25 Reviews of Pao de Queijo (Cheese Puffs-Brazilian)

From: Malu

On Nov 20, 2004

I thought I would post a recipe of "Pao de Queijo", but then I found this one.I would like to clear some facts, first Tapioca Flour and manioc starch are the samething, and they can be either sweet or sour. When preparing it, pour the boiling liquid to the tapioca(starch) flour and mix.Also you will get a better result if you use any white cheese ( like cheshire ) . Sorry I live in England so that is what I find here. You all say the dough is to sticky, maybe that is because there is to much liquid to the amount of flour. The recipe I have I use 4 cups of flour to 1 1/2 of liquid. By the way, I am Brazilian.

From: CuisineDuCoeur

On Dec 7, 2007

I was looking for a perfect Pao de Queijo recipe after my Brazilian friend made them for me at her house (she used a pre-packaged mix that she brought from Brazil that I had trouble finding in the US, I think they only sell them in Brazilian grocery stores, but anyways making them fresh is so much better!). I tried several recipes and this one is by far the best in terms of simplicity and producing yummy results. Each time I have made this, I was never able to get my dough to the point of solidity where it can be shaped (although this seems to be the nature of the tapioca flour, once u add it to liquid it tends to liquify very quickly). However, I spoon the batter into mini muffin cups and they turned out wonderfully crisp on the outside and with a nice melty chewy cheese interior. Tip: Don't be tempted to pre-make the dough and freeze them for later use — I did this and froze them in the mini muffin cups, thinking that it would be a breeze to pop into the oven when friends came over. However, once the dough freezes and solidifies, if you pop it straight into the oven, the puffs come out dense like a brick and not nearly as light as when the dough is liquid-y. I might try letting the dough sit for awhile out of the freezer next time before baking, but at least this first attempt was underwhelming.

From: Chef #951825

On Sep 10, 2008

This is a great recipe! The best Pao de Queijo comes from Minas Gerias. I would have to say this is very close to the ones I have had there. My wife is Brazilian and she was shocked when I made these for her. She said it reminded her of home. There are three tricks you have to do to make this work. 1) Use Tapioca Starch not Flour 2) After you make the mixture, refrigerate it. The balls will come out perfect. 3) Bake at 350 for 25 mins. If you do these things, it will come out perfect. Al

From: mianbao

On May 23, 2004

These had a brief period of popularity in Tokyo a few years ago, and I've been craving them ever since. This recipe is wonderful! Like the other reviewers, I, also, used tapioca flour - in my case, from Taiwan. It worked perfectly. As an experiment, I substituted grated cheddar cheese for the Parmesan cheese in the dough, and it worked fine. The dough did have to be spooned onto the baking sheet. I sprinkled grated Parmesan on top. I had the most success using a rounded teaspoonful of dough. I later got lazy and increased the amount, but the puffs did not look nearly as good. Thank you very much for this recipe.

From: Kittles

On Mar 22, 2005

I have three corrections to make to my review that I submitted just today! I use 3 c tapioca flour, not 2 1/2; let dough rest for 20 minutes before working with it; and recipe makes about 50 balls about 1 to 1 1/2 in. in diameter.

From: Betsy in WA

On Apr 15, 2004

I loved these. The color, taste & texture are just like what I remember eating in Brazil. The dough is too sticky to roll; I spooned it onto the cookie sheet, lowered the oven temp to 375 when the bottoms became too brown too soon, & baked them for 20 minutes. I used Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour which I found at my local chain grocery store. Betsy in WA

From: LIL'MISS ARI

On Apr 6, 2007

I have a Brazilian boyfriend. As a surprise I thought I would make this since we only have it on rare occasions when we visit his family. To my surprise the dough did not come out how I expected it to be. I thought the dough would come out less sticky but it seems to stick every where. I did the 4 cups flour to 1 1/2 liquid something. I have tried making it twice and it make me mad that I follow the directions word by worked and I still can’t get it to the point where I can knead it. Is tapioca starch the same as tapioca flour? That is all I seem to find around here. Besides that my family and my boyfriend love it. My mom eats them do quickly it's funny because she always watches what she eats. He will be calling his aunt in Brazil maybe there is something I'm missing. If there is I’ll be sure to post it here. Either way this is a delicious recipe. I never seem to make enough. Third time is a charm.

From: Chef Cathy D.

On Feb 1, 2008

The suggestion by CuisineDeCoeur to use Mini Muffin Tins is brilliant. It works very well. I also like in this recipe sprinkling the top with parmesan cheese before baking. It gives a nice color. I have not made this recipe, but use one very similar using oil instead of butter. I first became hooked on this bread treat in the Brazilian restaurant Picanha in Burbank, CA. They are so good!!!

From: GoodnPlentiful

On May 12, 2008

After eating at Fogo de Chao (a wonderful Brazilian steakhouse) I was on a hunt for the recipe for their amazing bread. This bread is literally the best I have had at any restaurant, EVER! I found a copy-cat recipe online but it turned out to be more of a popover. They were good but deflated once I took them out of the oven. This one sounded so much more like Fogo de Chao's so I had to try it. I made this exactly as written except that I poured the hot liquid into my stand mixer then added the dry ingredients. The only issue I came across, like the other reviewers, is that it was way too wet to roll into balls. I ended up adding another half cup of tapioca flour but it was still very gummy. I didn't want to add more so I did as others had suggested and filled up a mini muffin pan. This worked perfectly! These are almost exactly like Fogo de Chao's and I am just tickled! For taste and texture, this is a five star recipe, for sure but, since the amount of dry ingredients is obviously off, I had to deduct one star. It's a shame because this is by far one of my favorite recipes that I've found on the 'zaar. Cheers!

From: Crawdaddy

On Apr 2, 2007

I made these for a Brazilian friend's gathering. She described them as authentic and good. I couldn't get them to stay in ball form but they were delicious.