Pão de queijo — pane al formaggio brasiliano
Bouncy, chewy, gluten-free cheese rolls with a crackly shell and a stretchy, cheesy centre. Made from tapioca starch — no wheat, no kneading, ready in half an hour.
Scald milk, oil, and salt, pour over tapioca starch and mix to a curdled paste. Cool slightly, beat in eggs one at a time, then grated cheese. Scoop into balls, bake at 200°C / 400°F for 20–25 minutes until puffed and golden. Best eaten warm.
- Sour/sweet tapioca starch (polvilho), not regular flour — it's what makes the chew. Tapioca starch from any supermarket works.
- Scalding the liquid and stirring it into the starch (the escaldo) is the step that gives the right texture — don't skip it.
- Use a sharp, salty cheese — aged Minas, parmesan, or a mix. Mild cheese makes bland rolls.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Stand mixer with paddle (or strong arm + bowl)
- Baking sheet + parchment
- Ice-cream scoop or two spoons
Ingredienti
Dough
- 120 ml whole milk
- 60 ml neutral oil, or 60 g butter
- 5 g fine salt
- 250 g tapioca starch (polvilho), sweet, sour, or a mix
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 120 g aged Minas or parmesan, finely grated, or a sharp cheese mix
Preparazione
- PASSO01
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- PASSO02
In a saucepan, bring the milk, oil, and salt to a gentle boil. The moment it boils, take it off the heat.
- PASSO03
Put the tapioca starch in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot liquid over it all at once and stir hard with a spatula. It will look lumpy, curdled, and alarming — that is exactly right. Let it cool 5–10 minutes until just warm.
- PASSO04
With the paddle on medium (or by hand), beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each. The mixture goes from shaggy clumps to a smooth, sticky, stretchy paste.
- PASSO05
Beat in the grated cheese until evenly distributed. The dough is soft and tacky — too soft to roll dry-handed, which is normal.
- PASSO06
Scoop heaped tablespoons (or use a small ice-cream scoop, oiled) onto the tray, spaced apart. Bake 20–25 minutes until puffed, golden, and hollow-sounding.
- PASSO07
Pão de queijo is at its best straight from the oven, when the shell crackles and the centre pulls into strands. Cool a couple of minutes so you don't burn your mouth — then eat.
Make ahead
Scoop the dough into balls and freeze on a tray, then bag. Bake straight from frozen whenever you want fresh rolls — no thawing.
Storage
Best the day they're baked. Keep cooled rolls in a bag 2 days and refresh in a hot oven 5 minutes. Unbaked scooped dough freezes well — bake from frozen, adding 3–4 minutes.
Variations
Big rolls
Scoop golf-ball sizes and bake 28–30 minutes for a softer, more bread-like interior.
Herb & pepper
Fold in 1 tbsp chopped chives and a few grinds of black pepper with the cheese.
Extra-sharp
Use half parmesan, half aged provolone for a more pungent, savory roll.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Domande frequenti
What kind of starch do I need?
Tapioca starch, also sold as 'tapioca flour' or in Brazil as polvilho (azedo = sour, doce = sweet). A mix of sour and sweet is traditional; plain tapioca starch from any supermarket makes great rolls. Do NOT use wheat flour or cornstarch — different result entirely.
My dough is too runny to scoop. What happened?
Eggs vary in size and starch varies in absorption. If it's pourable rather than scoopable, beat in 2–3 tbsp more tapioca starch until it holds a soft mound on a spoon.
What cheese is best?
Traditional is queijo minas curado (aged Minas). Outside Brazil, parmesan, aged Asiago, or a mix of parmesan and a melty cheese all work. The key is sharp and salty — mild cheese gives flavorless rolls.
Why didn't mine puff?
Usually the oven wasn't hot enough or you opened the door early. Pão de queijo needs a properly preheated 200°C / 400°F oven and an uninterrupted first 15 minutes to puff.
Are they really gluten-free?
Yes — tapioca starch contains no wheat. They're a staple gluten-free bread in Brazil. Just check your cheese and baking surface for cross-contamination if you're coeliac.
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