Help with Brazilian Cheese Bread
April 20, 2011 12:26 AM Subscribe
Help improving my Brazilian cheese bread. I tried to make Brazilian cheese bread, but the inside is all gooey. How do I make the inside fluffier?
The recipe I used is basically the following: boil one cup of milk, 1/2 cup water, salt, 1/2 cup oil together, then mix in two cups of tapioca flour, and then let sit for ten minutes. Then, knead in two eggs, and then two cups of Parmesan cheese. I then baked the breads for 25 min in a 350 F oven, and when I pulled them out, they were browned on the outside, and edible, but gooey and gelatinous on the inside, like mochi.
When I kneaded in the eggs after ten minutes, the dough was really hot, too hot to touch, and I think the eggs cooked a little. Is that why the inside of the cheese bread failed to aerate? Or, was it because of the ratios in the recipe?
The recipe I used is basically the following: boil one cup of milk, 1/2 cup water, salt, 1/2 cup oil together, then mix in two cups of tapioca flour, and then let sit for ten minutes. Then, knead in two eggs, and then two cups of Parmesan cheese. I then baked the breads for 25 min in a 350 F oven, and when I pulled them out, they were browned on the outside, and edible, but gooey and gelatinous on the inside, like mochi.
When I kneaded in the eggs after ten minutes, the dough was really hot, too hot to touch, and I think the eggs cooked a little. Is that why the inside of the cheese bread failed to aerate? Or, was it because of the ratios in the recipe?
I think the confusion is because Pao de Queijo is really a popover, not a bread. Make sure you divide the massa into popover (scone) size, so that they fit into muffin tins. If you make them too big, they won't cook through. You might want to try something like (I hope the link thing works, but you can pick out the bits that get you there) to see how they might be.
posted by alonsoquijano at 2:03 AM on April 20, 2011
posted by alonsoquijano at 2:03 AM on April 20, 2011
ah, I give up with this thing, go to http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/, and good luck, they're delicious and you'll weigh 200 kilos
posted by alonsoquijano at 2:06 AM on April 20, 2011
posted by alonsoquijano at 2:06 AM on April 20, 2011
Pao de Queijo is really a popover
That explains it.
The recipe alonsoquijano linked to actually says they're supposed to be "very chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi."
posted by jon1270 at 2:38 AM on April 20, 2011
That explains it.
The recipe alonsoquijano linked to actually says they're supposed to be "very chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi."
posted by jon1270 at 2:38 AM on April 20, 2011
They're meant to be squidgy on the inside. They shouldn't be too big though -- a little bit smaller than golf balls is about right. They are never very aerated, and they're not very brown when ready, just coloured up a bit with brown spots. The real deal is not made with parmesan but with some kind of fresh curd thing. My Brazilian friends in exile sometimes use feta. Yeah, despite the name, it's not a bread and if you think it's going to be bready you are setting yourself up for disappointment. They are just delicious squidgy cheesy things.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:36 AM on April 20, 2011
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:36 AM on April 20, 2011
These are perfectly cooked, slightly smaller than golf ball sized IRL, and definitely a bit gelatinous on the inside.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:39 AM on April 20, 2011
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:39 AM on April 20, 2011
Random thought here, but if you wanted something fluffier, you could try making gougeres. They aren't really like bread either but they are probably more delicate.
posted by cabingirl at 5:20 AM on April 20, 2011
posted by cabingirl at 5:20 AM on April 20, 2011
If you haven't eaten the breads previously before you try to make them, yes, the texture will make you think you've done something wrong. But that's the way they are. Chewy and damp. And delicious.
Don't go as big as muffin tins, stick to golf ball size (or at a max 2" diameter, but those are trickier to bake through, probably need a slightly lower oven temp.)
Don't try to make a big batch and eat them the next day, they taste best hot, and are pretty dubious cold. The dough keeps well, though, we sometimes keep the batch of dough in the fridge for a week or so as we scoop out 6 blobs each morning to bake in the toaster oven for breakfast.
posted by aimedwander at 6:05 AM on April 20, 2011
Don't go as big as muffin tins, stick to golf ball size (or at a max 2" diameter, but those are trickier to bake through, probably need a slightly lower oven temp.)
