Fogo de Chao Bread is actually Brazilian Cheese Bread or pão de queijo. Once a year for his birthday my husband drags me to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian restaurant. If you are not familiar with the name please allow me to explain.
Fogo de Chao Bread, also known as Brazilian cheese bread or Pao de Queijo, are easier to make at home than you think. This gluten-free bread is also yeast free and only takes 30 minutes!
Men running around with meat on sticks using swords to swiftly cut a slab direct to your plate. While I am a fan of meats, I am not a huge fan of the experience and atmosphere.
I say men and not “women” because gacho are traditionally male. I have personally never seen a female gacho, but I suspect they do exist!
I find it anxiety provoking, busy and noisy, which is why it only happens once per year. For a meat-eatin’ person it is heavenly. Unlimited meat in the most manly of styles, on a skewer.
Although, Fogo has certainly changed a few things about their ambiance and I now enjoy it more than I used to!
In an attempt to not be totally put off by his birthday wishes I try to focus on the positive. In this case it is the Cheese Puff Bread, market table and the famous Fogo de Chao Bacon. These little nuggets are my version of Fogo de Chao Brazilian Bread.
I researched recipes and found numerous variations. Many had ingredients difficult to find in the states or at least in Baltimore City. Below is the closest I could make with local and easy to find items.
The most obscure will be the tapioca flour (usually easy to find in the baking aisle and sometimes labeled tapioca starch) and maybe Cotija cheese, which I was able to easily find at Whole Foods.
Both have become mainstream food trends and are available at more and more general grocers.
Most people believe the chewy center is melted cheese and to some extent they are correct. It is cheese and uncooked dough. Basically you under cook to produce a doughy center. My cookie dough lovers will love this aspect!
They do get to a high enough temperature to eliminate potential raw eggs issues. Another plus?
These golden nuggets require no yeast, therefore no rising, which results in a homemade dinner roll in under 30 minutes! No yeast bread, foodie friends!
And this is a gluten-free bread! Please indulge in these buttery, two bite cheesy heaven poppers. You’ll thank me!
Also check out my other CopyCat Recipes:
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Texas Roadhouse Honey Cinnamon Butter
- Carrabba’s Italian Bread Dip
- Peter Luger Steak Sauce
- Fogo de Chao Brazilian Cheese Puff Bread
- Orange Julius
- Japanese Ginger Dressing
- Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- In-N-Out Burger Animal Style Fries
- Arepas con Queso
Tools for making Brazilian Cheese Bread:
Heavy Bottom Sauce Pan– this will be one of your most used kitchen tools. Having something that is heavy bottom will distribute heat better and prevent burning whether you are using an electric or gas range.
Muffin Tins– Muffin tins are for more than making muffins! Use them to make mini meatloaf, cupcakes and more!
Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil– A good olive oil will taste like, well, olives, while a poorly made one will taste like vegetable oil. Gross. While people tend to favor Italian and Greek olive oils, I prefer to buy mine domestically.
There are some great ones out there from all over the world, but the reporting of ingredients isn’t always the same and you could find that your super expensive olive oil was actually cut with vegetable oil.
Questions you might have about how to make Brazilian Cheese Bread:
Can you freeze pao de queijo? You can freeze baked cheese puff bread. Simply place them in airtight plastic bags and squeeze out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Can you make Brazilian cheese bread with regular flour? You can certainly try, but it won’t have the same fluffy texture.
Can you make Brazilian cheese bread with almond flour? Same answer as above.
How do you store Brazilian cheese bread? If you have any leftovers, you can store at room temperature in an airtight plastic container. You don’t have to refrigerate, but if you prefer to do so, you can.
How do you reheat Brazilian cheese puff bread? Like most breads, it will get gummy and chewy if reheated in the microwave. Even though it takes a few extra minutes, I suggest wrapped in aluminum foil and reheating in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.
What cheese can be substituted for cotija? You can use many hard cheese, like Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.
The batter is hard to mix in the sauce pan, how else can I mix it? Feel free to transfer the batter to a stand mixer, large bowl or even a blender to get it good and well blended. I just don’t like to make more of a mess than needed.
Cheese Puff Bread Recipe- Copy Cat Fogo de Chao Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 oz Parmesan or Cotija cheese finely shredded
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the inside of a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine butter, salt and milk. Bring to a low boil.
- As soon as mixture boils, transfer it to a mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, slowly add in tapioca flour. Be very careful because the mixture can spit out and it is hot!
- Add in cheese, eggs, sugar and oil. Mixture will be the consistency of a wet bread dough. It is very sticky and moist.
- Spoon dough into individual muffin tins to about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Puffs will start to puff right out of the tin and be golden brown on the tops.
- Serve while warm. Enjoy!
- If you’ve tried this recipe, please come back and leave us a comment!
So good! My go-to recipe, and almost any cheese works!
This recipe was right on! I only had 2% and half and half, so I used equal portions for the milk. Also from past experience, my brand of Cotija cheese is very salty, so I used half the salt. Other than that, I followed the directions exactly and these turned out delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi, I love the recipe. I can’t wait to try it out, I fell in love with those little breads the first time I tried them.
