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Pao de Queijo (Brazillian Cheese Bread)
By
DK
on Feb 22, 2010
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you would be aware of my new strategy of emptying out my pantry before I buy anything new. My recipes are also mostly those which help me in this regard. I have a list of about 58 recipes which make use of various stuff in my pantry. I am checking them one by one. It also sometimes happen that for certain events, I have no choice but to buy new ingredients. Like for example - I had to buy Sweet rice flour and Tapioca Starch for making these gluten free Graham Crackers. So one of the recipes for making use of Tapioca starch which I had made note of were these yummy looking Pao De Queijo which are classic Brazilian cheese rolls.
Because of this New Year resolution of reducing the ingredient explosion in my freezer + Pantry, I am not cooking specifically for events now. But if it meets/matches one which helps me in this regard then its all OK! :) And that's precisely what happened with this cheese bread. When Canela y Comino announced this months Bread Baking Event theme to be Latin Breads I was relieved:) Participating in BBD is like a must for me since I love breads but for some reason or the other I have been absent for last few themes. But not this time :)
Pao de Queijo is Brazilian cheese bread made of flour - sour or sweet plus eggs, salt, milk, lard, pork, oil and vegetable cheese from cow's milk. The eggs is for the color and richness, the fat (here I use Butter and vegetable oil instead of lard) is for texture and Cheese is for...Oh well..Do you need reasons to add cheese to anything?? The flour used is Tapioca which is similar in texture to that of Cornstarch. I used this recipe from southamericanfood.about.com where the measurements were way off! Only in the middle of making this recipe did I realize that something was terribly wrong. Coming back to verify if I copied down wrong instruction I came upon this review where it described the same issue I had. The consistency turned out to be like a broth than that of dough! Makes me wonder if its cos of the quality of Tapioca flour since few others did not seem to have problems. Anyway, I added few more cups of flour and it came out perfect. I have the corrected measurement - but you try it with discretion just in case the fault lies in the quality of Tapioca flour.
Pao de Queijo is Brazilian cheese bread made of flour - sour or sweet plus eggs, salt, milk, lard, pork, oil and vegetable cheese from cow's milk. The eggs is for the color and richness, the fat (here I use Butter and vegetable oil instead of lard) is for texture and Cheese is for...Oh well..Do you need reasons to add cheese to anything?? The flour used is Tapioca which is similar in texture to that of Cornstarch. I used this recipe from southamericanfood.about.com where the measurements were way off! Only in the middle of making this recipe did I realize that something was terribly wrong. Coming back to verify if I copied down wrong instruction I came upon this review where it described the same issue I had. The consistency turned out to be like a broth than that of dough! Makes me wonder if its cos of the quality of Tapioca flour since few others did not seem to have problems. Anyway, I added few more cups of flour and it came out perfect. I have the corrected measurement - but you try it with discretion just in case the fault lies in the quality of Tapioca flour.
References
recipe adapted from about.com
Basic Information
Prep Time: Under 30 min
Cook Time: Under 30 min
Yield: About 8-12 rolls depending on the shape
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3-1/2 cups tapioca flour + 2 tbsp
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 cup grated farmer's cheese, or any firm, fresh cows milk cheese (I used fresh Mozzarella)
- 2-3 tbsp grated cheddar cheese (optional)
- salt to taste
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk, salt, vegetable oil and butter in a pot, and bring to a boil.
2
As soon as it boils, remove from heat. Stir tapioca flour into the milk and butter mixture.
3
Stir in the eggs and the cheese, and mix well.
4
Let mixture cool for 15-30 minutes, so that it will be easier to handle.The recipe mentions refrigeration for 15 minutes. But if you see the picture below with the measurement they provided it was more of a bread broth
5
and when I added extra flour it became like this. Much better. The measurement I have provided makes it easy to roll into balls.But then as I mentioned previously add it with discretion.
6
Its still sticky but flouring your hands make it easier.
7
With floured (tapioca flour) hands, shape the dough into small balls.
8
and place them on a baking sheet.
