garlic parsley pão de queijo {brazilian cheese bread}
happy thanksgiving eve friends!
i’ve been meaning to share this recipe 4 freaking evr on this blog but i just wanted to make it just right for you to enjoy this holiday season. ever since my sister, ally, went on business trips to são paolo and started randomly craving picanha steak, rice and farofa, and pão de queijo during her pregnancies, we as a family started to introduce brazilian foods into our family meals and dining outings.
i know, brazilian food is random and so off brand with a traditional korean-american tablescape, but that’s what i love about the times we live in today. more than ever before, our world is hyper-connected and information about new cultures are easily accessible to experience with a quick google or social media search. i feel thankful and blessed to not only be living in this time, but also for having had the privilege of living in major cities like los angeles, san francisco, paris, and new york to experience and appreciate different cultures from all over the incredibly special world we live in.
pão de queijo, or little stretchy chewy cheesy garlicky balls of heaven hailing from brazil, has been on the menu for our thanksgiving and christmas dinners for the past few years now and they’re usually always the first to go. my first time trying brazilian cheese balls was at fogo de chão and i nearly cried from the joy sparking on my tastebuds. i don’t feel this way too much about breads from chain restaurants, but the only other table bread that i have the same affection for is wood ranch’s airy crisp rolls brushed with garlic parsley butter.
then, i did the most american thing ever: i melted breads from a brazilian and american bbq joint in a pot and birthed into the world fogo de ranch..wood de queijo (?!) bread babies. and they were the most beautiful bread babies ever. to be honest, i still dote on them as a proud mother does whenever pictures of them pop up on my phone.
as you can see from the video, making these pães, requires a little bit of arm work but very little prep time..and it’s very straight forward. i’d hiiighly encourage you to try this recipe if you’re new to cooking or are weary of baking breads because this guy is a truly a level 1 recipe. hope you enjoy and stuff a few dozen of these cheese balls in your mouth this holiday season!
xo, christine
pão de queijo with garlic parsley butter
ingredients
wet ingredients
1/3 cup olive or neutral oil
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup water
+
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp kosher salt
dry ingredients
2.5 cups tapioca flour
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
garlic butter sauce
1/4 stick of melted butter
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
pinch of sea salt
notes
prep work: line a baking tray with parchment paper. preheat oven to 375f.
in a mixing bowl, toss together tapioca flour, minced garlic, and salt together - set aside. in a smaller bowl, whisk eggs and grated parmesan together - set aside.
in a medium sized pot, bring water, whole milk, and oil up to a quick simmer (1-2 minutes). turn heat off and then sift tapioca flour-garlic mixture in slowly. combine dry ingredients into pot and stir until evenly combined. pour in egg-parmesan mixture into pot and mix together until a dough forms.
take 1.5 tablespoons of dough and drop on baking tray leaving 1 inch between each ball. form balls by rolling dough between the palms of your hands. set back on tray and bake for 15-17 minutes until tops are golden brown and remove from oven.
combine melted butter, minced garlic, parsley, and salt in a small bowl. using a pastry brush, brush butter sauce atop cheese balls once they’re finished in the oven.
