Pão de queijo, cheese bread, comes from Minas Gerais, the inland state just north of São Paulo, where cooks long ago learned to bake with the starch of the cassava root because wheat was scarce. The result is a small, golden ball with a crisp shell and a stretchy, cheesy, almost hollow center that tastes faintly tangy. It is eaten at breakfast, with afternoon coffee and at any hour in between, and every Brazilian bakery keeps a basket warm.

The dough is made in minutes, the balls freeze perfectly, and they go from freezer to table in 25 minutes. A tray of them disappears faster than a pit stop.

The dough

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125 g) polvilho azedo
• 1 cup (125 g) polvilho doce or tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (90 g) finely grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup (60 g) grated low moisture mozzarella

Method

1. Put the milk, water, oil and salt in the saucepan and bring to a full boil over medium heat.
2. Put both starches in the bowl. Pour the boiling liquid over them all at once and stir hard with the wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes. The hot liquid partly cooks the starch, which creates the chew.
3. Leave for 10 minutes, until warm but no longer hot to the touch.
4. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, stirring or beating hard after each addition, until they are fully absorbed.
5. Mix in both cheeses until evenly spread through the dough.

Shaping and baking

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil

Method

1. Oil your hands. Scoop up tablespoon sized pieces of dough, about 1 1/4 inches (3 cm), and roll them into smooth balls. Place them 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the lined sheets.
2. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, swapping the trays halfway. Do not open the oven in the first 15 minutes, or they may sink.
3. Let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes.

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