Quick Pão de Queijo (Cheese Bread)

Quick Pão de Queijo is a traditional bite-size cheese bread from Brazil. It is made with tapioca flour creating a chewy and light bread.  Tapioca flour is also gluten-free!  You can order  Bob’s Red Mills Tapioca Flour from Amazon if you can’t find it in your local grocery store.

My Quick Pão de Queijo recipe is an easy version that makes the batter in a blender and bakes the breads in a mini-muffin pan. Just add eggs, oil, milk and grated cheese to the tapioca flour and you get a thin, pancake-like batter that puffs up when baked at a high temperature.  It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish to have hot, chewy, cheesy bite-size bread rolls for a great appetizer or snack. They are also great to serve with Brazilian grilled steak and Chimichurri sauce while watching the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Brazilian Grand Prix is held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos, a district in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The Interlagos circuit is known for some of the most exciting and memorable races in recent Formula One history, and is regarded as one of the most challenging and exciting circuits on the F1 calendar.  Will Mercedes driver Nico Roseberg beat team mate Lewis Hamilton for the World Championship?  Will Brazilian driver Felipe Massa make a surprise comeback in front of his home countrymen? Will Ferrari Scuderia get a place on the podium? Will Chris Hemsworth like my Quick Pão de Queijo?

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Brazil Grand Prix: Quick Pão de Queijo (Cheese Bread)

Quick Pão de Queijo is a traditional bite-size cheese bread from Brazil. It is made with tapioca flour creating a chewy and light bread. Tapioca flour is also gluten-free! Just add eggs, oil, milk and grated cheese and you get a thin, pancake-like batter that puffs up when baked at a high temperature.

Course Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 32

Author Homemade Italian Cooking with Cara

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup canola oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare two 24-cup mini-muffin pans by thoroughly coating the insides of each muffin cup with a spray baking oil or some extra canola oil.
2. Place egg, canola oil, milk, tapioca flour, salt, pepper in a blender and pulse for about 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add all of the grated cheddar cheese and 2/3's of the parmesan cheese. Pulse a few more times. The batter will be thin and pourable.
3. Carefully pour the batter into each mini-muffin cup to about ¾ of the full. It should yield between 24 -32 mini-muffins depending on how full you fill them. Lightly sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top of each muffin for some extra flavor.
4. Bake 15 -20 minutes or until puffed up and and lightly golden. The centers may fall if you sprinkled too cheese on top. It will be fine and taste just as good.
5. Remove the pans from oven and let cool for 1 - 2 minutes. The breads should easily pop out of the pan.
6. Serve immediately.
7. Note: These are best eaten right away. You can also store the batter in fridge, and make fresh as needed.