Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

The only ingredient in this recipe that you might have trouble finding is tapioca flour. Bob's Red Mill makes it, and you can find it at Whole Foods. Tapioca flour is gluten-free, so this cheese bread is great for gluten-free eaters.

Easy Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

PREP TIME5 mins

COOK TIME15 mins

TOTAL TIME20 mins

SERVINGS6 to 8 servings

YIELD12 to 18 mini cheese breads

The recipe as presented is fairly basic. Feel free to dress it up a bit with herbs or spices of your choice.

This recipe calls for a room-temperature egg. If you don't plan ahead (that would be me, usually) you can put the egg in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to gently take off the chill of the fridge.

Depending on the saltiness of your cheese, you may want to increase or decrease the salt in this recipe

Ingredients

1 large egg, room temperature

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan

2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups (170 g) tapioca flour

1/2 cup (66 g) packed grated or crumbled cheese, your preference

1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Method

1 Preheat the oven and prepare a mini muffin tin:Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread a small amount olive oil around the insides of each well of a non-stick mini muffin tin.

2 Blend the ingredients:Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well.

3 Pour into the mini muffin tin:Pour the batter into the prepared mini muffin tin not quite to the top; leave about 1/8 inch from the top.

4 Bake:Bake at 400°F in the oven for 15-20 minutes until all puffy and nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes.Eat while warm or at room temperature (they’re best when fresh). Note that Brazilian cheese bread is very chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi.Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for 1 week. Reheat for several seconds in the microwave or for a 1 to 2 minutes in the toaster oven before serving. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month and reheated in a toaster oven or low oven until thawed and crisp.