Pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) Michael Hufana

Pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread)

Submitted by: Michael Hufana, Administrative Assistant Agency Administration - Offi ce of Public Affairs & Community Relations

I was inspired to make this bread because at one point I was eating completely gluten-free. I stumbled across different variations of this gluten-free recipe online and decided to give one of them a try. After a making a few batches I found the right amount of ingredients that I feel makes this delicious. My fi ancée and our parents enjoy my pao de quiejo too, so now I always have this saved in my freezer, ready to bake at any time!

PRO TIP: 24 ounces tapioca starch is enough to make the pao de queijo soft and gooey. It will be crunchy on the outside and soft/cheesy on the inside. However, if you like your pao de queijo a little harder with more bread-like consistency, consider adding 32 to 40 ounces of tapioca starch.

INGREDIENTS

24 ounces tapioca starch 16 ounces whole milk 4 ounces vegetable oil 16 ounces mozzarella cheese 4 ounces parmesan cheese 2 eggs 2 teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil 4 ounces vegetable oil and 16 ounces whole milk together. 2. In a large bowl, pour some of the tapioca starch, 2 eggs, and 2 teaspoons salt. 3. Pour the boiling oil and milk into the large bowl and gradually add more tapioca starch and more of the oil-milk mixture as you mix the ingredients together. 4. Once you have added all the tapioca starch and oil-milk, let the mix cool down a little bit for a few minutes (8 -10 minutes will do).

IMPORTANT: Using a mixer will make this much easier but it can also be done by hand. If you do it by hand, be careful because the mixed ingredients will be hot. 5. Gradually add the 16 ounces mozzarella cheese and 4 ounces parmesan cheese and mix it all together. The texture will be gooey and sticky. 6. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 7. Spray some Pam or brush a little oil to the baking sheet.

Roll the mixture into tiny balls and place them on the baking sheet (about the size of a ping-pong ball is fi ne). PRO TIP: Pao de queijo tastes best when fresh out of the oven, so roll as many balls as you intend to be eaten. (An ice cream scoop comes in handy!) You can make tiny balls with the rest of the mix, then put them in a zip lock bag and put it in the freezer to bake another day.

8. Bake the tiny balls at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 9. Enjoy!