Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
Pão de queijo (“cheese bread” in Portuguese) is a small, baked cheese roll—a popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil. I like to use them for sliders, eggs Benedict, BLTs, stuffed with tuna or egg salad — really, they are so versatile, you can stuff them with just about anything and they’d be delicious. They are also good dipped in tomato soup! And, they are gluten free.
The batter is mixed in a blender and can be baked in standard-sized muffin pans. Yields 9-12.
You can also use a muffin top pan for a larger, flatter roll, great for sandwiches. Yields 6.
The following batter recipe is basic, but easy to tweak by combining your favorite cheese(s), herbs and spices. I often add chopped fresh basil or spinach and a pinch of red pepper flakes or truffle salt to the batter. One of my favorite cheese combinations is Parmesan, white cheddar, and blue cheese. I also like to grate a little extra cheese to sprinkle over the tops prior to baking.
Brazilian cheese bread is best eaten warm and can be reheated or toasted for later use.
Pão de Queijo — Basic Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 egg
1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
2/3 cup milk
1-1/2 cups tapioca flour
1/2 cup (packed) grated cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
If you are using a tin muffin pan, spread a little avocado or olive oil around the inside of each well. (I used a silicon muffin pan, so I skipped this step).
Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to scape down the sides with a spatula to ensure everything gets well blended. At this point, the batter can be stored in the refrigerator for several days, until ready to use.
Pour batter into muffin wells, to the halfway point.
Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 22 to 24 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan.
Best served immediately.
If you make this recipe, snap a pic of your dish and hashtag it #kellylenihancooks. I'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
NOTE: All images and text on this website are protected by copyright. Please do not post or republish this recipe and/or images without written permission from Kelly Lenihan. If you want to share this recipe, please share the link rather than the whole recipe.