
Recipes
Brazilian Cheese Bread
By Kristen Schwab
For three years during Kristen Schwab’s childhood, her family lived in Brazil. It was a key time in her development, opening her up to travel and new people, she says. It exposed her to a little delicacy called Brazilian cheese bread, or pão de queijo. These little cheese buns are a popular snack or breakfast food commonly found in Brazilian bakeries. “It was just like one of those comforting foods we had almost every day. You’d walk to school in the morning and have a pineapple in one hand and a pão de queijo in the other. Schwab and her mom learned how to make it. “That was our special thing that we brought back with us – we could look back and remember those fun years living there,” she says. What makes this creation so good? “The hard crust and the gooey, spongy middle,” she says.
Ingredients
Makes 20 medium-sized breads
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups tapioca flour
2 eggs
2 cups shredded manchego cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Heat the milk, water, olive oil and salt in a pot until it just simmers. Remove from the heat and let it sit for about 20 minutes so it's not too hot. Add the tapioca flour to a mixing bowl or stand mixer. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the tapioca flour. Mix with a paddle attachment or a spoon until it is all combined. Don't be freaked out by the slightly runny strange texture at this stage of the recipe. Once it’s slightly cooled, slowly mix in the eggs one at a time until they’re fully incorporated. Stir in the grated cheeses a handful at a time. Let the cheesy dough cool completely for at least an hour. With wet hands, scoop and roll the dough into little balls.
Now, freeze the dough balls for an hour or so and bake from frozen. Place the dough balls on a greased sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden yellow. “The dough freezes wonderfully from raw and makes a very conveniently comforting snack that bakes up quickly when you get a craving,” says Schwab.
Bio
Kristen Schwab describes her introduction to cooking as a “happy accident.” After taking a shot at nursing school and determining it didn’t suit her, Schwab used a government grant to attend tech school, where she found the culinary program was the right fit. “It was something I had a natural talent in and it just felt right,” she says. Working at Odd Duck, she was inspired to develop her interest in global cuisines. Before joining The Wolf as executive chef, she also cooked at Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub, DanDan and Fiserv Forum. Schwab’s use of flavors honors her Indonesian heritage.

Kristen Schwab
The Wolf
Kristen Schwab
The Wolf
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