RECIPE

Cheese Buns

PÃO DE QUEIJO
DECEMBER 1, 2020
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Chewy, cheesey mochi-like buns…

The first time I came across Pão de Queijo, the Brazilian Cheese Buns, was during my research on the Japanese Mochi Buns. Both are very similar – the Brazilian version is made with tapioca starch or cassava starch, and the Japanese version is made with glutinous rice flour.

The Brazilian version of the cheese buns originated from the Afro-Brazillian community. I can’t quite find a source on where the Japanese mochi bread came from, so I am going to make assumptions… Given that the largest Japanese popular outside of Japan is in Brazil, I think someone adapted the Brazilian Cheese Buns recipe by using the common Japanese ingredients, glutinous rice, also used for mochi the dessert. The Japanese mochi buns later, I believe, became the inspiration for the Korean mochi bread.

Pastel Brasil
Vestergade 68, 5000 Odense, Denmark [map]

I started making Pão de Queijo a few years ago out of curiosity, which later became a family favourite. I never had the authentic version until I was in Odense, Sweden where I came across Pastel Brasil, run by a Brazilian lady who made and sold them at her food stall. I was so glad I got to try them because they definitely tasted different from the version I make based on ingredients accessible to me. She made hers much smaller than mine, about 1.5-inch balls. The cheese she used was a little bit tangy, making it more refreshing somehow. The texture was unmistakably chewy and a little gooey.

The version I make is definitely not authentically Brazilian, because I have no idea how it is traditionally made. There are so many recipes out there, I ended up combining different ones to create my own cheese buns. I have used this recipe with different milk/non-dairy milk/cream combinations. They’ve all came out well, but note that they do vary in texture and shape. The higher the fat content in the cream, the more the buns will hold their round, ball-like shape. The milk and non-dairy milk will make them more flat, as shown in the photos.

I like to make them quite big as I usually serve these with chili and soups.

Adapted from various Pão de Queijo recipes

Cheese Buns

Yield: 10
 
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 ½ cups of tapioca starch
  • ¼ cup of oil (olive, canola, or avocado)
  • ⅓ cup of cream (can substitute with milk, soy milk, or almond milk)
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
 
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  2. In a large heat-proof mixing bowl, add in the tapioca starch. Set aside.
  3. In a small pot, heat up the milk or cream of your choice, oil and salt. When the mixture starts to boil, let it keep boiling until it starts to foam up. Pay attention during this process because the time between the start of boiling to foaming is very quick. Remove the pan from heat immediately to avoid it from foaming over the pot.
  4. Carefully, while whisking the tapioca starch with a fork, gradually pour in the hot mixture into the tapioca starch. Keep whisking until all the liquid in absorbed into the starch.
  5. Let it cool for about 2 to 3 minutes so that it is easier to handle by hand.
  6. With one hand, knead in the egg into the warm mixture.
  7. When most of the the egg is incorporated into the warm mixture, add in the grated cheese. Keep kneading until a ball of dough forms.
  8. Divided the dough into 10 equal portions. Roll them into balls* and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
  9. Bake them for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.

* If you are using milk or non-dairy milk, the dough will not hold the shape of a round ball. It will spread out a little.

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