Brazilian Cheese Rolls | Pão de Queijo
Traditional Brazilian cheese bread. These little rolls have a unique texture as they are made with tapioca flour. They're chewy and flavorful and a perfect snack or side! This recipe includes 2 different methods to make them.
Servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup tapioca flour sometimes labeled tapioca starch no substitutions
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese preferably medium or sharp
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you'd like to add. Try rosemary and or garlic powder my favorites!
Instructions
Quick Blender Version:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini (or about 7 wells of a regular-size) muffin tin with non-stick spray or rub with butter. Make sure the whole surface and sides of the well are coated or they will stick.
- Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse just a couple times.
- Immediately pour batter into muffin tin. If you let your batter sit before filling your muffin tins, the ingredients can settle and result in uneven rolls. Fill each well about 3/4 full. If desired, sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan. Serve warm.
Traditional Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or* spray a muffin tin with non stick spray or rub wells with butter (*see note).
- Place milk and oil in a small pot and heat until just simmering and remove from heat.
- Place tapioca flour and salt in a mixing bowl and pour hot milk and oil over top. Beat to combine.
- NOTE: At this point, your mixture might look crumbly and grainy, this is okay.
- Beat in egg.
- Add cheese and beat to combine.
- Scoop dough into balls (I use a cookie scoop, you can do any size you like, I aim for golf ball size) onto parchment-lined baking sheet* and bake until puffed and set on the outside, just slightly golden. Time will vary depending on size, but usually around 15 minutes.
- *NOTE: I've made this recipe a million times and have found at this point, sometimes the finished dough is scoop-able like cookie dough, and other times it's kind of runny like thick pancake batter. Tapioca flour differs in absorption levels and this isn't unusual. If your dough is not scoopable, you can always add a little bit more flour. But what I usually do is just bake the mixture in a muffin tin as opposed to a baking sheet. They still turn out great!
Notes
- To reheat leftovers, pop in an air fryer at 325 for about 3 minutes. You an also reheat in a warm oven.
- For a gluten free pizza crust, preheat oven to 400°. Use the blender method. Grease a standard pie plate and pour 3/4 cup batter in it immediately after blending. If your batter has been sitting a few minutes, blitz it once before pouring. Bake until edges are puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven and spread a thin layer of sauce and any other toppings, return to oven to melt cheese. One recipe will yield 2 crusts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make uncooked dough/batter ahead of time and store in fridge until ready to bake?
Yes. With the traditional method, refrigerate dough in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Chilling also helps it set up if it's a little runny. With the blender method, assembly is seriously so quick I recommend just whipping it up when you want to make them. If you do need to prep the batter ahead of time, be aware the flour will settle after sitting. You'll want to mix it up extremely well before pouring into your muffin tins.
Can I make the rolls ahead of time and reheat?
I wouldn't intentionally make them before since they're so great fresh, but you can store baked breads in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the air fryer. I heated at 300° for about 3-4 minutes and they were amazing. All air fryers differ so you might need to adjust.
Can you freeze Pão de Queijo?
If you use the traditional method of preparation, you can scoop the dough onto parchment and then freeze. Place frozen dough balls in an airtight container or zip top back for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes onto baking time and they're as great as they are fresh!
Can I switch up the cheese?
You bet- play around with different cheeses, but I find it most delicious with stronger flavored cheeses like parmesan and sharp cheddar.
Nutrition
Serving: 1mini roll, Calories: 78kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 118mg, Potassium: 21mg, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 58IU, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Calories: 78kcal
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