Simple and gluten-free Brazilian cheese puffs or rolls, aka Pão de Queijo (literally translated to ‘bread of cheese’ or ‘cheese bread’).
There are several different methods to make these little balls of heaven. A lot of them involve lots of hard to find ingredients, and methods like heating a mixture on the stove, kneading big messy dough… but this, adapted from the one my friend Roseli Quarti has sent to me, is the quickest, easiest, short-cut method with an ultra Fast liquid batter that you just put the ingredients in a blender, pour them out into a mini-muffin pan, and bake. This version is definitely less dense than the kneaded dough variety.
This super easy and Fast recipe is fail-proof and absolutely mouthwatering. Make a bunch of these; you will finish them all in no time because these cheese puffs are so addictive, delicious, and once you start eating, you just can’t stop… no kidding – they are just that wonderful. I dare you to just eat one.
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.
If you’ve never had this type of Brazilian cheese bread, it’s tricky to explain. Just don’t expect an actual yeast bread “roll”. If you do, then you’ll probably think these are super weird and gooey. The outside is slightly crisp and browned and the inside is airy and chewy. Also have a very mild cheesy flavour thanks to the use of Parmesan cheese, though you could substitute any other cheese you’d like for a more pronounced or different cheese flavour.
Brazilian Cheese bites (Pão de queijo) Fast2eat
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup Milk
- 1 cup Oil
- 3 Egg
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 cup Tapioca starch - (454g/1Lb) sometimes labelled tapioca flour - no substitutions
- 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese - (about 100 g/3.5 oz) grated
Instructions
- In a Blender, combine the milk, egg, oil, Parmesan cheese and salt until combined.
You should add the liquids first, and the tapioca last, otherwise the tapioca will gum up to the blades and be impossible to mix. - Once combined, add the Tapioca Starch/Flour 1/2 cup at a time until all of the tapioca flour has been added.
- Add mussarela (or any other preferred cheese) and mix with a spatula.
Tip: You can also add more or less cheese, it’s pretty flexible. It’s important to use one cheese that has a stronger flavour like Parmesan because it’s really the only flavour you’re putting in there and another mild one. I like a mixture of Parmesan and mussarela. But play around with it and find your perfect mix. You can also use, for example, Friulano or Pecorino Romano or Monterrey Jack or Swiss, and even Gruyere or cheddar. All great! - Preheat oven to 375-400°F (190-200°C.).
- Grease around the insides of each mini-muffin pan (Tin or Silicone) thoroughly with Cooking Spray.
- The batter will be very liquid, pour the batter into your greased mini muffin pan just until half full because it will double the side when cooking. It’s a very thin batter so pour slowly!
- Optional: sprinkle a little more Parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake until barely golden brown and puffed, About 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a Serving Bowl. - Serve warm. They are at their crispiest best when they're still warm from the oven. Unless they are eaten warm, they will soften, so I recommend making and eating fresh. But they usually won’t last too long once they come out of the oven.
Notes
To properly prepare your recipe, you may need to use the conversion tables to accurately convert the weight, volume, length, and temperature of all the necessary ingredients. These Fast2eat conversion tables will allow you to ensure that your recipe turns out perfectly and that all measurements are precise and accurate.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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