Quick questions: What temperature should the low boil be?
Can I mix the flour by hand?
You can mix by hand, the mixer just makes it a little easier.
The low boil would be a simmer around 215°F. Just wait for small, little bubbles and steam, but no big bubbles or allowing the mixture to overflow.
I actually did see a female gaucho at our Fogo in KC last night! 🙂
Yay! Progress!
Not sure what I did wrong. After combining all the ingredients, my mix was just liquidy and never formed a dough. I tried adding some more tapioca flour, but it still didn’t form.
Hmmm- it is a liquid- you pour it. It doesn’t get to be a super sticky dough.
I followed this recipe exactly and mine came out like doughy bricks. They didn’t puff up at all. The only thing I did differently was use a full sized muffin pan as that’s all I had. Doesn’t seem like that alone could’ve caused my result.
The right size baking pan is pretty important. It adjusts the cooking temp/time and physics of the bread.
I made it for thanksgiving… didn’t tell anybody what it was but I saw their faces with awe as they were looking at the bread… had to make a new batch to bring to work for Monday
AWESOME! We love to hear that and thanks for coming back to let us know!
Very good. I’m going to back off the cheese to 4 oz though. I report back after.
For those asking, never use store grated cheese. It has anti-caking on it and doesn’t melt smooth. All the difference! Family loved these. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback!
Oh my gosh! Heavenly! And exactly like Fogo De Chao! Thank you!!!!!!
Great! That is what we love to hear!
My boys can’t get enough of these delicious bites. Thanks for the great recipe!
Woohoo! That is what I love to hear and thanks for coming back to let us know!
Hi . I’m wondering why my bread does not fluff ?
Hi Irene, there are several reasons, if you’d like to chat about it, please email me at jessica@savoryexperiments.com.
The number one reason is that there isn’t enough air in the batter- either from using a blender or whipping by hand.
This recipe I’d say (Cheese Puff Bread) is way so much better than Fogo de Chao which is too commercialized and lacking of that cheese taste but more of texture. I used Cotija Cheese which has more strong cheesy flavor. Your recipe is excellent and I give a two thumbs-up! Thank you for sharing.
Aw, thank you for the feedback. It makes my heart happy.
Made it many times now; a great recipe
Thanks for coming back to let us know!
Hi Jessica. Thank you for posting this recipe! I’m itching to go to the store to get ingredients!
I was wondering, have you tried the Fogo de chaos recipe on the website? Just wondering how the extra eggs would change the taste and texture of the recipe, and the omission of the cooking step. Thank you! Will post back when I tried this one!
Hi Alana! I haven’t- I honesty didn’t know they had it posted. I made this one years ago. But I will totally check it out- I mean any excuse to eat bread, right?
Thank you!
Thank you! Tried yours tonight it was tasty!
Woohoo! That is what we love to hear and thanks for coming back to let us know!
I don’t have any kind of mixer other than my hands. Can I still mix ingredients in a mixing bowl just to get the ingredients incorporated. It may not be as smooth as mixing with blender and mixer, but hand is all I got. Thank you.
Yep- go for it and work those arms! I’d use a whisk, the mixing isn’t just about smooth ingredients, it is also about incorporating air into the batter.
I would like to buy Maky a mixer. I think everyone would should have one! And Jessica your recipe is fantastic! Thank you very much for sharing ❤️. You can email me and let me know how I can get in touch with or how I can send a purchased mixer to Maky.
Thank you so much, Annette, unfortunately, I don’t have a way to get in touch with Maky- maybe they will see your comment? I don’t store email addresses to make sure I respect everyone’s privacy. <3
Have you ever tried using a non diary substitute to milk? Does the fat content of the milk make a difference to how the bread turns out?
I have not used a non-dairy option. The fat certainly makes a difference, so maybe use soy, it has the highest fat.
I have made this recipe again and again and again. My family loves it, my superbowl party guests (remember before 2020?) love it, my gluten-free as well as gluten-eating friends love it – This recipe is easy and WONDERFUL.
Oh, pre-2020, those were the days! I’m glad you love them! I haven’t made them in a while, I should 🙂
Followed recipe exactly with Parmesan cheese and came out great!
Awesome! Thank you!
This never got doughy… It was like a liquid and I followed the ratio exactly… Anyone else not get it to be dough?
It doesn’t get super doughy- it is very wet and won’t hold shape. Did you try baking them?
Made these tonight and I just wanted to say they were UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!!! Seriously they turned out perfect, JUST like what you get at Fogo de Chao. Thank you so much for this recipe! Will definitely be making these again!
Aw, thanks! Comments like this is why we do what we do! Enjoy and make sure to try a few others!
This is a staple in our family thanks to you. It is highly requested by my kids and husband. My 13 year old eats half of this batch before I even put them on the table. tastes so much like fogos. Too bad my local grocery store, Kroger is out of Tapioca flour often. Everyone needs to try this!!
Thanks for letting me know, Lina! You can order it on Amazon if you have trouble finding it. Health stores like Whole Foods often carry it too.
Tapioca flour or starch easily to find in any asian grocery store.