Pão de Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Bread #BreadBakers

Chewy and cheesy inside with a slightly crunchy outside, Pão de Queijo is a traditional baked snack served in Brazil. They are terribly more-ish. You cannot eat just one!

Everywhere I’ve lived over the past 55 years (13 countries and counting!) I’ve learned how to make favorite dishes and added them to our family repertoire, from spicy curries to homemade falafels. Brazil was not only one of our favorite places to live but it also introduced us to many of our favorite recipes including zesty caipirinha cocktails, black beans and sausage, bolinhos de bacalhau, garlicky collards greens, chocolatey brigadeiros and these delicious pão de queijo or Brazilian cheese breads.

Pão de queijo made an appearance at the local churrascarias (grilled meat restaurants) as well as lanchonetes (snack counters) across Brazil. When folks baked them at home, even in Brazil, they typically used Yoki package mixes, as did we. If you look online, there are places in the US you can order Yoki, but it’s just as easy, honestly, to make them from scratch. If you have to order something online anyway, go for the tapioca starch.

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Pão de Queijo or Brazilian Cheese Bread

Naturally gluten free! I used the Goya brand tapioca starch for these, readily available in many supermarkets for a reasonable cost. Bob’s Red Mill also makes sells it. This recipe is adapted from one on Sonia Portuguese.

Ingredients - makes about 70
1 cup or 240ml water
1 cup or 240ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil, plus more for greasing the pans
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups or 450g tapioca starch
2  large eggs
7 oz or 200g Parmesan cheese, grated finely

Method
Pour the water, milk, oil and salt into a large pot and bring it to the boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the tapioca starch.

Mix well with a wooden spoon until all of the tapioca starch is mixed in then set it aside to cool down till just warm.

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and grease two large baking pans with oil.

Beat the eggs and add them in to the warm dough.

Knead well until the eggs are fully incorporated. This is going to stick to your hands. Keep kneading and scrape the dough off with a spatula from time to time.

Add the grated cheese and keep kneading until the dough is smooth.

Scoop out 1 tablespoon pieces of dough and drop them on your prepared pan.

Roll the dough pieces into small balls, dampening your hands with water to stop the dough from sticking to you, dropping the balls back onto the baking pan. Wet your hands again as necessary during the rolling.

Bake the pão de queijo in your preheated oven for about 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and speckled in places.

Ideally, serve them warm. (But we'll also eat them the next day at room temperature.) Enjoy!

Check out that spongy interior! These guys are so chewy and cheesy. 

This month my Bread Bakers are all sharing gluten free recipes and I am taking my turn as host. Check out all of their great recipes!

• Coconut Flour Pancakes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gluten Free Cheddar Garlic Biscuits from What Smells So Good?
• Gluten-Free Petite Vanilla Bean Scones from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Idli – Steamed Sourdough Rice and Lentil Buns from Sneha's Recipe
• Japanese Rice Crackers from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Low Carb Garlic Rosemary Bread from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Pan de Yuca from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Pão de Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Quinoa Chia Multiseed Bread (Vegan ~ Gluten Free ~ Dairy Free) from CookWithRenu
• Spicy Besan and Fenugreek Crackers (GF and Vegan) from Sizzling Tastebuds

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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