Puffy Brazilian Cheese Bread – Cheesy Cheesy Bread Poofs, Magic & Macaroons!
A recipe for puffy cheesy Brazilian Cheese Bread that’s crusty on the outside and gooey chewy on the inside! Inspired by the Magical Bakery Mystery, Magic and Macaroons by Bailey Cates Cattrell.
Did I mention I LOVE food novels?
For instance, one of my favorite series is Magical Bakery Mysteries by Bailey Cates Cattrell. The main character, Katie, moves to Savannah to open a bakery with her aunt and uncle. She notices her aunt putting mysterious ingredients, like rosemary and other herbs into her recipes and whispering over them. Katie discovers her aunt is magically enhancing the pastries! She discovers her aunt is a witch, and she is too! They form a book club and meet in the bakery after work with their fellow witches and practice spells. I promise you’ll love reading about the special herbs she and her aunt add to the recipes and you’ll wish the Honeybee Bakery was right around the corner!
Bailey Cates ~ Magical Bakery Mysteries
The Magical Bakery Mysteries are good, clean & fun, light reads with wonderful and strong women characters, like Katie, descriptions of amazing baked goods like these cheesy poofs, and more! You won’t want to miss the recipes she adds at the end of her books. Check out these peanut butter bacon and banana cookies inspired by the series!
If you’re stressed or need a break from the world, a series like the Magical Bakery Mysteries is great. I think you will love them too!
Macaroons would have been the obvious recipe to make after reading this book! Lucy’s description of Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo), sounded soo good that I had to make a batch!
If you follow me on Twitter you saw my recent Salmon Sunday tweet – Sweet & Spicy Sunday Salmon served with some adorable little cheesy poofs! They were Lucy’s Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo) from @WriterBailey ‘s book Magic and Macaroons. I’ve never eaten or baked anything like them! Making Brazilian Cheese Bread dough is similar to making churro dough. Like churro batter, the recipe calls for boiling the milk and oil and dumping in the flour. They poof up into cute little balls, crusty on the outside, gooey, chewy, and cheesy on the inside!
Magic and Macaroons is book 5 of the series. Start with book 1, Brownies and Broomsticks.
“…Like many of my cozy characters, I believe magic is all around us if we only look for it. Having apprenticed with a master herbalist for a year, I’m prone to concocting teas and tinctures for family and friends from the stash of herbs stored in the corner cabinet in my office…”
~Bailey Cates Cattrell
If I close my eyes, I can totally imagine myself at the Honeybee Bakery picking out a book from the bookshelves, while nibbling on an éclair full of magical vanilla filling, and sipping a steamy hot cappuccino. I may need to re-read this entire series!
This awesome book inspired me to whip up this puffy Brazilian cheese bread!
Change is inevitable, they say. Struggle is optional
Your life’s path deviates from what you intend
– Whether you like it or not- Whether you fight it or not – Whether your heart breaks or not
~Bailey Cates, Brownies and Broomsticks
If you love book-inspired recipes, like this one, try these bacon peanut butter banana cookies! Since these cheesy poofs are made with tapioca flour, I believe these are gluten-free, however, I recommend you check your ingredient contents for gluten.
Puffy Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)
Equipment
- standing mixer with paddle attachment highly recommended
- cheese grater
- *cookie scoopers -optional but helpful
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk Whole milk recommended, I used ½ cup half & half and ½ cup 2% milk.
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup grated Parmesan (I actually used ½ cup Parmesan + ½ cup Asiago)
- ¾ cup sharp cheddar Use bar cheese, not pre-shredded if possible.
- 2 cups tapioca flour Sifted. I use *Bob's Red Mill
Instructions
- Grate and combine the cheeses in a bowl and set aside. I use this Pampered Chef Grater that I have had for ages.
- Preheat the oven to 450° (You will reduce the heat to 375° as soon as you put your baking sheets in to bake.)
- Sift flour into your mixer bowl and stir in the salt.
- Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and set them aside.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (Bake side by side or arrange your shelves to accommodate both pans.)(If you are using donut-hole pans, lightly grease them.)
- In a 2-quart saucepan combine milk & oil. Bring to a boil while stirring. As soon as it comes to a boil remove from heat and dump the entire contents at once, into the mixing bowl.
- Mix on medium speed until combined. This will be a white sticky mess. Keep mixing until it the sticky lumpy dough becomes smooth.
- Mix in half of the whisked eggs at a time until combined.
- Add in cheeses, 1/2 cup at a time, but quickly, just until combined. It will be a shiny, very sticky concoction! You may need to finish mixing with your (oiled) hands.
- Use two oiled spoons or an ice cream/cookie scoop to make about 15 evenly sized balls, about 3 tbsp each. Roll them into smooth balls with your oiled hands and place them about an inch apart on the lined baking sheets.(If you are using donut-hole pans, lightly oil the pans, and scoop about 1 ½ tbsp each.)
- Place both sheets in the oven and immediately turn heat° down from 450° to 375°, bake for 20 minutes and check them. Lift one to make sure they aren't too dark on the bottom. If so reduce heat to 350 degrees. When they are browned lightly on top and crispy they are done. They will cook for between 20-25 minutes. (If you are making these smaller, like donut-hole sized, check them after 10-minutes, and flip them over if they are lightly browned on the bottoms. They will probably only take about fifteen minutes total. If they are crispy on the top, they are done!) *If you are making these ahead of time, freeze them on the sheet, and once frozen you can package them in zip-top bags or a freezer storage container.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sweet & Spicy Glazed Salmon, Zoodles and Brazilian Cheese Bread
Have you read any Magical Bakery Mysteries, or baked up some goodies with “magical” properties like her vanilla scones?