Pão de queijo or Brazilian Cheese Bread is very famous at gatherings in the Brazilian culture. You may eat is as a snack or as part of your breakfast. This delicious little ball of happiness was first made in the state of Minas Gerais, south-east Brazil.

A fun fact is that Pão de queijo didn’t have cheese when it was first created, this ingredient was later added in the 19th century when the Minhas cheese was already aged and eggs and milk were added to the recipe. This Brazilian snack is so popular it has its own house called Casa do Pão de Queijo which was founded in 1967 and in its first day sold approximately 2000 cheese bread and 20 years later, in 1987, it had 13 stores all over Brazil. Grandma Arthêmia was the creator of their cheese bread recipe and it’s supposed to be the best Pão de queijo you’ve ever had.

Recipe: Pão de queijo

Ingredients

800g of sour tapioca starch

1 cup of water

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup of oil

2 eggs

100 g of grated Parmesan cheese

salt to taste

Preparation

1. In a saucepan, boil the water and add the milk, oil and salt.
2. Add the starch little by little until it turns on. You may not need to use the 800g, so pour it slowly and knead the dough until you release it from your hand.
3. When the dough is warm, add the Parmesan cheese, the eggs and mix well.
4. Grease your hands and roll balls of 2 cm in diameter.
5. Arrange the balls on a greased baking sheet, leaving a space between them.
6. Bake in a medium oven (180º C), preheated, for about 40 minutes.

This recipe is from Tudo Gostoso.