Pão de Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Bread
I fell in love with these bread balls at the Coffee Shop in Union Square (recommended: Sesame Chicken Salad) and also found them at a neighborhood joint Miss Favela, a legit Brazilian restaurant that is non-stop party (recommended: Frango com Quiabo, i.e. chicken and okra stew with polenta). They're often complimentary at churrascarias (Brazilian steakhouses). I wanted to be able to make it myself whenever I got the craving, which, during one point in my life, was pretty much every day. Also, they're about $1 per piece, which seemed quite expensive when I could easily eat 7 or 8 in one sitting.
I checked pretty much every recipe available on the web, many of which are in metric units (I REALLY didn't want to do the conversion) and many whose final photos were not appealing! Through a LOT of trial & error, I now use this version of the recipe. Maybe you can try it one day! If you like cheese and bread, this is a recipe for you.
If you're feeling adventurous, try different cheeses, incorporate yogurt, or maybe some different spices? I love the texture so much that I'm just working up the courage to try sweet instead of savory. Maybe chocolate or cinnamon?
Can you think of any juicy dips it would be good with? Chipotle mayo or tomato sauce perhaps?
BTW, gluten-free.
Ingredients:
2 cups tapioca flour aka starch
5/8 cup (1/2 cup + splash) of milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
You'll need a baking pan, a mixing bowl, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, a pot and a spatula.
In a pot, bring milk, salt, and oil just to a boil over low/medium heat.
While waiting for that mixture to boil, measure the flour and put into a mixing bowl (I love my OXO silicone base, dishwasher-safe bowl from TJMaxx). Once the liquids come to a boil, pour them into the flour. Using a spatula (because it's hot!), mix well. Large crumbs will form. Let that cool 5-10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350/375 degrees.
While waiting for the oven to heat and the flour to cool, I grated my cheese in my Magic Bullet, since I only had shredded cheese. Obviously skip this step if you have grated cheese. Check your email. Dance to Pandora.
5-10 minutes later, combine the flour mixture better with your hands. Lightly knead and squish it until you form a big ball of dough. Add the egg and cheese. Again, knead the dough until everything is distributed well and forms a ball.
Take small amounts of dough and form into miniature balls. The smaller and cuter, the more mouth-poppable and delicious, in my opinion. I made 16 and saved the rest of the dough in the cheese container in the fridge. Reduce Reuse Recycle! I topped each with some more parmesan (optional).
Bake for 10-15 minutes. You don't want it to brown on the top, but it can brown slightly on the bottom. They should still be squishy when they're done. That's a property of the tapioca. If in doubt, just take one out and check. Bake to your preference, but remember that they do harden a bit once they cool, so don't cook for too long!
I checked pretty much every recipe available on the web, many of which are in metric units (I REALLY didn't want to do the conversion) and many whose final photos were not appealing! Through a LOT of trial & error, I now use this version of the recipe. Maybe you can try it one day! If you like cheese and bread, this is a recipe for you.
If you're feeling adventurous, try different cheeses, incorporate yogurt, or maybe some different spices? I love the texture so much that I'm just working up the courage to try sweet instead of savory. Maybe chocolate or cinnamon?
Can you think of any juicy dips it would be good with? Chipotle mayo or tomato sauce perhaps?
BTW, gluten-free.
Ingredients:
2 cups tapioca flour aka starch
5/8 cup (1/2 cup + splash) of milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
You'll need a baking pan, a mixing bowl, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, a pot and a spatula.
In a pot, bring milk, salt, and oil just to a boil over low/medium heat.
While waiting for that mixture to boil, measure the flour and put into a mixing bowl (I love my OXO silicone base, dishwasher-safe bowl from TJMaxx). Once the liquids come to a boil, pour them into the flour. Using a spatula (because it's hot!), mix well. Large crumbs will form. Let that cool 5-10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350/375 degrees.
While waiting for the oven to heat and the flour to cool, I grated my cheese in my Magic Bullet, since I only had shredded cheese. Obviously skip this step if you have grated cheese. Check your email. Dance to Pandora.
5-10 minutes later, combine the flour mixture better with your hands. Lightly knead and squish it until you form a big ball of dough. Add the egg and cheese. Again, knead the dough until everything is distributed well and forms a ball.
Take small amounts of dough and form into miniature balls. The smaller and cuter, the more mouth-poppable and delicious, in my opinion. I made 16 and saved the rest of the dough in the cheese container in the fridge. Reduce Reuse Recycle! I topped each with some more parmesan (optional).
Bake for 10-15 minutes. You don't want it to brown on the top, but it can brown slightly on the bottom. They should still be squishy when they're done. That's a property of the tapioca. If in doubt, just take one out and check. Bake to your preference, but remember that they do harden a bit once they cool, so don't cook for too long!
recipe on a receipt desperately in need of preservation. ingredients. flour, milk, and salt on the stove.
oxo silicone base mixing bowl (love). pouring hot liquids into flour. big crumbs.
big dough ball after adding egg and cheese. ready for the oven. leftover dough going into the fridge.
yum
yum
uh oh
um... what is the difference btw grated and shredded cheeses?
ReplyDeleteshredded are the little thin sticks and grated is like powder.
ReplyDeleteshredded food is usually thought of as being a larger, coarse thread while grating creates a finer one (that can even be as fine as powder). shredded cheese will melt much slower than grated cheese by virtue of the difference in surface area between a coarse and fine thread.
ReplyDeletewww.drgourmet.com