Pão de Queijo (Brasilian Cheese Bread)
- Preparation time: 10 mins
- Baking time: 20 mins
- Servings: 12
Ok ok… This one might not belong to the collection of perfectly nutritionally balanced performance meals. But sometimes ‘balance’ means a perfect play of taste, structure and satisfaction. These gluten-free bad boys took me some time to figure out, and tapioca starch is quite a tricky ingredient to work with. But if you follow this recipe, you can be the crowned baking star at every brunch or BBQ in no time. Even my non-g-free friends absolutely love them!
Ingredients
- 270g tapioca starch
- 200ml milk
- 45ml olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp salt
- 60g cheddar
- 60g mozzarella
- 20g parmiggiano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Mix the milk, olive oil, and salt in a saucepan and place on low heat. Set aside just before it starts to boil.
- In a bowl, pour the warm milk and oil mix over the tapioca starch in small batches, stirring immediately. Beat with a wooden spoon – it is quite a workout, and the mixture is very sticky. But don’t be discouraged, that’s what you want it to be.
- Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer and beat on high for 2-3 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides.
- Once blended, crack the egg into the mix and keep stirring until fully incorporated.
- At the end, add the cheese and give it one last good stir.
- Scoop the sticky dough into a muffin form with an ice cream scoop or using two spoons.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
- Best enjoyed fresh out the oven, and should be eaten within next couple hours.
