BRAZILIAN CHEESE PUFFS - PAO DE QUEIJO (GLUTEN FREE)

Brazilian Cheese Puffs - Pao De Queijo (Gluten Free) image

This recipe comes from King Arthur's website. The dough will remind you of choux pastry, but it's made with gluten-free tapioca starch, which is available in Asian and Latin markets. KA recommends storing them at room temperature. They should be served warm, so reheat briefly in the microwave if they've been made ahead of time. I just love these with a glass of wine!

Provided by duonyte

Categories < 60 Mins

Time 35m

Yield 18-20 rolls

Number Of Ingredients 8

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Ingredients

4 ounces butter
2 ounces water
2 ounces milk
3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces tapioca starch, about 2 cups
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 ounces grated romano cheese or 3 ounces grated asiago cheese, about 2/3 cup
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Put the butter, water, milk and salt in a medium saucepan, and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture has come to a full boil. In the meantime, put the tapioca starch in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Pour the boiling mixture over the tapioca starch, beating to combine. Continue beating at a high speed until the mixture becomes smooth and elastic-looking - this will take only a couple of minutes.
Beat in the garlic and cheese until well combined.
Stick your finger into the dough. If it's uncomfortably hot, wait until it cools a bit. It should still be rather hot, but not uncomfortable.
With the mixer going, gradually dribble in the beaten eggs, beating till well combined and smooth.
Drop the mixture in 2 tbl balls (about the size of a golfball) onto the baking sheet, spacing about 1 1/2 in apart. Don't worry if the surface is a little rough - it will smooth out as it rises and bakes. The balls will flatten a little, but should hold their shape.
Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, until they have a freckled appearance (from the browning cheese) and begin to color a bit.
Remove from oven and serve hot. Reheat briefly in the microwave if serving at a later time.
Note: KA mentioned that tapioca starch or flour varies from brand to brand and even from batch to batch. You may need to add more tapioca, up to about 1/2 cup, to get a good consistency dough. If you've ever made cream puffs, that's the consistency you are looking for.