Courtesy of The Nosher, JTA, Eduardo Lifchitz. Photo credit: MILTON RODNEY BUZON VIA GETTY IMAGES
I’ve always been passionate about the easy Brazilian cheese bread, pão de queijo. For me, it’s a snack to eat all year round, but when it comes to Passover, pão de queijo is the card up my sleeve. It is a snack you can make in under an hour, it’s kosher for Passover and if you’re not sure what to do during those hours before the seder, it’s an easy snack to make for the kids.
In Brazil, we typically use either sour or sweet polvilho. If you can find it in a specialty market, buy it! (At home, I mix half sweet and half sour.) But rest assured that generic tapioca flour can be easily sourced in chain grocery stores and the end result will be just as delicious. So, what’s the connection between pão de queijo and Passover? Since pão de queijo contains no wheat flour or leavening, it has become a popular dairy snack for Passover. I’ve been seeing more and more versions of pão de queijo specifically adapted for the holiday. There are a few ways to make it, but the most common method involves pouring boiling liquid over the flour. In Brazil, the defining characteristic of pão de queijo — and a source of pride for people from Minas Gerais — is the type of cheese used.
And if you want to enjoy it like a true Mineiro, once your pão de queijo is ready, cut it open, spread a little butter or creamy cheese inside, and pair it with a good cup of coffee from the Minas Gerais cerrado. Note: You can wrap the balls in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months before baking if you want to bake later.
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Servings: 12-15 cheese bread balls
Ingredients
55 g neutral oil, like canola, avocado or vegetable oil
100 g water
100 g whole milk
250 g tapioca flour
7.5 g salt (½ Tbsp)
250 g shredded cheese (a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan is recommended)
1 ½ eggs, mixed
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
Add the water, oil and milk to a medium pot and bring to a boil.
In a separate bowl, mix the tapioca flour and salt.
Pour the boiling mixture of water, oil and milk over the dry ingredients and mix well until lumps form.
Let the mixture rest until it becomes lukewarm and the bowl has cooled. If the mixture is too hot, it will cook the eggs in the next step.
Once the bowl is cool, add the cheese and eggs.
Now mix all the ingredients together until well mixed.
Measure out dough balls in 45 g increments (about the size of a golf ball) and roll into balls in the palm of your hand.
Put the balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and into the pre-heated oven.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the balls are golden in color. They’re best eaten straight from the oven.
