Brazilian cheese bread puffs (Pão de queijo)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Bring the milk, oil and salt to the boil in a pan, then pour it all at once over the tapioca starch in a bowl and quickly stir with a wooden spoon – it will be a sticky, elastic, lumpy mass, which is exactly right.

3. Leave to cool for 10 minutes until just warm, then add the eggs one at a time, working each in thoroughly (by hand or with a mixer) until you have a smooth, shiny dough.

4. Knead in the finely grated Parmesan.

5. With oiled hands, shape walnut-sized balls and place them 3 cm apart on the tray.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden on top; serve warm, straight away, for breakfast with coffee.

Tip: Pão de queijo comes from the state of Minas Gerais, where it was originally made with local aged cheese (queijo minas) – crisp outside, chewy and stretchy inside, and gluten-free.