Snack · 40 min · brazilian

Pao de Queijo (Cheese Bread)

Dinner decisions, handled: Pao de Queijo (Cheese Bread) pairs tapioca starch with parmesan for a 40-minute Brazilian snack. It is weeknight cooking that still hits your targets — 19 grams of protein per serving. Naturally vegetarian, it scales cleanly if you are cooking for more than one.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups Tapioca starch
• 1.5 cups Parmesan
• 1 cup Mozzarella
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 0.5 cup Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Salt

Steps

1. Bring the milk, oil, and salt to a rolling boil, then pour over the tapioca starch in a large bowl. Stir vigorously — the starch will seize into a shaggy, gluey mass. That is correct.
2. Cool 10 minutes until you can handle it, then knead in the eggs one at a time. The dough will feel impossibly sticky at first; keep kneading and it comes together.
3. Work in the grated parmesan and mozzarella until evenly distributed. The dough should be soft, smooth, and slightly tacky.
4. With oiled hands, roll into golf-ball-size spheres and space them on lined baking sheets. They puff dramatically, so give them room.
5. Bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed, golden, and crisp-shelled. Do not open the oven early — they can deflate.
6. Serve warm, within the hour. Pão de queijo waits for no one; the magic is the contrast of crisp shell and stretchy, cheesy center.

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