BrazilLatin America

Pão de Queijo

Name: Pão de Queijo
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 250 g Tapioca flour (tapioca starch); 1 cup Whole milk; ½ cup Vegetable oil, plus a little for your hands; 1 tsp Table salt; 2 Eggs (large), at room temperature, beaten; 150 g Parmesan cheese (wedge), finely grated

50 minServes 6$30.59

Milk, oil, and salt are brought to a boil and poured over tapioca starch to make a scalded dough, which is beaten with eggs and grated cheese, rolled into small balls, and baked until puffed, crisp outside, and chewy inside. This version uses only sweet tapioca starch (polvilho doce); many recipes use sour starch (polvilho azedo), alone or mixed in, for a tangier, lighter roll. Parmesan is used in place of queijo minas, which is not available at the reference store, so the rolls are saltier and sharper.

Ingredients

250 gTapioca flour (tapioca starch)Buy 1 bag
1 cupWhole milkBuy 1 carton
½ cupVegetable oilplus a little for your handsBuy 1 bottle
1 tspTable saltBuy 1 canister
2Eggs (large)at room temperature, beatenBuy 1 carton
150 gParmesan cheese (wedge)finely gratedBuy 1 package

Substitution

Parmesan cheese (wedge) in place of “Queijo minas meia-cura (semi-aged Minas cheese), grated”. Parmesan replaces queijo minas, which is not a canonical ingredient and was not found at the reference store; it is saltier and sharper, so the rolls taste stronger.

Method

Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C), line a baking sheet with baking paper, and put the tapioca starch in a large heatproof bowl.
Bring the milk, oil, and salt just to a boil, pour it over the starch all at once, and stir hard with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth, sticky dough.
Let the dough cool until just warm, about 10 minutes, then beat in the eggs a little at a time until smooth and elastic.
Mix in the cheese. With oiled hands, roll the dough into balls about 3 cm across and set them 5 cm apart on the sheet.
Bake until puffed and lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes, and serve warm.