Ahhhh, another adventure in the world of Brazilian cheese bread or pão de queijo! This time around we’re going with sweet cassava starch only, though you can always mix things up and try it with both sweet and sour cassava starch (also known as polvilho), or even swap one for the other entirely, that’s part of the fun! What I really love about this particular combination, though, is the cheese pairing, because who on earth decided we have to stick to just one cheese? Not me! The Maasdam, with that smooth, gently sweet creaminess, pairs absolutely perfectly with the bolder, more intense flavor of the Cheddar, creating a flavor experience that’s going to have your taste buds doing the samba… ok that joke was a little weak ;D
The truth is that cheese bread isn’t really a bread in the traditional sense, it’s more of what we’d call an enriched bread, because a proper bread only has flour, yeast, water and salt. Cheese bread has a whole bunch of other things going on, but that’s exactly what makes it so exciting! With more ingredients, you have so much more room to explore and tinker, not just with proportions or the type of cassava starch, but with the cheeses you use and even the seasonings if you want something a little different, until you find your own perfect recipe. Let’s get to the recipe!
The Ultimate Two-Cheese Brazilian Cheese Bread • Pão de Queijo
This time around i go with a nice mix of cheeses for these pretty traditional brazilian cheese breads 😀 These are classic breakfast treats in Brazil.
Ingredients
- Sweet Cassava Starch – 250g
- Maasdam Cheese – 75g (grated)
- Cheddar Cheese – 75g (grated)
- Milk – 100ml (Semi-skimmed)
- Oil – 40ml (Sunflower)
- Eggs – 2 (L)
- Salt – 1 Teaspoon (Not Full)
Directions
- Start by heating the milk and oil over low heat or in the microwave just until it boils.
- Add the sweet cassava starch into a bowl.
- Pour the boiling milk into the cassava starch, mix well, and let the mixture cool slightly.
- Then add the grated cheeses (Maasdam and Cheddar), the eggs, and a pinch of salt. Knead everything well until a consistent dough forms.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC (390ºF) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape the dough into balls and place them on the baking sheet (try to make them all roughly the same weight/size so they bake evenly). Bake for about 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown, and they’re ready!
- As always, you can serve them plain or filled with whatever you like. I tend to go for savory fillings with more cheese, ham, and butter, but of course, it’s a matter of personal taste. They’re also delicious with sweet fillings! Enjoy!
Ohhh and if possible always grate it fresh rather than using pre-grated cheese from a bag. Pre-grated cheese is normally coated with anti-caking agents that mess with how it melts and incorporates into the dough, and you’ll really notice the difference in the final texture.
Remember that the dough should feel firm but not too dry. If it’s too sticky, add a little more cassava starch. If it’s too dry, a spoonful of warm milk will help loosen it right up.
Make sure the hot milk and oil mixture has cooled down enough before adding the eggs, otherwise you risk scrambling them, and nobody wants cheesy scrambled eggs inside their bread dough. Give it a few minutes, you’ll know it’s ready when you can comfortably hold your hand near the bowl without flinching.
For evenly sized balls, a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop is your best friend. Not only does it speed things up, it means they all bake at the same rate and you won’t end up with half a tray that’s perfect and the other half that’s either raw in the middle or a little too well done.
Keep an eye on them during those last few minutes in the oven. Ovens vary a lot and the difference between beautifully golden and disappointingly dark can be surprisingly quick. As soon as they start to color and puff up nicely, they’re done. Don’t wait for them to look deeply brown, they continue cooking a little from the residual heat once you pull the tray out.
They are absolutely best eaten warm, fresh out of the oven, when the outside is just slightly crisp and the inside is still soft and chewy. That said, if you have leftovers (which honestly is rare), a quick 5 minutes back in the oven at around 180ºC (355ºF) brings them right back to life. The microwave works in a pinch too, but the oven is always the better call for a crispier exterior.
Wet hands or very lightly oiled hands make rolling the balls much easier and stop the dough from sticking to everything, including you. If you want to prep ahead, you can shape the balls and freeze them raw on a tray, then transfer them to a bag once frozen solid. Bake them straight from the freezer, just add 5 to 7 extra minutes to the baking time. This is genuinely one of the best tricks for having fresh cheese bread on demand without any of the prep work.
This recipe for The Ultimate Two-Cheese Brazilian Cheese Bread • Pão de Queijo was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Pães de Queijo Brasileiros com Mistura de Queijo Maasdam e Cheddar foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 142 calories; 7.3 g fat; 15.9 g carbohydrates; 3.2 g protein.Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how it turned out for you! You can leave a comment below ;D
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