jeremy’s cheese bread (pao de queijo)

A number of Thanksgivings ago, my brother introduced us all to a new cheese bread recipe he’d found. An easy version of Brazilian pao de queijo, it was light but chewy, crisp on the outside but surprisingly stretchy within, gently cheesy and just a touch sweet. For my Chinese family, it reminded us of more of an airy, savory kind of mochi puff than a dinner roll. We were all smitten, and Jeremy’s cheese bread became a mainstay at every Thanksgiving after that (and every other family gathering, besides). Some years I’d come into the kitchen to find the blender set up, eggs and milk on the counter; other times, the tray in the oven baking; sometimes I’d pick up the tapioca flour on the way. Whatever the case, he always made them in the afternoons before our big holiday feasts, and they were always gone by the time we sat down to dinner, devoured standing around the kitchen island.

A few weeks ago I thought about baking these myself to share with Luke and Clara, who were too young to remember his cheese bread the last time we got together for Thanksgiving, and went digging through old texts about grocery lists and Thanksgiving plans to find his recipe. A little part of me was almost skeptical they would turn out without him. But one naptime later, out of the oven they came, little golden puffs nostalgic and familiar.

The tapioca flour gives the bread its uniquely pliable, mochi-like chew, and whizzing it in a blender with milk, egg, cheese, and oil emulsifies the batter so that it’s airy yet holds its shape after baking. It’s quick enough to fit into the elusive overlap of three babies’ naps, ready just in time for inquisitive little noses sniffing for what smells so delicious.

Both Luke and Clara adored these, and just as we had at Thanksgivings past, we inhaled the whole pan before dinner. We talked about how much Uncle Jeremy liked these and how much he made them; I felt in some tiny but special way that he was there with us. They’ve been requesting “Uncle Jeremy’s cheese bread,” as it’s now known, as a treat ever since.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we have.

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