Of all the foods I fell in love with in Brazil, Pao de Queijo (literally
translated to ‘bread of cheese’, how can that not be delicious?) is right up there at the top. And it’s been tormenting my soul for the past 10 years as I’ve tried recipe after recipe trying to duplicate the taste and texture I love. You can buy pre-packaged mixes, but they’re not quite the same as homemade. The problem is that there are several different methods to making 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 a big messy dough, etc. When I was in Brazil, I learned how to make the most quick and easy version- an ultra fast liquid batter that you just poured into a muffin tin. It’s been driving me crazy that I couldn’t find my recipe or one that was like it. And then a few weeks ago something magical happened. My husband walked in after organizing some junk in the garage and asked me if I wanted a little pink notebook. I knew immediately what it was. It was bursting with little scraps of papers. Scraps of papers with recipe notes on them. I heard the hallelujah chorus. We ate Pao de Queijo about 25 minutes later. And it was heavenly.
If you’ve never had this type of Brazilian cheese bread, it’s tricky to explain. It’s actually not “bread” at all- at least not like we’re used to here in the US. It’s almost more like the texture of a cream puff shell or popover, but with more substance on the inside. The outside is slightly crisp and browned and the inside is airy and chewy. If you’re not familiar with them at all then I want you to be fully informed so you don’t expect an actual yeast bread “roll”. If you do, then you’ll probably think these are super weird and gooey. They’re served at popular Brazilian restaurants, but honestly, while I adore those restaurants, I’ve yet to have a really good Pao de Queijo at any of them. So trust me when I tell you that if you like those (or any of the pre-packaged mixes), you will probably love these homemade ones. And if you know anyone who has ties to Brazil like I do, you are sure to melt their heart with these. Once you see how quick and easy they are you’ll be making them all the time!
The best part is that I have 99% of the ingredients in my house pretty much at all times.
The only semi-strange ingredient in there is Tapioca Flour, and it’s actually easier to find than you might think. It’s a really smooth, soft flour that feels much like cornstarch. It’s made from the ground roots of the cassava plant and it’s gluten free for those of you that care about that 🙂
You can grab it off Amazon and have it delivered to you, but a lot of normal grocery stores carry a good selection of Bobs Red Mill products which is the brand I use. Here in Idaho I can always find them at Fred Meyer, near the health food/specialty foods isle. You can also find tapioca flour at Asian markets as it’s used in a lot of Asian cooking, and also at health food stores and places like Whole Foods where you can find a good selection of wheat flour alternatives. Definitely check the gluten free isle of well stocked store. If you live in an area with WINCO grocery stores, people are telling me you can find it in the bulk section (how did not know this?? Thank you readers!) You can’t substitute any other type of flour– the tapioca flour is key, so when you find a good place to buy it, stock up!
Okay, ready for easy? You can prep these in about 60 seconds. Seriously. Put everything but the cheese in the blender (I adore my Blendtec) and blend until smooth.
Then add in your cheese and pulse the blender one or two times. I like to break it up a bit and mix it in, but not pulverize it. And you can be creative here. I like a mixture of Parmesan and sharp cheddar. It’s important to use cheese that has a stronger flavor because it’s really the only flavor you’re putting in there and if it’s too mild I’ve found the rolls turn out pretty bland. But play around with it and find your perfect mix. You can also add more or less cheese, it’s pretty flexible.
Now just take your blender and pour the batter into little mini-muffin tins. It’s a very thin batter so pour slowly!
I like to sprinkle a little more parmesan on top. Because I like to sprinkle a little parmesan on top of just about everything. I inherited that from my father, who puts parmesan on just about everything he makes. A little sprinkle of kosher salt is also yummy.
Recently I was browsing food blogs and was excited to see a nearly identical recipe on Bewitching Kitchen. She mentioned putting rosemary in there, which at first I thought sounded a little strange. Not because I don’t think it would taste good, but because I’d never had pao de queijo with any type of herb before. I tried it just for kicks and man was it good! You can either sprinkle a little dried or fresh rosemary on top, or blend it right in the batter. Loved that addition.
Then you pop these babies in a hot oven and watch them do their magic. They puff up into perfectly little bubbly golden balls of cheesy goodness. How’s that for a descriptive sentence?
You want to cook them just until they’re set on top and barely golden. If you over cook them, the tops actually look pretty similar, but you can tell by the bottoms. Case in point:
And don’t be concerned if the rolls sink in the middle. These photos are actually a bit misleading because I photographed them literally seconds after coming out of the oven. It’s perfectly normal for them to sink down in the centers and they taste exactly the same!
Eating Pao De Queijo warm is a definite must. I’ll just say that right now. As soon as they’re cool enough to handle, bust one open and eat it.
They’ll be a little crispy on the outside and soft, airy, and tender on the inside. Almost a little chewy. Some of them are even kind of hollow. This version is definitely less dense than the kneaded dough variety. The yield is anywhere from 16-24 rolls, depending on how full you fill your muffin pan. I fill mine pretty full (a good 3/4 full) and I generally get about 16-18.
I dare you to just eat one. This recipe is a little dangerous.
Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls {Pao de Queijo}
- Yield: 16
Description
Literally translates to “bread of cheese”…how can that not be delicious? Quick, easy, and fantastic every time.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) no substitutions
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 C grated cheddar cheese* (preferably medium or sharp)
- 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you’d like to add. Try rosemary and or garlic powder, my favorites!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse 2 times. Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin (if your muffin tin isn’t non-stick, spray lightly with non-stick spray first), filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less. If desired (and I recommend), sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and/or a tiny sprinkle of kosher salt.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan. Serve warm. {Que Gostoso!}
Notes
- *Tip: You can play around with the cheese. I’ve used Monterey Jack, low-moisture mozarella, swiss, and even gruyere in place of the cheddar. All great!
