Pao de Queijo

Welcome back!

Today, we have a famous Brazilian dish: Pão de Queijo! This dish is essentially what the Portuguese name translates to: "cheese bread". But this baked good is actually a lot more nuanced because of the ingredients that go into it. Specifically, the use of tapioca flour mixed with a cheese like mozzarella gives this bread a very chewy texture on the inside that perfectly complements the crisp exterior.

Pão de Queijo

Makes 18-24 pães

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup (170 grams) tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (60 grams) Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/8 cup (15 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
160 grams milk
80 grams oil

Directions:

In a food processor, add in all the ingredients and pulse until evenly incorporated.
Brush oil in a mini muffin tin and pour in the batter. Try not to fill the pan up too much because they will expand significantly while baking.
Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes.

If you just looked at the final product, you'd be surprised at how easy this is to make! Other variants have slightly more complicated procedures that involve cooking some of the ingredients before incorporation, but we feel like this recipe is able to simplify those steps without compromising in quality. Also, this pão is surprisingly similar to mochi breads of Asia, which incorporate glutinous rice or tapioca flour to achieve a similarly chewy texture. We think this recipe could be easily adjusted to become mochi bread, so this dish is ripe for experimenting!

-Chefpo

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