Don't try to make a big batch and eat them the next day, they taste best hot, and are pretty dubious cold. The dough keeps well, though, we sometimes keep the batch of dough in the fridge for a week or so as we scoop out 6 blobs each morning to bake in the toaster oven for breakfast.
posted by aimedwander at 6:05 AM on April 20, 2011
I've been making these a lot lately, and loving them! Here's the recipe I've been using...
http://kirbiecravings.com/2011/04/brazilian-cheese-puffs.html
No eggs, no boiling, no kneading - and the taste and texture is just like the Pao de Queijo I've had at Brazilian restaurants before. Maybe give it a try?
I whisk everything together instead of using a food processor. I've found Aebleskiver pans and mini muffin tins to be the best thing to bake them in to get the right size/shape.
Good luck!
posted by Squee at 6:38 AM on April 20, 2011 [4 favorites]
http://kirbiecravings.com/2011/04/brazilian-cheese-puffs.html
No eggs, no boiling, no kneading - and the taste and texture is just like the Pao de Queijo I've had at Brazilian restaurants before. Maybe give it a try?
I whisk everything together instead of using a food processor. I've found Aebleskiver pans and mini muffin tins to be the best thing to bake them in to get the right size/shape.
Good luck!
posted by Squee at 6:38 AM on April 20, 2011 [4 favorites]
Gah, don't know what I was thinking - there ARE eggs in the recipe I linked....just no boiling or kneading.
posted by Squee at 6:40 AM on April 20, 2011
posted by Squee at 6:40 AM on April 20, 2011
Yeah, you're probably making them too big. I have these a lot, but I make them from a mix called Chebe. (They're a great bread substitute, if you're gluten free.)
I'm also wondering if you are putting in too much cheese. When I made it, after a while I was just tossing in as much cheese as looked tasty and the rolls didn't come out nicely -- the dough was super gooey, etc. When I cut back to the amount of cheese called for on the bag, they started coming out right again.
I love Brazillian cheese bread! I eat it all the time when I would have had a dinner roll or tortilla before.
posted by sugarfish at 6:41 AM on April 20, 2011
I'm also wondering if you are putting in too much cheese. When I made it, after a while I was just tossing in as much cheese as looked tasty and the rolls didn't come out nicely -- the dough was super gooey, etc. When I cut back to the amount of cheese called for on the bag, they started coming out right again.
I love Brazillian cheese bread! I eat it all the time when I would have had a dinner roll or tortilla before.
posted by sugarfish at 6:41 AM on April 20, 2011
I've experimented with this stuff for ages, and there are a bunch of factors that change the final outcome:
- Size (smaller seems to be better, although actual muffin tins worked badly for me)
- brand of flour (The Thai market tapioca seemed finer and yielded a fluffier roll than the Bob's Red Mill)
- Type of cheese (I've made it with queso fresco, parm, cheddar, and various combinations. The best result texture-wise was with the low-grade, very moist queso fresco, but adding in other stuff doesn't hurt.)
- Cooling the dough before kneading seems to help
- Kneading a LOT seems to help
- There seems to be some other factor that I haven't pinpointed - I've had two batches made with identical ingredients come out pretty radically different, and I haven't figured out why.
Fortunately, even the gooey ones are tasty!
posted by restless_nomad at 9:53 AM on April 20, 2011
- Size (smaller seems to be better, although actual muffin tins worked badly for me)
- brand of flour (The Thai market tapioca seemed finer and yielded a fluffier roll than the Bob's Red Mill)
- Type of cheese (I've made it with queso fresco, parm, cheddar, and various combinations. The best result texture-wise was with the low-grade, very moist queso fresco, but adding in other stuff doesn't hurt.)
- Cooling the dough before kneading seems to help
- Kneading a LOT seems to help
- There seems to be some other factor that I haven't pinpointed - I've had two batches made with identical ingredients come out pretty radically different, and I haven't figured out why.
