Frozen unbaked dough balls keep 2 months - bake from frozen, adding 5 minutes.
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