May 2014 Daring Bakers challenge: PÃO DE QUEIJO

This month's Daring Bakers' Challenge took us on a trip to beautiful Brazil! Renata of "Testado, Provado & Aprovado!" taught us how to make Pao De Queijo, tasty cheese buns that make the perfect snack or treat, and that will make your taste buds samba!

I am posting this challenge very late but better late than ever. I have been very busy lately with work so , I haven't had time to concentrate and bake something. These little ”cheese breads” were very very easy to make and after I made them I was wondering why it took so long for e to make them.

Anyway, the recipe I chose was the fake pao de queijo, since it's impossible to find tapioca starch here in Sweden or at least I haven't found anywhere. These ones are made with potato starch, something very easy to find here, they are very tasty and ridiculously easy and fast to make. If you want to try and make them I would advise you to make at least the double amount, since it yielded only 9 small cheese balls to me. You can also take them to a next a level and fill them with extra cheese or cheese and ham, I think I will try this next time I make them. I used parmesan cheese and they had a very nice taste and they were as salty as needed going great with the chicken soup we ate them with. So, here is the recipe, it is the one provided from the Daring Bakers challenge host. If you want to try the real ones with tapioca you can also find them to the Daring Bakers site.

"Fake" Pão de Queijo

Recipe from here

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (50 ml) milk

3 tablespoons (45 ml) water

1 tablespoon (15 g) butter

2/3 cup (100 g or 160 ml) potato starch

½ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder

salt to taste (I put ½ teaspoon)

½ cup (50 g or 125 ml) grated parmesan

1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 180° C/ 350° F. Place the water, milk and butter in a small saucepan and let them boil. In a bowl sift together the starch, baking powder and salt. Pour the hot mixture over the starch and stir. The mixture will be lumpy.

Add the egg and the cheese and stir until well combined. The best way is with a fork. I needed to add about a teaspoon of water more so that it will become smooth.

Make little balls with lightly oiled hands and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Don't let them get too much colour. Serve warm. Makes 15 small balls. I got 9 small to medium balls.