Pao de Queijo (Jeremy’s Cheese Bread-Food from the Heart)

Earlier in the year as I was clicking through my Instagram, perusing what my favorite bloggers and IGers were up to, I landed on Two Red Bowls.  A black and white photo of a young man hugging Luke, her son, and Luke gazing up at him. It was and is a beautiful photo. As I read her post, my chest tightened and my heart sank, the young man was her brother, Luke’s uncle, who had just passed away from colon cancer, far too young. It was so sad and so brave of her to share this with us, strangers, who feel a connection to her through her beautiful writing and wonderful recipes.

A few months later she posted a recipe for Pao de queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread. This was her brother’s contribution to holiday feasts.  She described how he made these savory bites in the afternoon for everyone to enjoy while prepping for the evening feast.

I made a mental note to make his Pao de queijo for Thanksgiving. I did, and as I watched my family gobble them up, I hoped her family was also together for Thanksgiving and finding comfort in the shared memories of her brother.

How to describe Pao de queijo?  They look like Gougeres, those airy, light, cheesy, French puffs. The KEY difference is these puffs are made with tapioca flour which gives them an elastic, stretchy quality, kind of like mochi.

Let’s Starch Here

These puffs are incredibly easy and quick to make. I did a little sleuthing for background on these savory Brazilian morsels. Recipes called for Tapioca Starch or Cassava Flour.  Both forms come from the cassava plant, cassava flour uses the entire root while tapioca is only the pulp and therefore contains very little protein or fiber. This recipe calls for tapioca starch or flour (same thing) not cassava flour.  Bob’s Red Mill offers a Tapioca Flour and most Asian markets carry multiple brands of Tapioca Starch/Flour. Bonus, it is gluten-free!

Traditional recipes for Pao de queijo call for heating up the liquids and then adding the starch which becomes a dough that is kneaded and formed into balls before baking.  This recipe is an easy but no less delicious version.

Throw all the ingredients, sans cheese, in a blender and pulse to combine.  The tricky part is the tapioca flour which gets gooey really fast.  Add your tapioca flour after putting at least some of the liquids in the blender.  Blend well.

Say Cheese

Add the shredded cheese last.  Pulse the blender a couple of times and you are done.  Don’t pulverize the cheese.  I like the combination of Parmesan and Mozzarella, it provides a nice balance of flavor and texture.  Use any cheese you like, cheddar, pepper jack, Farmer Cheese.  Adjust for the saltiness of your cheese.

Pour the batter into mini-muffin tins, it reminds me of making popovers.  It should be just the right amount of batter to fill the 24 cups equally.  Watch them rise as they bake.  Serve immediately.  I plan to make a batch for Christmas too.

I made a batch with butter just to satisfy my “butter is better” mantra.  Straight substitution, 1/4 cup melted butter for 1/4 cup oil. I added 1 tsp of oil (very arbitrary) since butter is 80/20 fat to water.  I warmed the milk a little (not hot) to keep the butter from solidifying.   The puffs turned out fine, they seemed a little heavier than the all-oil batch.  The butter did give the puffs a fuller flavor (built-in butter bias perhaps). Your choice. Whatever you do, make them, they’re lovely.

Print Pin

JEREMY’S CHEESE BREAD (PAO DE QUEIJO) Two Red Bowls

Brazilian cheese bread made with tapioca flour. Stretchy and cheesy, the perfect munchie.

Course Breads

Cuisine Latin America

Keyword Brazillian, cheese bread, Pao de Queijo

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Equipment

• mini-muffin tin

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125 gram) tapioca flour or tapioca starch
• ½ cup whole milk or milk of your choice
• ¼ cup vegetable oil or unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup about 2 ounce shredded cheese of your choice (Parmesan and mozzarella or Farmer's Cheese or blend of cheeses)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 24-well mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or oil.
• In a blender, combine the flour, milk, vegetable oil, egg, and salt. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, about a minute or so. Add the cheese and pulse once or twice more, until just combined.
• Divide the batter evenly into the greased mini-muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Baking for less time will give stretchier, chewier rolls, and more will give a crispier exterior. Serve warm. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated at 400 for 5 minutes.

Notes

Using a blender helps fully emulsify and aerate the batter, especially as the tapioca flour has a cornstarch-y consistency that can be difficult to mix by hand. YOu could probably use a handheld blender or food processor.

Try different cheeses, cheddar, or Monterey Jack, Farmer's Cheese.

Replace a few tablespoons of the milk with sweetened condensed milk which nicely complements the tapioca flour’s natural sweetness. But keep the amount of egg and oil the same, as that can affect how well the puffs rise and hold their shape.

May your holidays be filled with love and laughter shared with family and friends.