Brazilian Pão De Queijo

Pão de Queijo is typical in Brazil and in other Latin American countries.

In English, it translates to ‘cheese puffs’, or more commonly known as ‘cheese bread’. Some of the names you’ll hear besides the Portuguese version are ‘Chipá’, ‘Pan de Yuca’ (cassava bread) and ‘Cuñapé’.

Pão de Queijo is made from tapioca flour. Supermarkets in Latin America sell a dry ready mix that only needs adding the wet ingredients. Most people in South America enjoy making them the traditional way, though, as the recipe is very simple and quick! Recipes can vary across Latin American countries, however they all have the basics in common.

If you feel like testing your cooking skills, here’s our chef’s recipe for Fogo de Chão’s Pão de Queijo. You can find tapioca flour in local markets (or online at whole foods stores).

Ingredients:

50g Parsley
1 3/4 cups (220g) tapioca flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (28 g) extra-virgin olive oil
2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
85g cheese (you can use Parmesan cheese, or a mix of a few different types of cheese)
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven at 190 degrees.
In a bowl, place the tapioca flour and salt, combining the two.
Then, add the oil, eggs, cheese and mix gradually adding the milk while mixing.
The tapioca flour will begin to absorb the liquid and the mixture will start to thicken.
Divide the dough into small pieces and place them in a mini muffin tin. Alternatively, you can make small balls and place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Place these in the oven until they begin to brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!