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This Brazilian cheese bread recipe aka Pão de Queijo is a gluten-free bread/snack that basically is a chewy cheese puff made with tapioca flour.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a young kid that was super picky and not looking forward at all to going to Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival. I mean I was a kid, so what did wine do for me? And I didn’t think I could eat anything as the food was from all these countries that I had never had anything from! That was until we happened upon Brazil. My mom saw they were serving Brazilian cheese bread and said I would like it. Seeing cheese and bread, I was intrigued and willing to try it! After one bite, I was hooked. I can’t remember how many I ate that day, but I do know it was more than 10!
We came back over the years and I always looked forward to the Brazilian cheese balls – as I called them. Even as my pickiness subsided, what I was most excited about didn’t change. The past two years, Lauren and I actually went to the Food & Wine Festival. And while Lauren isn’t the biggest fan (although they’re growing on her), I like them as much as ever. She thinks the consistency is strange, almost like they’re underdone, but that’s exactly what makes the bread so great!
I had always said I would make my own Brazilian cheese bread at some point and today is the day I’m sharing what will be one of my go-to recipes moving forward. It tastes exactly like the bread I fell in love with at Epcot. So hopefully you’ll be like me and not my wife, and love these as much as I do.
What Ingredients are in this Brazilian Cheese Bread Recipe?
- Milk
- Butter
- Salt
- Tapioca flour
- Eggs
- Parmesan cheese
How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium sauce pan, add milk, butter and salt and heat up. Remove as soon as bubbles start appearing.
- Stir in tapioca flour with wooden spoon until well combined.
- Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for 3-5 minutes or until dough has smoothed out.
- Add eggs to dough, one at a time, and mix until combined. Add Parmesan cheese and mix on medium speed until everything is combined. The dough should be sticky.
- Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop or tablespoon and form into balls placed on baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they have puffed and are golden brown on top.
What is Pão de Queijo?
So Pão de Queijo or Brazilian cheese bread, originates from shocker – Brazil! These slightly sour mini bread buns have a cracked, crunchy toasted cheese exterior but soft, spongy interiors. Although the rations vary, the general list of ingredients stays the same. The Tapioca flour is what gives the bread a slightly tart quality and undercooked interior. Great thing is these are gluten-free!
How Do You Reheat Brazilian Cheese Bread?
Heat oven to 375°F and place bread on baking sheet. Place in oven 5-10 minutes or until bread is heated through. Do not heat in microwave as outside of bread will turn soft. By reheating in oven, you keep the outside crispy but the inside gooey.
Tips for Tasty Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Heat the milk, butter and salt just until bubbles start to form. You don’t want it too hot when you mix the dough.
- Do not replace the tapioca flour as it gives the Brazilian cheese bread its crisp crust, but chewy interior.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
- Use ice cream scoop so you have consistently sized bread.
Other Bread Recipes
If you’ve tried this Brazilian Cheese Bread or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Brazilian Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium sauce pan, add milk, butter and salt and heat up. Remove as soon as bubbles start appearing. Stir in tapioca flour with wooden spoon until well combined.
- Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for 3-5 minutes or until dough has smoothed out. Add eggs to dough, one at a time, and mix until combined. Add Parmesan cheese and mix on medium speed until everything is combined. The dough should be sticky.
- Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop or tablespoon and form into balls placed on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they have puffed and are golden brown on top.
Notes
- Heat the milk, butter and salt just until bubbles start to form. You don't want it too hot when you mix the dough.
- Do not replace the tapioca flour as it gives the Brazilian cheese bread its crisp crust, but chewy interior.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
- Use ice cream scoop so you have consistently sized bread.
You are obsessed with this bread. I’ve seen it in action!
Thanks so much! I used cheddar instead of parm and they turned out great. I will make them again for sure.
Glad you liked them!
Thanks so much! I used cheddar instead of Parmesan and they turned out great. I will make them again for sure.
I had a student bring these in for a party yesterday and I was in love with them! Can’t wait to try!!
Awesome! They’re addicting!
My kids love these. But the batter came out very thin though. Any hints?
The batter should almost look like cottage cheese so if it was too thin the eggs might have just been larger than normal. I would just add a little extra tapioca flour to offset it. You could also bake them in mini muffin tins as well and it will hold its shape.