Best Brazilian Cheese Bread - Tasty Recollections

Equipment

Parchment paper

Ingredients

1½ cups tapioca flour
¼ cup vegetable oil (50ml) (corn, canola, sunflower, etc.)
¼ cup water (50ml)
½ cup milk (110ml) (2% or whole milk)
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg approximately 55g
100 g mozzarella cheese
30 g parmesan cheese
vegetable oil or olive oil to grease your hands

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Add tapioca flour and salt to a large bowl and mix.
1½ cups tapioca flour, ½ teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, combine the oil, water and milk. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it starts to boil. Turn off the heat.
¼ cup vegetable oil (50ml), ¼ cup water (50ml), ½ cup milk (110ml)
Carefully pour the hot mixture over the tapioca flour mixture.
Stir with a spoon and let it cool until you can handle it with your hands.
While the mixture cools, grate the cheeses using the coarser side of a grater
100 g mozzarella cheese, 30 g parmesan cheese
Once the mixture has cooled, add the egg and start mixing.
1 egg
Check the consistency of the dough. It should be a little sticky. If it isn't add 10g (1tbsp) more milk to make the dough a bit stickier. Press with your fingers to help absorption and keep pressing and folding the dough until it returns to a uniform consistency (about 5 minutes).
Add the grated cheeses to the dough and press again just until the cheese is well mixed.
Divide the dough into equal portions and roll it with both hands to form a ball. Grease your hands with oil if the dough is sticky and spread it over the entire surface of the dough balls.
Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 4 centimeters of space between them.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes
If the row at the back starts to brown while the front row is still pale, rotate the baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy your Pão de Queijo fresh and warm out of the oven!

Video

Notes

If you wish to use a mix of tapioca flour (polvilho doce) and sour starch (polvilho azedo) or replace tapioca flour (polvilho doce) entirely with sour starch (polvilho azedo)
Adjust the salt according to your personal preference and depending on the type of cheese you use. If you decide to use saltier cheeses add less salt.
For best results, grate your own cheese — pre-shredded cheese usually has additives that prevent it from melting smoothly
Storage: These are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven but, they can be kept at room temperature for up to 1 day. Reheat in a toaster oven or air fryer until warm and crispy.
Freezing: Portion the dough into balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a zip-top bag and store for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, they can go straight from the freezer to your oven or air fryer
Tip: If you’re having trouble rolling the dough, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes until it firms up and becomes easier to handle.
This makes 18 Brazilian cheese bread rolls of about 30g each.
Cheese: Use about 1 cup total. I like a mix of mozzarella and parmesan to mimic the flavor of Brazilian cheese bread, but you can use any firm, grateable cheese you prefer—cheddar works too, just note that the cheese you choose will influence the final taste. Avoid soft or wet cheeses like cream cheese, cottage cheese, or ricotta.
Please note that calories provided are only an estimate.

Nutrition