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Make Your Own Brazilian Cheese Puffs

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Make Your Own Brazilian Cheese Puffs

Each week, Brazilian Specialty Foods in North Bergen, N.J., which I write about this week, makes about 24,000 pão de queijo, Brazilian cheese puffs that are chewy on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside. Mixing, shaping and baking pounds of the gooey dough would require too much time and labor for the 15 Brazilian restaurants in New York City that buy the company’s bread.

But baking a small batch at home is no trouble.

The golden little breads are chewy because they are made with tapioca starch, not flour. What makes them savory is the mix of Parmesan and pecorino Romano cheese. In Brazil, they are eaten with cafezinho, a tiny cup of coffee, with wine, and as appetizers preceding dinners.

Unless they are eaten warm, they can get too stiff, said Getúlio Santos, the president of Brazilian Specialty Foods, which also sells Ki Delicia brand frozen pão de queijos.

But they won’t last too long once they come out of the oven.

Print Recipe

Portuguese Cheese Puffs (Pao de Queijo)

Yield 32 small rolls

Time 1 hour, plus 2 hours resting

cheese

Method
  • 1. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, blend the tapioca starch, salt and baking powder on low speed.
  • 2. Put the milk, oil, butter and 2/3 cup water in a small pot and bring to boil. Immediately pour it over the starch and mix at low speed until all the ingredients are blended and the dough is smooth, about 3 or 4 minutes.
  • 3. Stop the mixer and crack in the eggs. Mix at low speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough becomes sticky. Stop to scrape down the bowl and blade, but quickly resume the mixing.
  • 4. Stop the mixer and pour in the cheese. Mix on low for 40 to 50 seconds, just enough to blend the cheese into the dough.
  • 5. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • 6. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. With a small scoop take out small lumps of this soft, sticky dough and, after lightly dusting your hands with tapioca starch, form them into 1-inch balls. Keep dusting your hands as needed.
  • 7. Place the cheese rolls on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. (Leftover cheese rolls can be frozen, then thawed before baking.) Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until the flecks of cheese are brown and the crust is lightly golden. Serve warm, as they may get tough as they get very cool.

Source: Adapted from Getúlio Santos,Brazilian Specialty Foods, North Bergen, N.J.

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