Cuñapes/Pão De Queijo

Ingredients

• 320 grams sour tapioca starch
• 8 grams Diamond crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same by weight
• 4 grams baking powder
• 160 grams whole milk, cold or scalded
• 30 grams unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 100 grams sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped
• 160 grams Grana Padano cheese, chopped

Directions

1. In a big bowl, bring together the tapioca starch, salt, baking powder, milk, butter, and eggs. Use scalded milk if you want a more even crumb, or cold milk if you’re after those crunchy bits of cheese, truly, you get to pick. Work the mixture with your hands until it comes together completely, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the chopped cheddar and Grana Padano. Knead lightly so the cheese is spread through the dough, but don’t fuss so much that every piece disappears; you want a few bigger chunks in there. This should take about 2 minutes.
3. Press plastic wrap right against the surface of the tapioca dough, then cover it and move it to the refrigerator overnight so the starch can hydrate.
4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), with a rack set in the center. Take the tapioca dough out of the refrigerator and shape it between your palms into 2-inch balls. Use your thumb or the handle end of a wooden spoon to make a small indentation on the underside of each one.
5. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set the rolls on it, leaving 1 inch between them. Bake until they have puffed and turned golden brown, about 20 minutes, turning the pan once while they bake. Or, freeze the rolls on the sheet tray until firm, then move them to a zipper-lock bag for the freezer. Bake them straight from frozen the same way.