Brazilian cheese balls – Pão de Queijo

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 kg tapioca (flour), or, if available, polvilho azedo
• 200 ml oil
• 500 g grated cheese (mixture of Parmesan and Gouda, medium-aged)
• 3 eggs, size M
• 400 ml milk
• 125 ml water
• 1 tbsp salt, heaped tbsp

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

Tastes best straight from the oven! Makes about 70 pieces, gluten-free

Bring the water and milk to a boil in a saucepan with the oil and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the tapioca flour, stirring to combine. Whisk the three eggs and fold them into the dough. Mix everything together to form a smooth dough. Finally, add the grated cheese (you can also use Turkish Kefalotery cheese, Manchego, or Pecorino). Knead the dough thoroughly, preferably with your hands. If it’s too sticky, add a little more tapioca flour. The dough has a fairly soft consistency, so let it rest in the refrigerator for one hour to make it easier to form the balls. Using an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out small amounts of dough and shape them into balls. Place them, leaving some space between them, on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bake on the middle rack at 180-200°C (350-400°F) for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. After baking, they are slightly crispy on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside. This special texture is just right. These cheese balls taste best warm from the oven with a fresh salad. They are eaten whenever you’re hungry, but typically with a “cafe da tarde” – a kind of afternoon/evening coffee/dinner that is consumed in Brazil between 5 and 7 p.m. But of course, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying them for breakfast. In the evening, Pão de Queijo is also often served as a snack with a little butter and salt, accompanied by a beer, mojito, or caipirinha. Tip: The balls are great to freeze in advance and take out in portions as needed. Thaw slightly and bake until golden brown as described above. Tapioca flour/tapioca starch is made from the tuber of the cassava plant. It’s a gluten-free, starchy, slightly sweet flour that’s especially good for thickening soups, sauces, dips, or pie fillings. It’s also used in desserts. Pastries turn out wonderfully light and golden yellow. This flour is essential for making Brazilian cheese balls. So please don’t experiment with other types of flour!