Authentic Brazilian Pão de Queijo (Cheese Puffs or Rolls)

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Authentic Brazilian Pão de Queijo (Cheese Puffs or Rolls)

"Pães de Queijo" (cheese rolls) are a Brazilian snack food. They are like cheese gougeres, but made with "polvilho" (manioc starch, tapioca flour) instead of wheat flour. In my biased opinion (I'm Brazilian), it's the best, most addictive snack food ever. This is my favorite recipe for pães de queijo, I think it's terrific.

If you are making them outside Brazil, you might have two problems: finding "polvilho azedo" (sour manioc starch) and finding the right cheese. I was told manioc starch is sold in the USA as "tapioca flour" in Asian food stores, but it's not the sour variety that this recipe calls for. I'm sure that you can make great pão de queijo with tapioca flour, but I think that pão de queijo with polvilho azedo tastes a hundred times better (I've tested both). Also pão de queijo made with sour manioc starch puffs higher in the oven (although some people like them dense). So purchase polvilho azedo from a Brazilian food store if you can.

About the cheese, it's very unlikely you'll be able to find the right Brazilian cheese ("Minas meia cura") outside Brazil. Even in Brazil it's not sold everywhere. So I'm going to describe the cheese for you. It's hard, but not nearly as hard as Parmesan, has a few small holes, a pale yellow color; the taste is *mild* and salty, and it's slightly moist. It grates well, but not as finely as Parmesan. I think that a lot of cheeses will make great pães de queijo, as long as the taste isn't strong. Some recipes will tell you to use Parmesan, but don't! It won't work, at least in this recipe, because its taste is too strong.

• 1000 g polvilho azedo
  
• 700 g grated cheese
  
• 500 ml skim milk (for boiling)
  
• 250 ml canola oil
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 25 g salt
  
• 100 ml skim milk (cold)
  

1. Put the polvilho azedo in a bowl.

2. Boil the milk, oil, and salt.

3. Add the boiling liquid to the bowl, little by little, while mixing with a wooden spoon. Moisten all the polvilho.

4. Grate the cheese while the dough cools a little.

5. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

6. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or your hands.

7. Add the cold milk and beat.

8. Add the grated cheese and mix well.

9. Grease your hands with oil and make little balls of dough, the size of a walnut. Put the balls on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until they puff (the crust will crack). Lower the temperature to 410ºF and bake for 15 minutes longer until the surface hardens and is light brown.

10. Serve them hot from the oven.

Store unbaked dough in the refrigerator. You can also make balls and freeze, but I think they get a little dry.

Keywords: Appetizer, Vegetarian, Easy, Cheese, Snack, Bread, Latin American, Amuse, Hors d'oeuvre

( RG1903 )