Usually, when somebody hands me a recipe, I can look it over, and everything will make perfect sense. This one, which is a mixture of two recipes given to me from my Brazilian friends Fabienne and Roberta, really surprised me. We had tasted these pao de quejo at Fabienne’s a few months back, and they were puffy little creatures. The recipe had no leavening, just tapioca flour.
Last Wednesday, when we made these in class, the kids got to mix and to roll out the little balls and place them on the baking sheets. After all the gleeful mauling of that dough that went down-they dipped it in water, threw it across at their friends, rolled one piece of it in a transfixed state for several minutes, and probably did some other nefarious things that none of us Big People caught-I figured that our class version would never, could never rise or puff.
You know what? They were gorgeous, tasty, and puffed up just right. Perhaps all of that extra loving that went into them just made them all the better. So, I write this post in awe-of Brazilians, of tapioca flour, and of the mini-chefs who teach me things each and every time, like how pleasurable it is to establish new techniques.
Brazilian Cheese Bread
*4 1/2-5 c. tapioca flour
*1 t. salt
*2 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
*2-3 eggs (depending on the size of egg you are using)
*1 1/2 c. milk
*1/2 c. vegetable oil
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Together: Line a 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the salt and the tapioca flour together. Set that aside for a bit.
Big Person: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the oil and the milk to a boil, whisking now and then to prevent the milk from scorching. Once the mixture comes to a boil, take the pan off of the heat and whisk it for a few seconds and then set aside to cool for a minute.
Scrape and pour the the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add in the grated parmesan cheese as well. During the initial mixing, the Big Person stir well with a wooden spoon.
Together again: Now that the mixture has cooled down a bit, knead it with your hands. Then you can set the dough aside for another 5 minutes or so to cool further. It will look a bit dry and scraggledy before you add the egg.
To finish making the dough add the eggs. Use your wooden spoon again for a few strokes so that the eggs begin to become integrated. Knead with your hands till the dough is smooth but not sticky. If the dough is too wet, add some tapioca flour. If it is too dry, add some more cheese or a tiny bit more milk. You should be able to easily form it into balls.
Set a little bowl of water on your workspace. Dip both hands into the water, and have your mini-chef do the same. Grab a little piece of dough, roll it between your fingers and shape it into a ball. Put each little ball onto the parchment paper-lined sheets with a bit of space around it.
Big Person: Put the baking sheets into the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. These are best served warm, but the actual uncooked dough balls can be frozen and baked off later if you want to save some for another day.
