Chipa Argolla are a traditional cheese bread from Paraguay. This version is baked in a ring shape (argolla means ring), and commonly eaten in during the Holy Week that precedes Easter, but are also eaten as a snack year-round. Chipa are gluten free!
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened butter | 4 oz | 113g
- 3 large eggs
- 7 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (see note)
- 1 oz parmesan cheese, grated (see note)
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups cassava flour | 8 oz | 227g
- 2 cups finely ground corn meal | 8 oz | 227g
Ingredients
- Ideally you’d have Paraguay cheese, but unless you happen to live somewhere where you can find it, mozzarella and a little parmesan is a good substitute. Traditional Paraguay cheese is a mild-flavored cow’s milk-based cheese.
Instructions
- Arrange two racks in your oven so they are at the ⅓ and ⅔ positions. Preheat your oven to 425°F/220°C
- Add ½ cup butter to the bowl of stand mixer. Set mixer to a medium speed to break up the butter, then add the 3 eggs and continue to mix for another minute or two. Scrape the sides of the bowl down as needed. The butter will likely still be visible. It won’t disappear into the mixture, and that’s fine.
- Add all of the grated cheeses, 1 teaspoon anise seed, and ½ teaspoon of salt. In a minute or so, you’ll have a sticky paste.
- Add ½ cup milk, 2 cups cassava flour, and 2 cups corn meal, and let the mixer fully incorporate the flours into the mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once the dough is fully incorporated, you should have a dough that is a little tacky, but you should be able to handle it without getting it stuck to you.
- Turn out the dough, and divide it into 16 equal pieces and roll into balls. Arrange on a plate or small baking tray, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. If the dough is really sticky, you can add a teaspoon of each flour or slightly more. Use the mixer to incorporate the flour. Remember, once rested, the dough will be less sticky than it is now as the flours have time to absorb the liquid.
- Roll each ball into a rope approximately half-inch (~1¼ cm) in diameter. Shape into a circle and press to seal. Use a parchment lined baking sheets (or lightly greased if you don’t have parchment). You should be able to fit 8 on a sheet pan with some space between them. You don’t want to crowd them as that will prevent browning.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on some of the edges. Swap the baking sheets and rotate them 180° after 12 minutes.