yes, there are so many things to love about rio de janeiro. like pão de queijo, an absolutely irresistible cheese bread. i first met this tasty pão just before boarding the train up to corcovado at a snack kiosk, because i was determined to drink guarana at least once every day i was in brazil. (though um, i managed to drink it a few times each day, heehee.)
we were a hungry traveling trio basically drooling all over ourselves as the first bites literally melted into our mouths. no matter how far away from home i am, some foods come into my life and it’s like we have always been friends. all i know is that they were hot in a napkin for one second, then completely vanished the next. good thing i take pictures of everything so i can remember what it looks like. immediately after my first taste, i had visions of my future…making these rolls for my grandkids as a family tradition. they really are this addictive.
i can’t just blog about these and not show you how to make them, that would just be cruel. recipezaar has a slight adaptation using different cheeses, since the genuine ingredients are more difficult to find outside of brazil. chef leticia has the classic recipe. but i’ve saved the best for last. even though she introduces this variation coming from paraguay & argentina, pip in the city has the best version i’ve found, which i’ve copied below. (you gotta visit her blog to see all the yummy pictures…) let me know if you make some too!
Traditional cheese rolls with tapioca (chipá)
Yields about 40 chipá
Tapioca flour or tapioca starch, 500g
4 eggs
Butter, 200g (about 1 3/4 sticks)
2 teaspoons salt (this will depend on the amount of salt the cheese you use has)
pepper
parmesan cheese, 250 grams (about 1/2 a pound)
mozarella or other soft cheese, 250 grams
manchego or other hard and somewhat spicy cheese, 250 grams
1. Put the tapioca in a big bowl (it is quite volatile so it can make a mess), along with cold butter (chopped roughly), the mozzarella or any semi-soft cheese (also roughly cut to make the process easier), the grated parmesan cheese, and the eggs.
2. Start mixing the ingredients by hand until the dough is somewhat formed. (Another method I´ve used is to first process the butter and the flour till it resembles a fine crumble and then add the soft cheese, the parmesan and the eggs until it forms a ball.)
3. Add the hard cheese cut into small squares to the dough and keep kneading until you have a homogeneous dough (with the exception of the hard cheese squares, which aren´t supposed to blend in).
4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or so. This step can be skipped if in a hurry and they´ll still come out great. Or you can keep it in the fridge and finish the next day.
5. Take small pieces of dough and form little balls with it. (At this point, you can also freeze some of them raw and bake them later.)
6. Cook in a 400°F oven for around 10 mins, checking every 5 mins or so. The result should be crunchy outside and softer inside. (Be careful not too overcook them, otherwise they´ll get too dry. They should be quite soft and chewy on the inside.)
thanks pip!
They look divine! Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ve never cared for Tapioca, but now I’m curious…
oh p.s. !
these are so god because they aren’t just cheese filled bread rolls, that tapioca is like a magic binder that integrates the cheese into being part of the dough -they turn into puffs that gush into your mouth good.
(and they taste nothing like tapioca pudding, which i also can’t stand! hehe.)
THANK YOU. i cannot WAIT to make this! (how are you?!) megxx
oh yum yum yum. some things i miss are arepas, pan de yuca, obleas, queso de pera, mamonsillos… ok, that is more that some.
oh, maybe i should make some tomorrow!
they look so delicious!
Thank you for sharing this and all your wonderful pictures!
Casa de pao de queijo! I’ve never been to Rio but have heard stories about that place. I’ve made them at home quite a few times and they never come out quite as well as they do from Brazilian restaurants, but that’s to be expected, no? Still, the sticky attempts are fun.
oh i wish i could transport all of you there to have those real piping hot heavens for the appetite. maybe if we try these recipes enough, we will get it right, hehe.
Hey, Jenny, I´m glad you liked the chipá! And you are totally right, the tapioca flour is just there for texture and as a binding agent to all the cheese and butter goodness.
I didn´t know your blog, so I have some catching up to do, but I was wondering if you´ve been to BA yet or plan to visit.
hi marce,
you know, out of all the recipes out there, yours is the best i found, so thank you.
and you’re not the only one who needs to do some catching up! since coming back (to uruguay) from rio de janeiro, i’ve been so busy that i’m not blogging in current time right now. i visited BsAs a little while ago and fell in love with the city…enough to move here! we just unpacked this week and each day i love it more and more…
Hummmm! Pão de queijo! This is making me very hungry!
and i love your dress! ( is it a dress?:))
xoxo
Hello! For a moment I believed that I was in a wrong blog..oops, it’s my city. How nice, you visited Brazil! I grew up in Rio, I am a “carioca” and I used to eat paes de queijo always! I am not in Rio anymore, I moved to US in 2002.
Take Care, let me see more of your blog.
Looks and sounds so terrific… kiosk snacks, tasty bites and contented stomaches. Happy travelling, you three.
see you, g
[...] that you know how to make brazilian cheese bread, i want to show you a different kind of bread. the monolithic sugarloaf [...]
Oh, Jenny! My mouth is watering! I think the boys would LOVE these and I’m grateful for the recipe. If I remember to blog it, I’ll remember to link to you. Thank you for the beautiful updates on your travels. I’m unfortunately having to read them quickly, which is my loss…but I’ll make it up to myself later, perhaps tomorrow night, with a hot cup of tea. Which is to say that I want to appreciate every photograph and anecdote FULLY. I so long to travel like you are doing, but it’s not yet in the cards. Not …..*yet*
Enjoy the rain, too. WE haven’t seen rain in months and won’t till October.
*steph
my grandmother used to make chipas for us. now ba has little booths that sell them.
i hope you are enjoying your time in my beloved city.
YUmm YUMMM! Eu Adoro Pao de queijo! Gostoso de mais!!! Manda para mim por favor! Saudades do Brasil bonito.
Once again, you are my hero…or is that heroine? Whatever – anyone who can supply a GREAT recipe for cheese rolls will live in my heart forever – or until my heart explodes from cholesterol and plaque! I know it’s Sunday, but I’m on vacation (in my mind) and therefore I’m allowing myself to head straight to Safeway to purchase the ingredients I’m lacking to make these rolls…..(We’re allowed to shop for emergency supplies on Sunday, right?!? And if ever there were an emergency – this is it!) I plan to have these little cheese rolle on the table and/or in my mouth within two hours flat! Thanks for sharing and for living your life out loud – I LOVE it – and you!