If you’re Brazilian, you probably grew up eating these little pieces of heaven. If you are not, just one bite will be enough for this bread to win your heart. Brazilian cheese bread, also known as pão de quellejo, is probably the best gluten-free snack in the entire world, and you’re just minutes away from learning how to make this delicacy.
What is Brazilian Cheese Bread?
Brazilian Cheese Bread is a gluten-free cheese snack. It’s like a choux pastry paired with a cheese sandwich.
This bread is elastic and chewy, but at the same time a little puffy and light. Tapioca starch is one of the 2 main ingredients in the recipe and what gives this snack its unique characteristics.
What is tapioca starch?
Gluten intolerants, rejoice, this recipe is made especially for you! These cheese balls are made exclusively with tapioca starch, cheese, vegetable oil and water, nothing else. But what is tapioca starch?
Tapioca starch is a very fine white flour made from the crushed pulp of the cassava root. Here in Canada, as well as in the United States, tapioca starch may also sometimes be sold as tapioca flour. Below you can see a photo of tapioca starch to make sure you are using the right ingredient.
Tapioca starch is a great gluten-free alternative for baking, as it creates a crispy crust and adds a chewy texture to baked goods. This ingredient is what gives these cheese puffs their springy texture.
Classic Brazilian cheese bread always uses tapioca starch and is always gluten-free. You cannot replace this ingredient with any other type of starch or flour.
How to do it
Brazilian cheese bread is not a difficult recipe, but it can be a little tricky if it’s your first time making it.
- Boil water and oil. Start by boiling the water with the oil and a pinch of salt.
- Scold the tapioca starch. Pour the hot mixture over the tapioca starch and mix using the mixer or a spoon. Mix until the dough appears crumbly and all the liquid is incorporated into the starch.
- Let the dough cool. Let it cool for 10 minutes or until you can hold it down with your finger. You need to do this to avoid cooking the egg when you mix it into the dough.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat to 350°F, grill in center.
- Add the egg. Mix until incorporated into the dough. It will look like it won’t combine, but it will. If you don’t have a mixer and find it too difficult to do it with a spoon, you can use your hands.
- Add the cheese and knead the dough until it is completely incorporated. The final dough will have a consistency similar to cookie dough, not too sticky and easy to shape with your hands.
- To shape the dough into balls, use a spoon or scoop and shape them a little smaller than a golf ball. If you find the dough is too sticky to shape, wet your hands with cold water or pour in a little oil to help.
- Arrange the cheese balls on a baking sheet. Line it with baking paper or a silicone mat to avoid a too brown bottom. Leave about ½-1 inch of space between each one.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F. Cook them until they are puffy and golden on top.
If the dough is too sticky to work with, place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This happened to me when I used a different brand once.
Now I remain faithful Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Starch (this is not a sponsored post). This recipe never fails.
What kind of cheese should I use?
Speaking of cheese: you can make this recipe with many different cheeses. But I would stick with cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella.
Always choose a more mature cheese: fresh cheeses like ricotta are not good for this bread. In this recipe I use a combination of parmesan and old white cheddar cheese.
Tips for always getting the best cheese bread
- Choose good quality ingredients. It seems obvious, but in this recipe good ingredients make the difference, especially when it comes to the cheese. Choose a brand you really like, because your bread will taste the same. Bland cheese makes bland Brazilian cheese bread.
- Don’t under-mix. After adding the hot water and oil to the starch, mix everything until everything is well combined. Do this again after adding the egg, and again after the cheeses. A smooth dough is essential for great Brazilian cheese bread. You can see what the dough looks like below.
- Preheat the oven. For this snack to have a crispy crust, the oven must already be hot. Turn it on to 180°C and preheat it for at least 15 minutes before baking the cheese bread.
Storage and freezing
Brazilian cheese bread is best freshly baked! But they are also excellent reheated. Store them in an airtight container after they cool and use the oven on low or the microwave to reheat them. They are good for up to 2 days.
You can prepare the dough in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator or, if you prefer, store it already formed. Just make sure it’s well covered. To cook, simply place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and don’t forget to preheat the oven.
You can also freeze these cheese balls. But freeze them already formed, stored in a freezer bag. To bake, simply place the frozen dough in a prepared baking dish. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer than if you were cooking non-frozen dough.
After baking, there is no need to refrigerate the Brazilian cheese bread.
Can I replace any of the ingredients?
Although I follow this recipe most of the time, there are days when I make my own cheese bread using butter instead of vegetable oil and milk (whole or skim) instead of water.
You can also cook using only parmesan, or the cheese you prefer. Just don’t replace the tapioca starch or the egg.
What to serve with cheese bread?
If you’re asking me what goes well with Brazilian Cheese Bread, my answer is: EVERYTHING!
I love spreading butter or dulce de leche on it and I love having my cheese bread with a big cup of black coffee. My husband likes it with cream cheese and always keeps some aside to dip in his soup, he has some left over for dinner.
Have a question about Brazilian Cheese Bread? Let me know in the comments!
More bread recipes
Drop the Cheddar cheese biscuits
Naturally leavened English muffins
Homemade Pumpkin Bagels
Whole grain breakfast sandwiches
Perfect sandwich roll
Follow me on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOKAND YOUTUBE for more tips and great recipe ideas!
📖 Recipe
Brazilian cheese bread
Brazilian Cheese Bread – also known as cheese bread – it’s probably the best gluten-free snack in the entire world and you’re just minutes away from learning how to make this delicacy.
Prevents the screen from going dark
Instructions
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Start by boiling the water with the oil and a pinch of salt.
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In a large bowl, add the tapioca starch and pour in the hot water mixture. Watch the recipe video if you have any doubts.
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Using a spoon or using a stand mixer on medium-low speed, mix until no dry tapioca starch remains. The dough should be grainy and gelatinous. Let it cool for 10 minutes or until you can hold it down with your finger.
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Preheat oven to 350°F, broil in center.
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Add the egg and mix with the mixer on medium-low speed or with a spoon until incorporated into the dough. It will look like it won't combine, but it will. If you don't have a mixer and find it too difficult to do it with a spoon, you can also use your hands.
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After incorporating the egg, add the cheese and work the dough until the cheese is completely combined. The final dough will have a consistency similar to cookie dough, not too sticky and easy to shape with your hands.
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To shape the dough into balls, use a spoon or scoop and shape them a little smaller than a golf ball. If you find the dough is too sticky to shape, wet your hands with cold water or pour in a little oil to help. Do not add more tapioca flour!
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Arrange the cheese balls on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or silicone mat, leaving about ½ to 1 inch of space between each.
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Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 180°C until they are puffy and golden on the surface.
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Serve them hot.
Notes
You can replace the parmesan and white cheddar with any type of hard cheese you prefer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1GCalories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 10GProtein: 3GFat: 7GSaturated fats: 2GPolyunsaturated fats: 4GCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 138mg