9
Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are puffed up and are golden. They will rise slowly and puff up mostly in the last 5 or 10 minutes. You know they are done when there is amazing aroma wafting (tapioc'ish (#!#$?) smell?), the bread puffs up with lots of cracks (looks like some dinosaur egg hatching!) and it gets this v. slight yellowish glow with flecks of yellow here and there (cheese flecks?)
Serve warm.
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30 Responses to “Pao de Queijo (Brazillian Cheese Bread)”
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I’m Brazilian and had never tried to make pão de queijo until a couple of weeks ago. I tried 4 different recipes but none turned out good. I finally saw your recipe, liked the pictures, went and bought more tapioca flour at a Mexican market and tried with half of the ingredients in case they didn’t turn out OK. They were wonderful! I used my available cheeses, Gouda and Romano, preheated the oven to 375° and baked for 20 minutes. Voila! Thank you for your recipe and the pictures!
Hi DK,
Please let me know if you reply to only selected people for the queries or to people who make all the recipes from your blog and post it. Because i have posted few times in blog for which hardly i have got replies. I know its rude the way i’m saying this but people wait for your reply specially when they making for there kids.I have a special kid with special needs for whom i’m struggling for variety of food. Anyways i have made most of food from your blog and my daughter eats it. Thanks for your wonderful recipes.
Hi Aarti, its extremely unfortunate that you had to bring this out to me this way. I do apologize and have to tell you that its sure not intentional. I get at least 10-15 queries every single day in emails alone – not to talk about in comments and facebook (leave alone general feedback and other emails each day). I try hard to answer as many as I can (in no particular order) but it does get exhausting after some time. Then I randomly select some queries (or whatever catches my eye) and answer them when I can. Given that I have a job and a toddler myself, there is only so much I can do with a hobby (that’s threatening to be much more than jus that.) Pls do point me out to the queries you have in an email – will search for your name and answer it as soon as I can. Thank you for the immense patience and all this love for my work. Appreciate it a lot. –DK
Hi DK,
I have made most of your recipes and they’re awesome
. from last 15 days i’m tryig to find this tapioca flour which i’m not getting anywhere. i’m in bangalore and thought that i would get it in local store. Can you suggest any other flour? Please help me out 
. My daughter likes breads so i want to make this. I give her gluten free food this can be one of her favourites if i make for her. Please help me out with this. I most of the time search for gluten free recipe for my daughter.
I tried this recipe because I was craving Pao De Queijo. It came out good, but bland. I forgot to add the vegetable oil and salt, which is my mistakes. The dough came out perfect to make them into the little balls. I used Mozzarella Cheese. I’m looking forward to trying different kinds of cheese, particularly Asiago Cheese, Parmesan Cheese and Romano Cheese. I’m so excited to have found this recipe.
I am looking to make these as a gluten free option for holiday party appetizer. And while I am sure they would go great with soup, or chili, or such, I wonder if anyone has any experience with stuffing these with meat, cheese, spreads, etc to make it into a substantial appetizer. Anxiously awaiting replies. Thanks.
I am Brazilian and I know what is a good pão de queijo, and this recipe is great. I live in Washington DC and you can find tapioca flour/ polvilho doce in any spanish store or spanish section of any supermarket. You cannot use normal flour for pão de queijo or it will have a completely different consistency.
i live in california and i was wondering where i will find Tapioca flour plz i realy want to make pao de queijo
The flour or tapioca flour? Ofcourse Tapioca flour.You can find it at any Brasilian Delicatesse in London you find lots of it in Willesden or Harlesden just look for POLVILHO DOCE and your cheease bread will be fantastic
Hi DK, your Brazilian Cheese Bread looks delicious and yummy! Most of the readymade snacks we buy at local stores are choking in fat and sodium, and we would do well to avoid them and stick to fruits or veggies. Your recipe offers a tasty alternative: after all, we do sometimes have an urge to indulge. Good healthy dishes will keep off the food cravings, while at the same time helping you maintain your ideal weight and fight off the various obesity related diseases rampant today. For some expert tips and suggestions on healthy eating habits visit our blog at http://knorratseven.blogspot.com/.