- Keep in mind, these actually don’t re-heat well, so I recommend making and eating fresh.
CHEESY POOFS! Oh my goats!!! Weren't you people supposed to be posting healthy stuff? *faints*
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe. These are one of my absolute favorite Brazilian foods but after looking at other recipes I never dared to attempt them. I cannot wait to pop one (or all) of these babies into my mouth!
I love to check out this blog but, after my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease(eats gluten free)I almost get a little sad when I check out my favorite foodie blogs. It was so fun to see a gluten free post. Breads are super hard gluten free, I'm excited to try out a recipe that's good.
Yum!Can't wait to try these!
valorie- a food processor is just fine, or you can even mix it by hand. The blender is just quick and easy!
These look amazing!
My blender just died…do you think they would blend up ok in a Cuisinart food processor?
Valerie
I just made your black bean soup for my family for lunch (which, by the way, even my picky toddler loves)! I'm definitely going to whip some of these babies up to eat with the leftovers! Thanks!
My husband will be SO happy! Thank you, thank you for posting this recipe!
my husband served a mission in brazil and LOVES these! i think i might just have to surprise him with a batch when he gets home from work! i'd love to get more Brazilian recipes-like main dishes! so delicious!
holy goodness! they look delicious and is it weird when I say I can almost smell them through my monitor?! 😉 LOL!
can't wait to try them!
Thanks, Sara- I needed to know how many mini muffin tins I'll have to borrow to make a batch 🙂 (My husband ate the little french breads all the time, too, like Kim's husband…they were about a dollar, and made a super easy breakfast 🙂
Thank you for this great recipe! We have a "Cheese Roll Store" that sells just these rolls and flan – that is it. They charge 50 cents a roll and that is well worth it! Just to let you know, though, they have different flavors – chopped black olives or finely chopped hot peppers or onions/garlic. They are ALL good!
Oh my goodness! My husband served in Brazil and we went back a few years later and I absolutely fell in love with these rolls. We ate them everyday. I thought there was no way I could ever make them but now thanks to OBB I can! I am so excited, I think I will go to the store right now. 🙂
These look amazing!
Thank you so much for a new gluten free bread recipe…I have been in such a rut, and getting really tired of tortilla chips! This looks amazing, I will be baking it tonight!
@Sara. Thanks 🙂 Maybe I can find some when we go to San Jose next week. They have some big stores there. That's what I miss most about the states.. the availability of different ingredients!
I am really excited about this recipe. My brother is serving an lds missionin brazil right now so we always love trying Brazilian recipes (more please:). I have used a similar recipe before http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/
But I'm looking forward to using you recipe and tips. I have been getting tapioca flour in the bulk section at winco.
I live in Bolivia and love the cheesy bread they call cuñapes. They are very similar. Just mix tapioca flour with butter, a little sugar, and the cheese. Add milk until it forms a stiff batter that you can knead, or just take chunks of it, roll them into a ball and bake for a few minutes. They´re yummy!
this recipe looks phenomenal! yum to the maximus! thanks so much for sharing!!!
-meg
@ http://www.clutzycooking.blogspot.com
@ http://www.myscribblednotebook.blogspot.com
Oh, man you are probably sick of me! My husband is wondering if you have a good churrasco recipe. You may just need to dedicate an entire section to the food of Curitiba! Thanks again!
-Kim
[email protected]
Oh my! I am so excited. I love Pao de Queijo, my favorite thing from Brazil. I remember buying huge ones from the bakeries in Brazil. mmmmm.
Sara, you totally rock! My husband says the rolls were called pao frances. But he wants me to ask for a recipe for coxinhas too. That would be amazing! Seriously, between these bread recipes and your creamy cheesecake recipe, my husband loves you guys as much as I do! Thanks!
-Kim
[email protected]
You are the BEST! I love these at the Brazilian restaurants, and I cannot wait to try them. And I am temporarily on a gluten-free diet, which takes out so many good things, so it will be so wonderful to have something so fun to eat! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
First of all, I need a mini muffin tin. Second these look great. I know a lot of people who would appreciate this recipe and third, I'm still waiting for a recipe for feijoada.
*writes tapioca flour on grocery list
This is definitely going to the top of my 'things to bake when my new oven gets here' list! (that list is getting mighty long!)
hooray!! I also served a mission in Brazil and have been unable to duplicate pao de queijo since returning to the states. THANK YOU!
A Brazilian neighbor makes these for us, but hers are round. Also, she says that it's tradition to smash them with your fist before eating. Don't know why… 🙂
Hi The Double Dipped Life,
My name is Jussara and I am Brazilian. Just to explain that we have two types of this cheese bread: This recipe that is the easier version to make, using the blender and the dough is more liquid;
and the original one that is not so liquid and you need to use your hand to make and looks more like/and a similar process of the bread dough. This is the one that your neighbour does.
We have actually made these from a mix that we find at Many Lands foods. But I would like to try them on my own and not from the mix. they are SO yummy!
Diamond- this is a liquid batter, so breadsticks won't work!
Charles- you could use a regular muffin pan, they'll just be bigger. Keep the oven temp the same and keep an eye on them. They might just take a few extra minutes to bake.
I have had these before and they are the most amazing treats ever! I am seriously going to be making these this weekend! Thanks SO much for the recipe and tips!
XOs!