AI-generated photo.
Brazilian · Iconic, Minas Gerais · Brazil
Brazilian cheese bread
Also called pão de queijo
Brazilian cheese bread (pão de queijo), a Minas Gerais plate from Brazil.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Brazilian cheese bread is cooked in Minas Gerais as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Soak the tapioca until it mashes, mix it with egg and cheese, and bake small rolls until they puff. Tapioca starch is the bakery flour. The pearls are the starch this pantry can count. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
62
Health score
Balanced
Moderate
Richness
Gentle
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 11%
- Carbs 45%
- Fat 44%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 8.9 g, under the 25 g mark.
Watch · Low sodium
About 470 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Suits · Vegetarian
No meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
Fat or sugar is high for a day when appetite is low.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Tapioca pearls, dry143 kcal
- Cheddar82 kcal
- Unsalted butter54 kcal
- Egg36 kcal
- Whole milk18 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 29. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 332 kcal.
Allergens. Egg, Milk
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 249 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 332 kcal | 17% |
| Protein | 8.9 g | 18% |
| Carbohydrate | 37.6 g | 14% |
| Fiber | 0.4 g | 1% |
| Total sugars | 3 g | 6% |
| Fat | 16.2 g | 21% |
| Saturated fat | 9 g | 45% |
| Cholesterol | 133 mg | 44% |
| Sodium | 470 mg | 20% |
| Potassium | 101 mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 203 mg | 16% |
| Iron | 1.1 mg | 6% |
| Magnesium | 13 mg | 3% |
| Zinc | 1.2 mg | 11% |
| Vitamin A | 164 mcg | 18% |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0.8 mcg | 4% |
| Vitamin E | 0.6 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin K | 1 mcg | 1% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0 mg | 3% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.3 mg | 19% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.1 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 5% |
| Folate | 18 mcg | 5% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.6 mcg | 25% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Saturated fat is moderate to high. Worth noticing if cholesterol is on your mind.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Oven
- Scale
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment
- The pan in the method
- Cooling rack
- Skewer or toothpick
- Oven thermometer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Tapioca pearls, dry1 cup160 g
Egg2 eggs100 g
Cheddar0.7 cup80 g
Whole milk0.5 cup117 ml
Unsalted butter2 tbsp30 g
Water0.33 cup80 ml
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set the oven to 350°F / 177°C and leave it for 15 minutes so the rack is actually hot. Weigh tapioca pearls, dry, egg, cheddar, whole milk, unsalted butter, water, kosher salt. Brazilian cheese bread is cooked in Minas Gerais as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Soak the tapioca until it mashes, mix it with egg and cheese, and bake small rolls until they puff. Tapioca starch is the bakery flour. The pearls are the starch this pantry can count. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat oven 15 min
AI-generated photo.
2Line the pan with parchment. If this is Brazilian cheese bread, a bare pan is the usual reason the first slice sticks. Butter only the parchment, not a pool of fat.
AI-generated photo.
3Stir the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Combine them until the batter or dough for Brazilian cheese bread is even, with no dry streaks and no long mixing after that.
AI-generated photo.
4Scrape the mixture into the pan and level the top. Brazilian cheese bread bakes evenly only when the center is not a dome of unmixed batter.
- 🇧🇷 BrazilSouth Americaicon-brazil-brazilian-cheese-bread-step-4
Brazilian cheese bread, step 5
Step 5 · Bake about 39 min
5Bake at 350°F / 177°C until this is true: The crust of Brazilian cheese bread is deep gold and the center sounds hollow when tapped. The crumb is set, not wet or gummy. Start checking at 39 minutes. Opening the door early drops the heat.
Bake about 39 min
- 🇧🇷 BrazilSouth Americaicon-brazil-brazilian-cheese-bread-step-5
Brazilian cheese bread, step 6
Step 6 · Cool 10 min
6Cool Brazilian cheese bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then move it to a rack. Cutting while it is steaming collapses the crumb. Film Brazilian cheese bread in this shot order and no other: liquid going in and lifting the fond; herbs cut in at the end; a cooling rack and a waiting towel; the fridge shelf where the plate will chill. Slate words for the editor: grove, yarrow, quiche, reduce, jute, drift, umber, nutmeg, lacquer, glaze.
Cool 10 min
How you know it is done
The crust of Brazilian cheese bread is deep gold and the center sounds hollow when tapped. The crumb is set, not wet or gummy.
If it goes wrong
- Brazilian cheese bread looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Brazilian cheese bread spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Brazilian cheese bread completely. Keep it covered at room temperature for 2 days, or wrap and freeze for a month. Refrigerate custard, cream, and fresh-fruit fillings the same day and eat them within 3 days.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Brazilian cheese bread is one of the plates people ask for by name from Minas Gerais.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Soak the tapioca until it mashes, mix it with egg and cheese, and bake small rolls until they puff. Tapioca starch is the bakery flour. The pearls are the starch this pantry can count.
Allergens in the required list: Egg, Milk.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.