Pão de Queijo: where can I get some Brazillian cheese buns?
The intern turned up this little biz-related story about a cheese bun I'd never heard of:
P*DE*Q, which makes a tapioca-based cheese bread known also as pão de queijo or chipa, will be joined by Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 26 as they cut the ribbon on its P*DE*Q Corner located at 1940 N. Echo St across from Fresno High School.
The company expects that up to 100,000 of the ready-to-bake, gluten-freen treats will come out of the 1,400-square-foot building each week upon opening, with potential sales in the millions.
The building will move owner Flavia Takahashi-Flores out of a test kitchen and into a store where customers can pick up the crispy treat frozen or fresh or enjoy them with coffee, tea and other beverages that will be sold there.
Pão de queijo? Chipa?
Cheese buns, or cheese breads are a variety of small, baked, cheese-flavored rolls, a popular typical snack and breakfast food in Brazil, and also in nearby regions of Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina. The inexpensive snack is often sold from streetside stands or by vendors carrying a heat-preserving container.
They are known as pão de queijo (Portuguese pronunciation: [pɐ̃w̃ dʒi ˈkejʒu]), 'cheese bread' in Portuguese, and chipá (chipa or chipita) or cuñapé in Guarani, especially in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The pan de yuca in Ecuador and bolitas de yuca in Colombia are very similar to the chipa.
They are distinctive not only because they are made of cassava manioc or corn flour, but also because the inside is chewy and moist. The cheese of choice is frequently Minas cheese. If poorly done, they may seem uncooked or doughy. Their size may range from 2 cm to 15 cm (1 to 6 inches) in diameter, with about 5 cm (2 inches) of height. In Paraguay and Argentina, smaller chipá can also be found.
And most interestingly,
The cassava root produces a very powerful starch which is key to the size and texture of the Pão de Queijo. Unlike other bread the recipe calls for no leavening of any kind. Small pockets of air within the dough expand during baking and are contained by the powerful elasticity of the starch paste.
I'm a huge fan of Salgadinhos, which are (typically) deep-fried Brazillian dumpling/buns, but I've never had pão de queijo. Maybe I overlooked them in the bakery case, gravitating to more substantial-seeming fare. But now my appetite is whet; where (besides Fresno) can I get these little cheese buns?
Top photo, "Pão de queijo em casa" by Pedro Eugenio Antunes; bottom photo, "Panatal - Porto Cercado", by ana_ge
I went to Brazil years ago
I went to Brazil years ago and these were BY FAR my favorite thing that I ate. I'm almost glad they're hard to find here- I'd be eating the all the time! I'm still going to try the recipe though. Thanks for this!
I am addicted to pão de
I am addicted to pão de queijo, which is problematic because it only takes about 20 minutes to whip up a batch from scratch. I use tapioca flour, which is about 99 cents/lb in asian markets.
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt
225 grams tapioca flour
1 egg
100 grams grated parmesan cheese
Heat water, milk, oil, and salt in a pan until boiling. Weigh tapioca flour into a bowl and pour hot liquid over. Mix until a dough forms, then knead in egg and cheese. Drop 12 balls onto a baking sheet and bake at 400F until puffed and brown. Try not to eat them all at once!
Thanks for the Asian market
Thanks for the Asian market tip! In my neck of the woods, it might be the best option for manioc/cassava/tapioca flour.
I'm certainly going to turn the Scientist loose on this one; she's the baker in the family, and as a biogeochemist, she can do metric-standard conversion like it's nothin'.
Pão de Queijo
We tried these at Fogo de Chao in Baltimore, MD, and loved them.
We found a source to order a mix on-line. However, that source has dried up, and the mixes are long gone. Any chance of finding a recipe, or a new source?
Just got some advice from
Just got some advice from Facebook: the recipe looks very simple!
Manioc flour shouldn't be too bad to find. Heck, if you can't find Yoki brand, Goya makes it, so you can probably buy it down the street. I'm sure there are Brazilian grandmas out there with favorite brands, refinements and advice, though, so if anyone can elaborate on the recipe, it'd be welcome.
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