Brazilian Cheese Bread

175 grams milk

40 grams olive oil

175 grams polvilho doce

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

65 grams Minas cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Heat the milk and olive oil in a small to medium saucepan over medium heat.Just before it boils, add the polvilho and salt. Stir well. The mixture will be very thick. (While this can be done by hand, you might decide that it’s easier to use a cake mixer.) Add the egg. Stir until it is completely absorbed. Add the cheese and stir until well blended.

Scoop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared sheet pan.

Bake for about 10 minutes until golden and crispy. (If you make larger rolls, increase the baking time.)

Notes

Polvilho doce is fermented tapioca starch. You should be able to find it at your local Latin market, but you can substitute regular tapioca starch.
Tapioca flour and tapioca starch are the same thing. (Be careful, as these words are not always interchangeable. For example, potato starch and potato flour are not the same.)
If you can’t find Minas cheese, substitute a strongly flavored aged cheese. I have sometimes used an aged Honduran cheese, and I have also used Morolique. Its funkiness gives the bread great depth.