As a matter of fact, I do! My friend Bill gave me this recipe years ago, a favorite from his Brazilian wife Silvia. I’ve made it several times, each time with different cheeses. Talk about addictive! I’ve cut Bill’s original recipe down to just a third, because if I actually made a full batch (48) I could conceivably eat them all.
Video: How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread
There are several ways to make Pão de Queijo. One method includes cooked potatoes. One method is sort of like a pâte a choux in which you cook the dough first. The quickest, easiest, short-cut method is what I describe here (and the only way some of my Brazilian friends make it). You put the ingredients in a blender. Pour them out into a mini-muffin tin and bake. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make a big batch of batter and just store it in the refrigerator (for up to a week), pouring out just as many mini-muffins as you want to eat. You can even cook them in a toaster oven. The only ingredient in this recipe that you might have trouble finding is tapioca flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes it, and you can find it at Whole Foods. Tapioca flour is gluten-free, so this cheese bread is great for gluten-free eaters.
Using a Standard-Sized Muffin Pan
This pão de queijo recipe is best made in a mini muffin pan since it yields a good ratio of crispy exterior to chewy interior. However, you can make the cheese bread in a standard muffin pan. Use a greased, nonstick pan, fill the wells 3/4 full, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. This recipe calls for a room-temperature egg. If you don’t plan ahead (that would be me, usually) you can put the egg in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to gently take off the chill of the fridge. Depending on the saltiness of your cheese, you may want to increase or decrease the salt in this recipe. Eat while warm or at room temperature (they’re best when fresh). Note that Brazilian cheese bread is very chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for 1 week. Reheat for several seconds in the microwave or for a 1 to 2 minutes in the toaster oven before serving. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month and reheated in a toaster oven or low oven until thawed and crisp. When consulting my Brazilian friend Fernanda of Chucrute Com Salsicha for this post, she told me that although she makes the cheese bread the quick way in a blender, one of her favorite recipes comes from her friend Pat, which incorporates mashed potatoes and requires kneading by hand. It’s extra work, but Fernanda says the results are great. You can find the original recipe in Portuguese on Fernanda’s site here: Pao de queijo da Pat. And here is Fernanda’s translation: 1 kg tapioca flour [polvilho azedo]1 kg potato, cooked in water and mashed250 ml milk at room temperature250 ml vegetable oil1 tablespoon salt1/2 queso fresco or panela grated [1 pound]6 free range eggs Put the tapioca flour in a bowl. Add the potato still hot using a potato masher. Add salt. Mix very well using your hands. Add milk and continue working the dough with your hands. Add vegetable oil. Continue working. Add the grated cheese, and at last the eggs. Add 1 teaspoon of anise seeds for a special touch. The dough needs to get very silky and be moldable. If it is breaking, add one more egg. Make little round breads, and bake at 450oF for 20 minutes. The dough can be frozen.
