Pao De Queijo - Cheese Bread Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a standard 12-cup mini muffin tin or line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly oil it. If using a muffin tin, the cups will help the rounds hold shape.

Heat milk mixture

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, water, unsalted butter, and fine sea salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to melt the butter and dissolve the salt. As soon as it reaches a boil, remove from heat.

Add tapioca flour

Immediately pour the hot milk-and-butter mixture over the tapioca flour in a heatproof bowl. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture is smooth and elastic and there are no dry lumps. The dough will be hot and slightly sticky.

Cool and add eggs

Let the dough cool for 5 to 8 minutes so it’s warm but not piping hot (this prevents cooking the eggs). Crack in the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each until fully incorporated. The dough will become glossy and more fluid as eggs are worked in.

Fold in cheeses

Add the grated Parmesan and shredded mozzarella (or substitute). Mix thoroughly until the cheeses are evenly distributed and the dough is cohesive. The final texture should be sticky but scoopable — if it seems too stiff, you can add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time (up to 2 tbs) until it reaches a sticky, pipeable consistency.

Shape the balls

Portion the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 1.25 to 1.5 tablespoons each). You can use a cookie scoop or spoon. Wet your hands lightly with water or oil (or dip spoons in water) and roll each portion into a smooth ball. Place into the prepared mini muffin cups or spaced on the baking sheet, leaving room for puffing.

Bake

Bake in the preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pao de queijo are puffed and the tops are lightly golden. If you want a deeper color, bake up to 22 minutes but watch carefully to avoid burning.

Cool slightly and serve

Remove from the oven and allow the cheese breads to cool in the tin or on the sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and serve warm. They are best eaten the same day while crunchy outside and chewy/airy inside. Reheat briefly in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5–7 minutes to refresh.