Fortunately, even the gooey ones are tasty!
posted by restless_nomad at 9:53 AM on April 20, 2011
This recipe says no water (uses 2/3 cup milk instead, and 1/3 cup oil) and cooks in a muffin tin.
posted by AceRock at 12:18 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by AceRock at 12:18 PM on April 20, 2011
The ones I had in Brazil were gooey. I thought they were supposed to be that way. You might be doing okay, but the suggestion to make them smaller might help a lot.
posted by elpea at 12:22 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by elpea at 12:22 PM on April 20, 2011
The ones I had were gooey on the inside too. They were the first thing I ate in Brazil. It was 6 am in the Sao Paolo airport. Yum!
posted by Morpeth at 12:37 PM on April 20, 2011
posted by Morpeth at 12:37 PM on April 20, 2011
I modified the recipe from this site:
http://www.sonia-portuguese.com/recipes/pqueijo.htm
and they always turn out with just the right amount of puffy and gooey :)
The key for me was to use a 400 degree oven instead of her 350 recommendation,
and I added 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the mix - it helps them puff up and be more airy (equals less goo but not none at all...).
I use Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour, and 1 tub of Digiorno(sp?) grated parmesan cheese. (it's a little more than the recipe requires but I like more cheese anyway)
I also use a glass bowl that I turn the dough out of the saucepan into and I spread it up the sides so it cools a little faster. I knead in the eggs nearly completely first - this takes longer than you think - keep going!. Then I add the parmesan last. I keep a small bowl with the same oil I used to cook with (plain canola oil) and grease my hands periodically with it while making the dough into balls - ping pong ball sized is about as big as you want to go with them. A silicone baking pad like a silpat helps a lot - I seem to get more even coloring. Fogo de Chao in the last few years seems to have started using nonstick small muffin sheets for theirs so you could go that route too
If you preheated to 400, make sure you check around 18 minutes of the 20 minutes she says - they should not be too brown - just barely. Good luck!
here is how mine turned out - pao de queijo
PS - if you get adventurous with BZ cooking and need some brigadeiros to go along with your cheese bread - this person does it right (method) but I still use nestle quik and not ovaltine - but the non stick pan is definitely the way to go with those! Also we just scoop it into a dish and eat over a few days with a spoon and only make the real ones with sprinkles for special occasions :) Brigadeiro method youtube Link she does a great job with video showing you the consistency you are looking for.
posted by clanger at 9:35 PM on April 21, 2011
http://www.sonia-portuguese.com/recipes/pqueijo.htm
and they always turn out with just the right amount of puffy and gooey :)
The key for me was to use a 400 degree oven instead of her 350 recommendation,
and I added 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the mix - it helps them puff up and be more airy (equals less goo but not none at all...).
I use Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour, and 1 tub of Digiorno(sp?) grated parmesan cheese. (it's a little more than the recipe requires but I like more cheese anyway)
I also use a glass bowl that I turn the dough out of the saucepan into and I spread it up the sides so it cools a little faster. I knead in the eggs nearly completely first - this takes longer than you think - keep going!. Then I add the parmesan last. I keep a small bowl with the same oil I used to cook with (plain canola oil) and grease my hands periodically with it while making the dough into balls - ping pong ball sized is about as big as you want to go with them. A silicone baking pad like a silpat helps a lot - I seem to get more even coloring. Fogo de Chao in the last few years seems to have started using nonstick small muffin sheets for theirs so you could go that route too
If you preheated to 400, make sure you check around 18 minutes of the 20 minutes she says - they should not be too brown - just barely. Good luck!
here is how mine turned out - pao de queijo
PS - if you get adventurous with BZ cooking and need some brigadeiros to go along with your cheese bread - this person does it right (method) but I still use nestle quik and not ovaltine - but the non stick pan is definitely the way to go with those! Also we just scoop it into a dish and eat over a few days with a spoon and only make the real ones with sprinkles for special occasions :) Brigadeiro method youtube Link she does a great job with video showing you the consistency you are looking for.
posted by clanger at 9:35 PM on April 21, 2011
Oh, if you want that smooth ball look with yours...the way i did it was like this guy did with pizza dough (except on my ping pong ball sized dough scale)...
Link - should start at 3:55 for what I'm talking about.
posted by clanger at 9:47 PM on April 21, 2011
Link - should start at 3:55 for what I'm talking about.
posted by clanger at 9:47 PM on April 21, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
That said, I've never tried to make bread from tapioca flour, so maybe you're trying to do something that simply outside my (fairly considerable) bread-baking experience and I simply don't know what I'm talking about...
posted by jon1270 at 1:43 AM on April 20, 2011