Brazilian Cheese Bread Puffs

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups tapioca starch (polvilho doce)
• 2 whole large eggs
• 1.5 cups whole milk mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
• ½ cup aged Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Instructions

1. 1

   Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners — these will help the puffs rise evenly and make them easier to handle.

2. 2

   Pour 1 cup of whole milk and 0.5 cup of extra-virgin olive oil into a medium saucepan. Set over medium heat and warm just until small bubbles form around the edges — you want it steaming but not boiling, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.

3. 3

   Remove the saucepan from heat and immediately add 2 cups of tapioca starch, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a shaggy, sticky dough. The starch will partially cook and thicken from the heat — this is exactly what you want. Let it cool for 2-3 minutes until you can comfortably touch it.

4. 4

   Crack 2 large eggs into a small bowl and whisk them gently with a fork. Add the eggs to the cooling dough one at a time, stirring well after each addition. The dough will break apart momentarily as you mix, but keep stirring — it will come together into a smooth, slightly sticky mass after 1-2 minutes of stirring.

5. 5

   Fold in 1.5 cups of finely shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese and 0.5 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until evenly distributed. The cheese will partly melt into the warm dough and give it body. You should now have a smooth, dough that holds together but is slightly tacky to the touch.

6. 6

   Scoop the dough into the prepared muffin liners using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop or two spoons — fill each liner about two-thirds full. The dough will puff as it bakes and shouldn't overflow, but you want enough to create a nice rise.

7. 7

   Place the muffin tin in the preheated 375°F oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. The pão de queijo are done when they're puffed, golden-brown on top, and slightly crispy around the edges. Listen for a gentle sizzle from inside the oven — this means the cheese is melting and creating those signature stretchy pockets inside.

8. 8

   Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 3-4 minutes — they'll be extremely hot and fragile at first, but this resting time lets them set slightly. Gently peel away the paper liners and transfer to a wire rack or serving plate. Serve warm while the mozzarella is still stretchy.

Tools you’ll need

• muffin tin
• paper muffin liners
• medium saucepan
• wooden spoon
• small bowl
• fork
• spring-loaded ice cream scoop
• oven thermometer
• wire cooling rack

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