Special equipment:
food processor with blade attachment

Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup milk
3–4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 2⁄3 cups tapioca or cassava flour,
plus extra for dusting
2 large eggs, beaten, plus extra for glazing
5oz (125g) Parmesan cheese, grated

Method:
1 Put the milk, 1.2 cup water, sunflower oil, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Put the flour into a large bowl and quickly mix in the hot liquid. The
mixture will be very clumpy and stuck together. Put it aside to cool.

2 Preheat the oven to 375‹F (190‹C). Once the tapioca mixture has cooled, put it into a food processor.

3 Add the eggs and process until all the lumps disappear, and it resembles a thick, smooth paste. Add the cheese and process together until it begins to form a sticky, elastic dough.

4 Turn the mixture out onto a well-floured work surface and knead for 2.3 minutes, until it is smooth and pliable.

5 Divide the mixture into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into golf ball-sized balls and place, spaced apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

6 Brush the balls with a little beaten egg and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.

7 Remove them from the oven and cool for a few minutes before eating. These are best eaten the same day they are made, preferably still warm from the oven.

PREPARE AHEAD:
These can be open frozen on the baking sheet at the end of step 3 and transferred to freezer bags. Simply defrost for 30 minutes and bake as usual.

BAKER’S TIP:
These classic Brazilian cheese rolls are made from manioc, tapioca, or cassava flour, and are thus wheat-free. The flour clumps when mixed with the liquid at first, but the use of a food processor will help enormously here. You will find that it soon forms a smooth mass.

Pao de queijo