The Pão de queijo is traditionally consumed by Brazilians at breakfast (café da manhã), and despite the term “bread”, it is not made with flour but with cassava starch.
The story goes that this recipe appeared on the farms of Minas Gerais in the search to replace wheat flour in some dishes, at a time when access to flour was scarce.
There are different versions of the recipe, firstly in the use of types of polvilho: some prepare the recipe using only polvilho doce and others only polvilho azedo.
The polvilho doce is cassava starch, the polvilho azedo is also made from cassava starch, but undergoes a fermentation process that makes the preparation slightly sour (“azedo”) and since it is fermented, it acquires the properties of a true leavening agent.
Then in the choice of cheese, some use Queijo minas (a typical cheese from a mountainous Brazilian region: Minas Gerais), but also mozzarella, parmesan, or other types of cheese.
And finally, in the use of only milk or also water.
Below is the recipe with polvinho azedo and only milk, which seems to be the easiest to make without the need to add leavening agents. Otherwise, I recommend a scant teaspoon of baking soda.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients
- 500 g polvilho azedo
- 10.5 oz Grated cheese
- 1 1/4 cups Milk
- 4 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Oil
- to taste Salt
Preparation
Pour the milk, oil, and a bit of salt into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and add the polvilho. Stir quickly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pot. Let it cool, then add the eggs one at a time and the grated cheese. Work well to knead everything together.
Lightly oil your hands and form balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25 minutes.
I also made a “waffle” version by placing the dough in the specific silicone mold and baking in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes.
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If you really can’t find the polvilho, you can replace it with 500 g of tapioca flour and then you will need to add a scant teaspoon of baking soda to the dough, but you can also find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
