Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls (Pao de Queijo)

Quick background, my husband served an LDS Mission in the southern most part of Brazil.  While he was there he fell in love with the people and the regional cuisine.  Shortly after his return home a new restaurant opened in Salt Lake City called Rodizio Grill and it quickly became one of our most favorite places to eat on special occasions.  One of the things that they serve at the restaurant as part of the appetizer/bread portion is called cheese rolls.  It only took me 12 years to realize I could make those delicious suckers at home.

So of course where do I go when I want to find a recipe, google.com of course.  Now I've started searching and then looking at the image search and whatever picture looks the most appetizing I usually choose that recipe.  So I searched for brazilian cheese bread and was so elated to see that the recipe I chose was from a favorite blogging duo on Our Best Bites. If you've never had a chance to check this blog or cookbook I highly recommend it - easy recipes and great food.

Here is the easy version of the recipe

Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls {Pao de Queijo} – Gluten Free!

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) no substitutions
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 C grated cheddar cheese* (preferably medium or sharp)
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
*you can play around with the cheese.  I’ve used Monterey Jack, low-moisture mozarella, swiss, and even gruyere in place of the cheddar.  All great!

Optional:  extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you’d like to add.  Try rosemary and or garlic powder, my favorites!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth.  Add cheeses and pulse 2 times.  Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin (if your muffin tin isn’t non-stick, spray lightly with non-stick spray first), filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less.  If desired (and I recommend), sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and/or a tiny sprinkle of kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden.  Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan.  Serve warm. {Que Gostoso!}  These actually don’t re-heat well so I recommend making and eating fresh.

Yield: anywhere from 16-24 rolls, depending on how full you fill your muffin pan. I fill  mine pretty full (a good 3/4 full) and I generally get about 16-18.

And of course if you'd like pretty pictures to follow along you can visit the site HERE for more details and pretty shots.  This is a delicious little roll, I make mine in a mini muffin pan.  The only trick is YOU HAVE to have tapioca flour.  I find mine in my local grocery store down the gluten free aisle or I have heard some of the big chains like Winco are selling it in bulk. It's what makes the rolls. And here are my beauties. And last but not least MY KIDS WILL EAT THESE...