Pão de Queijo

Container-based recipe with cottage cheese

Designed to use the full 16 oz bag of tapioca flour, the full 5 oz Four Cheese container, plus about half of the 8 oz pizza cheese bag. The small spoon of cottage cheese is your added moisture boost.


Ingredients
· 1 full bag tapioca flour, 16 oz
· 1 full container BelGioioso Four Cheese, 5 oz
· Pizza cheese blend, 3 to 4 oz, about 1 cup, roughly 1/2 of the 8 oz bag
· Whole milk, 1 cup
· Water, 1/3 cup
· Salted butter, 6 tablespoons, which is 3/4 of 1 stick
· 2 large eggs
· Cottage cheese, 1 heaping tablespoon

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease a mini muffin pan.
2. Put all of the tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a saucepan, heat the milk, water, and salted butter until the butter is melted and the mixture just starts to simmer. Do not let it boil hard.
4. Pour the hot liquid over the tapioca flour and stir right away. This step is important because the heat starts gelatinizing the starch, which is what gives pão de queijo its chewy structure and helps the dough come together correctly. Let it cool briefly for 10 to 15 minutes before adding the eggs and cheese, so the eggs do not scramble and the texture stays smooth.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. The dough may look slippery or separated at first. Keep mixing until it starts to come together.
6. Mix in the full Four Cheese container, the pizza cheese, and the heaping tablespoon of cottage cheese. Stir until evenly combined.
7. The dough should be thick, sticky, and scoopable. It should hold a rounded mound on a spoon, not run like batter. If it feels too stiff, add 1 tablespoon milk. If it feels too loose, add 1 tablespoon tapioca flour.
8. Scoop small portions, about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons each, onto the baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. A small cookie scoop or wet hands helps.
9. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.
10. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Best warm.

Notes
· This version shifts a little more toward milk and a little less toward water, without making the dough too wet.
· There is no added salt because the butter is salted and the cheeses already bring salt.
· The cottage cheese is not traditional, but in this small amount it is a practical moisture adjustment and should work well.