Colm O'Gorman: This Brazilian cheese bread is the perfect party-platter food 

Pão de queijo: delicious Brazilian bite-sized baked treats

This is the second in a short series of recipes for party food; finger food and nibbles that are perfect served on platters. 

Last week I shared a recipe for Spice Bag Chicken Wings, and this week I am bringing you a new recipe for some fabulous cheesy nibbles. 

This recipe is the result of a recent discovery I made on a work trip to Portugal, not while actually working, but when I was out at the end of the day for a drink with some lovely colleagues. 

We visited a cocktail bar in downtown Lisbon which served drinks made with Latin American spirits, and which also served amazing Brazilian snacks. 

The cocktails were good, but the snacks were even better, especially the Pão de queijo, a Brazilian classic that I had never tried before.

Pão de queijo are delicious Brazilian bite-sized baked treats. The name literally translates to "cheese bread" in English. 

These delightful small, baked cheese rolls are a fabulous mix of flavours and textures. 

Imagine a crispy, golden exterior giving way to a soft and chewy inside, all infused with lots of cheesy deliciousness!

They make great appetisers or snacks, either eaten on their own or with a dip such as a herby cream cheese dip or something a little fruity and spicy to complement the cheese flavours. 

However you serve them though, serve them warm. They are best eaten fresh out of the oven, though they do reheat pretty well in a warm air fryer or oven in the unlikely event that you have any leftovers the day after you bake them.

You can prepare the batter for Pão de queijo in advance of your party and have it ready in some mini muffin trays to pop into the oven. 

They will bake in just twenty minutes, and this recipe is very simple, practically foolproof even, so they really are perfect for party food.

My Pão de queijo are baked from a very loose dough, more a batter really, a mixture of tapioca flour, milk, water, vegetable oil, eggs, and a savoury cheese.

Tapioca flour, also known as tapioca starch, is a very fine starchy white flour that is extracted from the roots of the cassava plant. 

It is commonly used as a thickening agent and has a neutral flavour and a very smooth texture, making it useful in both sweet and savoury dishes. 

It is a popular ingredient in gluten-free baking, where it helps provide structure and chewiness to baked goods. 

It is also used in puddings, pies, and as a thickening agent in soups and sauces, and is often used in Asian cookery. It is readily available in Asian supermarkets and is inexpensive.

Tapioca flour is different to tapioca pearls, which are larger and typically used in the preparation of the bubble teas that have been all the rage in recent years, or the tapioca pudding that readers of a certain age will recall, perhaps some horror, from their childhoods.

In Brazil, Pão de queijo are made with Minas, a fresh cheese made with cow’s milk. Minas is not aged for any length of time, and has a mild, slightly tangy flavour. 

You are unlikely to find it easily here in Ireland, so you will need to substitute a different cheese. 

Ricotta or mozzarella are good alternatives, but if you want a richer, more intense cheese flavour, then go for something like a finely grated gruyere. 

I have tried using cheddar to make Pão de queijo, but I found it a bit too overpowering for these little breads. I loved gruyere though, so that is now my cheese of choice when baking Pão de queijo.

Pão de queijo

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

This recipe will make 20-25 pieces, depending upon the size of your mini muffin trays.

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 250g tapioca flour

• 150ml milk

• 75ml water

• 60ml olive oil

• 2 medium eggs

• 170g finely grated gruyere cheese

Method

1. Heat your oven to 200 Celsius.

2. Weigh out 250g of tapioca flour and pop it into the bowl of a food mixer along with the salt.

3. Pour the milk, olive oil and water into a saucepan and bring them to the boil. When the liquid is boiling, remove the pan from the heat. Turn the mixer on to low and slowly add the boiled milk mixture a little at a time until it is fully combined with the tapioca. You should have a very liquid dough which, at this stage, looks like a runny white fondant.

4. Keep the mixer running at a low speed and crack in one of the eggs. Mix until the egg is fully incorporated before adding the second. Keep mixing until is smooth and all the egg has been incorporated.

5. Finally, slowly add the grated cheese with the mixer still running until it is well combined.

6. By now your mixture will resemble a batter more than a regular dough. Use a large spoon or a ladle spoon the batter into some mini-muffin trays, filling each section about three quarters full. You will get about 20-25 pieces for this mixture, depending upon the size of your mini-muffin trays.

7. Finally, pop the trays into the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Despite the absence of a raising agent, your Pão de queijo will puff up and turn a lovely light golden colour.

8. When they are done, remove the trays from the oven. Taking care not to burn yourself, pop the Pao De Queijo onto a platter and serve while warm.