Hi, my Brazilian Portuguese teacher told us it should be Tapioca starch, not flour. And she freezes the dough in funky shaped ice cube makers – hearts, butterflies, flowers – really lovely.
Hello! Right now i am making the cheese bread, but instead of using tapioca flour I used normal white flour. Do you think this will turn out good? I hope so… I live in Norway so I don’t know where to buy tapioca flour…
The highlight of this recipe is cos of Tapioca flour and the measurements would be based on the type of the flour. Changing the flour might affect how much liquid you would be adding. Personally I am not sure how it would work…but well, I believe in experimenting…so would be eager to see how it came about for you
Hey, I liked the receipe for “Pao De Queijo”.. they look really great..infact, they look like mash mallows(my fav). i wish to try the same but the only problem is that I dont eat eggs, so will this work without eggs?
you can respond to facebook id under my name… looking forward for your response 
I haven’t tried without eggs, hence am not really sure. You can try some common egg substitutes – http://chefinyou.com/egg-substitutes-cooking/ and try
WHAT IS tapioca flour??
Tapioca Flour is a grain-free flour derived from cassava root. It is a starchy, slightly sweet, white flour. –DK
This looks like a great Saturday project for a rainy day here in Denver! Great photos, thanks for the inspiration.
Ok, me again. When I made the last batch I got comments from people who tried that it was a little bland. So I’m making it again. This time, I’m using 2 cups of a mexican cheese mix of monterey jack salsa, monterey jack with jalapeño peppers and cheddar. I didn’t have enough tapioca flour, so I’m a cup short. We’ll see how it turns out. Oh, and once again I’m using the muffin pan because this time it’s pretty runny.
This recipe looks delicious. I am also making your carrot soup tomorrow, very excited (reviews were great).
So, you didn’t use any pork products making this recipe correct? Also, can I use regular flour, or would that take away from the entire recipe? ThANKS.
Thanks Deannam
No I havent used any pork products and I am not sure regular flour will give it that authentic taste. The recipe is special cos of the tapioca flour me thinks 
–DK
Hi. I just followed this recipe and it turned out great. Two alterations. I added 2 cups of shredded mozzarella instead of one. Also, instead of rolling it in balls, I put it in a muffin pan, it worked great. Also I would highly recommend using a kitchen aid. Doing this by hand is for the birds…! Just got them out of the oven and they are fantastic, just like I remember from when I was a kid in Brazil…
I am sure it would make life much easier with KA! I havent bought one yet so rely on my hands. Making muffins out of them seems so cool! I am sure trying out that the next time
Thanks Flavia 
–DK
I love pão de queijo! I was surprised when I first found out that it is made with tapioca flour. Your pão looks perfect. Thanks for the process photos!
I made the Colombian version of this bread and used mozzarella, too. Your cheese rolls look incredibly yummy!!!!
I have had this kind of bread in Fogo-E-Brasa(Brazilian steak house) and always wondered how this is made.Now I know but seems too risky to try.Yours look just perfect.Thanks for sharing.
Lovely! This bread looks soo good. I am drooling here!
these look so perfect..really great and nice clicks..
Glad to see the little mess you created making the bread. I thought I was the only one with a messy kitchen, even though I clean up right after I make it, it’s still messy for a while.
Cheesy pao (pavs) look awesome.
tempting….
Bread rolls look really delicious.
Good morning! I am trying to do the same now too ie trying to use all the freezer and pantry stuff I keep hoarding and try not to cook for events particularly but if they suit, I will send it to them.
Cheese Bread looks as good as a snow ball, very appropriate for Winter! Great entry!
wow,…this looks so yummy,..
We’ve eaten about every variation of pao de queijo that exists. Your recipe will help all of those interested readers get started if they don’t have a Brasilian in the kitchen. Thanks for taking the time to post this.
Wow that an awesome cheese bread, looks yummm!!