Chipa

Chipa (Paraguayan Cassava Cheese Bread)

Chewy, cheesy Paraguayan bread rolls made from cassava starch and anise. Traditionally sold from baskets on buses and streets, and especially popular at Easter.

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Total

45 min

Serves

12 rolls

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) cassava starch (polvilho azedo or doce), polvilho azedo is traditional and gives the classic tang; polvilho doce works but yields a milder, less authentic flavor
• •250 ml (1 cup) whole milk, lukewarm
• •120 ml (½ cup) lard, melted and cooled slightly; substitute butter if you must, but lard is traditional
• •2 whole large eggs
• •200 g (7 oz) hard cheese, traditional Paraguayan queso Paraguay (a salty, semi-hard cow's milk cheese); substitute with a mix of grated Parmesan and mild white cheese like mozzarella or queso blanco
• •1 tbsp anise seeds
• •1 tsp fine salt, less if using a salty aged cheese

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. 2 If using anise seeds, lightly toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant, then let cool.
3. 3 In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then stir in the lukewarm milk and melted lard until combined.
4. 4 Add the cassava starch, salt, and toasted anise seeds to the bowl. Mix first with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand until the dough comes together and is smooth but slightly crumbly, about 3–4 minutes.
5. 5 Work in the grated cheese, kneading until evenly distributed and the dough holds when pressed.
6. 6 Pinch off pieces of dough (about 60 g / 2 oz each) and roll into balls or form into rings by joining the ends of a rope of dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 3–4 cm between them.
7. 7 Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the chipá are puffed, pale golden, and sound slightly hollow when tapped. Internal temperature should reach about 95°C (200°F); the outside will be lightly crisp and the inside chewy.
8. 8 Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before eating. Chipá are best eaten warm, the same day, when the cheese is still stretchy and the crumb is soft and chewy.