Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo)

Pao de Queijo is a gluten free cheese bread that’s commonly found in Brazil.  Once you try these delicious cheese breads, I guarantee you will not be able to stop at only one.  They are addicting, and yes, they are gluten free.  Gluten free bread,  how is that possible, you ask?  Well, it’s made with manioc flour, also known as tapioca flour.  Tapioca flour can be found at ethnic markets, and even at Whole Foods.

The tricky thing about making Pao de Queijo is that there are a million different variations on this recipe.  The recipe I am using comes from a family friend in Brazil.  The problem I had when making this, was that the dough was too watery.  That seems to be the common problem out there.  I was disappointed in my first batch, in that it was too soft to roll into little balls.  I was about to throw out the remaining dough that I had, and then I noticed that the consistency had changed after sitting out for 30 minutes.  Something magical happened and I was finally able to make little cheese balls, with no problem.  They were no longer too soft and gooey.  The second batch came out perfectly!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Ingredients needed.

Add the whole bag of tapioca flour and 2 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl.

Here I added one cup of canola oil to 1 cup of water.

Combine the 1 cup of water, oil , salt and 1 cup of milk into a pot.  Bring to a boil.

Now pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients.

Add 3 eggs…….

and start mixing.  Stir until your dough is elastic in texture.  The consistency will be sticky.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Now here is where it gets a little tricky.  I have found, if you let the dough sit and cool, it is much easier to roll into little balls.  My first batch (right photo) was very difficult to form.   I had to scoop the dough and spoon it onto the cookie sheet.  The second batch was made with the same dough, but after it had sat out for 30 minutes.  I was actually able to roll the dough into little balls with no problem.  You want them to be about 3/4 the size of a golf ball. Another trick is to add a little bit of oil to your hands when rolling them.  Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven.

The cheese bread should be semi hard on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.

Enjoy them while they’re hot!

Ingredients:

1  (1 lb 8 oz) bag Manioc flour, a.k.a. Tapioca flour, or starch.

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup water

1 cup milk

3 eggs

2 tsp salt, to taste

2 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Cooking method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl, mix the manioc flour and grated Parmesan cheese.  In a pot, combine oil, milk,  water and salt.  Bring to boil.  Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs and mix well.  Stir until your dough is elastic in texture.  Allow the dough to cool.  The consistency will be on the sticky side.  Add a little vegetable oil to your hands.  Now roll the dough into little balls about 3/4 size of a golf ball.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F. and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.  They should be semi hard on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.

Enjoy them while they are hot.  I dare you to eat just one!