Brazilian Cheese Bread- from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

EASY BRAZILIAN CHEESE BREAD {PAO DE QUEIJO}

PREP TIME: 10 MINS

COOK TIME: 15-20

INGREDIENTS:

·        1 large egg

·        1/4 cup canola or vegetable or olive oil

·        2/3 cup milk

·        1 1/2 cups tapioca flour (fluff the flour before measuring), about 6.25 ounces/180 grams

·        3/4 teaspoon salt

·        1/2 cup packed shredded cheese, like Parmesan or Asiago (see note), about 2 ounces/57 grams

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin (this makes about 16-24 little breads so if you don’t have a muffin tin large enough, you can just make separate batches after the first ones come out).

2.      In a blender, combine the egg, oil, milk, flour and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender once or twice. Add the cheese and process for just a short bit, 5-10 seconds or a few short pulses, until the cheese is in small bits all throughout the batter.

3.      Give the batter a good stir to get any solids off the bottom and pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin filling the cups nearly to the top.

4.      Bake the pao de queijo until very lightly golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Don’t let them get too brown on the bottom or they will be too crusty and not as chewy.

5.      Remove them from the oven and let them cool for just a minute or two. They are best eaten warm! Don’t worry if the cute little puffs fall a bit in the middle – that’s completely normal.

NOTES:

You can experiment with many different cheeses in this recipe. My favorite combo is Parmesan and queso fresco (a widely available Mexican cheese). The texture will change if you use softer cheeses like cheddar or Monterey Jack. My recommendation if it’s your first time making is to use all Parmesan cheese and then experiment after that. Don’t substitute pregrated Parmesan in the green can or even the preshredded Parmesan in the bags or tubs (I tried that and the flavor was artificial and plasticky tasting). Freshly grated from a block is the way to go.

Also, in case you are wondering, there isn’t a good substitution for the tapioca flour (same thing as tapioca starch). We make these often enough that I go through bags and bags of the stuff (I buy it on Amazon – the Bob’s Red Mill brand – or it is usually widely available in most grocery stores these days).