Pandebono is a bread made with masarepa, yuca flour, cheese and egg. This Colombian cheese bread is very popular, easy to make and delicious.
What is Pandebono?
It is a traditional Colombian cheese bread. I have been getting a lot of e-mails asking me for this recipe, so here it is my friends. I made these delicious Pandebonos last week and they came out perfectly and were delicious. For a minute, I did not miss Colombia while eating these fantastic cheese balls, accompanied by a cup of Colombian coffee of course. I ate so many of them, I could not get up from the couch for a while. Try them, you’ll thank me for it 🙂
Like many Colombian recipes there are many variations and every cook has its own.I am not a professional baker, but try to recreate the food I miss from my home country.
These wonderful Colombian pandebonos are perfect for breakfast or for an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee. This bread recipe is also gluten free.
Ingredients You will Need
All the quantities, baking directions and step by step video are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Tapioca Starch: You will find here in the United States as Tapioca flour or starch in a lot of supermarkets or online.
Precooked Cornmeal: Also known as masarepa.
Queso Fresco: In Colombia we use quesito, but here in the US I use farmer cheese or queso fresco.
Feta Cheese: Mixing feta cheese with queso fresco gives the perfect flavor and texture to this pandebono recipe.
Egg: I recommend using cage free eggs.
How to Make Pandebonos
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
- In a food processor, place the yuca flour, cheese and masarepa. Process until well combined. Add the egg slowly while food processor is running.
- Divide the mixture into 12 equal size portions, shaping them into balls.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden on top. Serve warm.
Baking Tips
*I like to use a food processor to mix the dough, but you can do it by hand if you prefer. Start by mixing the tapioca starch and precooked cornmeal in a bowl, then, in another bowl, combine the cheeses and the egg. Add the flour mixture to the cheese and mix well using your hands until well combined. If the dough is dry you can add a tablespoon of milk.
*The dough is sticky, I recommend oiling your hand to roll the bread.
*You can bake the pandebonos immediately after making them or store them in the fridge until ready to bake. I like to keep them in the fridge to settle for at least 15 minutes before baking.
*If you want the pandebono to have a more round shape use a muffin pan to keep them in shape.
More Colombian Style Breads:
Pandebono (Colombian Cheese bread) Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup cassava starch or yuca flour
- ¼ cup precooked cornmeal or masarepa
- 1 cup Mexican queso freso or Colombian quesito
- 1 + ¼ cup feta cheese
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
- In a food processor, place the yuca flour, cheese and masarepa. Process until well combined. Add the egg slowly while food processor is running.
- Divide the mixture into 12 equal size portions, shaping them into balls.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until golden on top. Serve warm.
Thomas
re: Julia, It's pronounced approximately Pan de ono.
I assume this feta/queso fresco cheese mixture replaces the traditional Colombian costeno cheese because my mom never had feta in the house. I will re-post my comparisons once I get my hands on some yuca harina. Thanks for this and all of your recipes. This site is a gold mine!
Erica
Thomas- Yes!!!! I used feta, because it is close to "Queso Costeño" in flavor and texture and I don't find it here in the USA!
Tommy
These are by far my favorite uniquely Colombian food. Great tip with the cheese - I was a bit confused with the feta.
Ingrid
I made these last week and came out delicious...grated, not as big as I would have liked, but the wonderful taste was there. At least I know that I'll have to double the recipe next time in order to accomodate my family's apetite! Thanks for sharing this recipe Erica!
Leah
Amazing!!! I overcooked them the first time I made them and my boyfriend still loved them! I will be making this over and over again.
Jen
Erika,
Folks having problems finding the flour to make these should look for it under the 'manioc'. Cassava, yucca and manioc are all the same thing. Most health food stores carry this. It also makes a wonderful pizza crust for those who cannot tolerant gluten.
Keep up the good work!
Jen
Claudia
Hi Erika, Thank you so much for the recipe. I prepared some masato last week and, since in Bucaramanga we accompany this drink with pan de bono, I decided to look for the recipe. I found your recipe which it was very easy and I made them. The only question I have is how to make them grow? I divided the mixture in 12 portions and I think they were kind of small. Should I add some baking powder or baking soda, or may be some yeast? Please advise. Thanks.
mari
Looks delicious, found this recipe just in time, I am about to go grocery shopping. Just my style, simple but delicious, never had it before but I say delicious because
I think the ingredients will prove to be a good mix.Hopefully this will be my project for tomorrow . Hope I do justice.
A big thank you.
Loren
Estoy en Illinois en donde puedo encontrar yuca flower :-S?????? Please!
Mariana
Very tasty and easy to make we all loved this recipe.
Anonymous
I have tried this recipe on numerous occasions. Not only is it easy to follow ,
it is always perfect. I get lots of complements .
elann
For the Canadians: Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour (I buy it at my local grocery store). In Saskatchewan I can get Queso Fresco (similar to Feta) at a little foreign food store (Tony's, Regina - comes from Calgary). So I think other Canadians should be able to find it too! ;o)
Erica: The Queso Fresco I used reminded me a lot of Feta, so I combined it with Havarti as it is the closest in texture I can think of for the Quesito I ate in Medellin. Have you ever used it as a substitute?
The Queso Fresco and the Havarti (grated fine) gave me the best results (I have made this recipe a couple of times)
Mil Gracias Erica!
Erica
Elann- I have to try it next time! thank you for your comment. I appreciate it 🙂
Anonymous
In New York you can find the ingredients at the Compare Foods market chain. Im making them tomorrow!
Ester
I often make this for potlucks and other gatherings, and it's always a crowd-pleaser!
Eugénia
Aye que rico!!!! Gracias Erica<3
This was wonderful of you to post. I miss home, and I just moved to a new city, Philadelphia, to my surprise I found a good amount of fellow Colombianos!! It is nice to walk into the local market, and be able to find our food right on the shelf. No more driving, aimlessly, in search of Masarepa. YAY!!
Eugénia
Diana Lopez
I made these Christmas morning while everybody else was going crazy opening gifts. They were perfect! The texture and flavor were right on. The only thing is that it makes 12 very small pandebonos (bit smaller than a golf ball). So if you want, you can make them bigger and only end up with about 6 or double the recipe. But I'm telling you, these were amazing!
Adriana
Please give the weight of the cheeses.
Susan
hi, i just made them but they don't seem to rise much. Just kind of flat. Not sure what I may have did wrong. I tried to be exact.
Belen
The same thing happened to fine. They were all flat, delicious, but not little balls.