Everyone’s stuck at home and becoming certified circuit bakers, including our favourite celebrities. We caught a glimpse of the Brazillian cheese bread, also known as Pao de Queijo, that Fann Wong recently made and decided to try it out for ourselves.
No wheat is used, making this a delicious gluten-free option, and it takes less than an hour from start to finished baked product.
Fann’s recipe, which she says she got from her niece, appears to be adapted from allrecipes. Here’s how I made my version of the cheese bread.
Ingredients
Makes approximately 20 small buns as pictured
113ml canola oil
79ml water
79ml full cream milk
1 tsp salt
240g tapocia flour
2 tsp minced garlic
100g shredded parmesan cheese (original recipe called for 65g, but I decided to give mine an extra cheesy oomph)
2 eggs
Steps:
1. Add the oil, water and full cream milk and salt into a saucepan. Place the mixture over high heat.
2. Turn off the fire once the mixture comes to a boil. Mix in tapioca flour and garlic till the mixture is smooth. Leave mixture to rest for 10 min.
3. Stir in eggs and cheese till the mixture is well combined and you will get a cottage cheese-like texture.
4. Roll the mixture into palm-sized balls and place on baking sheet.
5. Optional: Add an extra pinch of cheese on top of each ball.
6. Bake in a preheated oven that is set at 190 degrees Celcius for 20 mins or until you get a nice crusty golden exterior.
The verdict: Must Try
The resulting balls of cheesy goodness have a crusty exterior and mochi-like soft chewy interior. And they are addictive — you can easily pop three or four into your mouth mindlessly.
And the recipe is pretty similar to what Fann shows in her video, with nearly no cooking skills required to make them. And if you like cheese, making them at home allows you to control how cheesy you want your bread to be.
Best eaten while fresh out of the oven, the mixture can be stored in the fridge, letting you enjoy cheese bread whenever you want.
Alternatively, you can store your extra buns in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave to revive its chewy texture.
Gluten-free, tasty and easy to make, there’s really nothing to not like about this Brazilian cheese bread.
Plus, check out the other pastries that Fann Wong’s been baking at home below.
