Two years ago, I was lucky enough to visit Brazil for the first time. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
On dreary days, I flash back to sipping caipirinhas on Ipanema Beach. I think of the limitless skyscrapers of São Paulo, which give new meaning to the phrase “urban jungle.” I recall Blumenau, where traditional Bavarian architecture bumps up against rainforest. But mostly, I think about pão de queijo.
Pão de queijo – literally, cheese bread – is a staple of Brazilian life. Rolled into easy-to-devour, bite-sized spheres, Pão de queijo is naturally gluten-free, as it’s made from tapioca flour, which results in a crunchy, crackly exterior that gives way to a chewy, bouncy interior not unlike mochi. It’s a surprising texture the first time you encounter it, and irresistible from the second bite onwards.
After two years, I finally worked up the nerve to make pão de queijo, and was delighted to find the process simpler than expected. You can use a range of cheeses when making yours; mozzarella is a common choice. But inspired by the best pão de queijo I had in Brazil – at Café Habitual in São Paulo – I made mine with feta, adding Ossau Iraty for creaminess and Parmigiano Reggiano to deepen the flavour, all accented by fresh thyme.
Although pão de queijo is typically consumed for breakfast, I reckon it’s a perfect beer snack. A frothy lager would work well, but I went for DEYA’s Bucket Listener Table Beer, won over by a description that promised “juicy tropical vibes with notes of lime, pineapple and coconut”. Its hop profile delivers on that promise, although, at just 3.4% ABV, the beer remains light on its feet and easy to enjoy on a sunny afternoon.
I like how the warm, salty savouriness of the pão de queijo both contrasts and is tempered by that tropical bounty. But more than that, I like how enjoying them together transports me back to Brazil – at least for a few welcome moments.
Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
Adapted from Cozinhando com a Ly
Makes approx. 35 pão de queijo
150ml whole milk
150ml water
150ml vegetable oil
500g tapioca flour*
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 whole eggs
100g Ossau-Iraty cheese, roughly grated
100g feta, crumbled
25g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, stems discarded
*If you can, look for tapioca flour described as “polvilho azedo” – this is sour/fermented flour and is the preferred type for pão de queijo. I bought mine from Sous Chef
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with nonstick baking paper.
2. Add the milk, water and vegetable oil to a saucepan, and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, add the tapioca flour and fine sea salt to the bowl of a stand mixer (or to a large mixing bowl, if you plan to make yours by hand). Once the milk mixture is boiling, remove from the stove and immediately pour over the tapioca flour; this step is necessary for activating the starch.
4. Mix using the dough-hook attachment of your stand mixer (or by hand, using a wooden spoon) for a minute or two, or until all the flour is incorporated. The mixture will look lumpy. Set aside and leave to cool for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until no longer hot to the touch.
5. Add all three eggs to the dough. Run your stand mixer on medium (or mix by hand) for 2–3 minutes, or until fully incorporated. The dough will be heavy and may be sticky.
6. Add the three cheeses and the thyme leaves to the dough. Mix until just combined.
7. To shape the pão de queijo, take a small quantity of the dough and roll between your palms until you have a smooth sphere; they should be around the size of a golf ball. If the dough is sticky, moisten your hands with water or additional oil to make rolling them simpler.
8. Arrange the bread rounds roughly 1 inch apart on the baking tray; you may need to use a second tray or bake in two batches. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until slightly puffed up and golden brown. Repeat with a second batch if necessary.
9. Leave to cool for 10–15 minutes before serving. Pão de queijo is generally best on the day it’s baked; freeze any unbaked rounds in an airtight container if you don’t wish to make the whole batch at once.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our HB&B All Killer No Filler beer subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings, plus expert tasting notes, with 10 world-class beers like this one every month.