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.
Jackie
This is the best pandebono recipe. I made it about 20 times and it is always a hit. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Bruce
I love this Pan de bono recipe. It's delicious and just like I remember them. They are also gluten free.
Michelle
We are hosting a student from Colombia and made these as well as some other recipes from this site and I must say they are pretty awesome! Our student states that they are exactly like the ones in the bakery that her mother buys. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
To address issues mentioned in the comments:
1. I used the masara corn flour mentioned and Otto's cassava flour I got from Amazon. I used Queso from Costco and Fetta from Costco. The ingredients will have different levels of moisture which will affect the recipe.
2. Using the recipe as written the dough would not come together but adding an extra egg fixes it. You have to let the processor go until it becomes a dough - about 3-4 minutes. The processor breaks down the cheese a bit, releasing moisture which makes the dough work . You could add a hint of oil if needed but I didn't need to
3. These are not yeast based so they won't fluff like like dinner rolls, but you do need a very hot oven which makes the moisture inside steam up making them fluffy. So heat the oven and make sure it is up to temperature before baking them. You can also pre-heat the oven about 25 to 50 degrees hotter then needed, then turn it down to temperature when you put them in. If you do that they need a bit less time to cook.
This is a very solid recipe and one I will make again. Thank you!!
Helene
Hello,
thank you!! I couldn't figure out why my mix was so grainy!! this will solve the issues!
Kristina deadbolt
Wooowww.....
Jennifer
Can I use queso cotija ?
Amy
Hi! These breads are little pieces of heaven...
I really want to make a batch to send in the mail to dear friends who live in another state. Do you think they will survive two-three days in the mail in winter?
Thank you!
Krystle
I do not have a food processor, would it be possible to just use my hand mixer?
Alejandra
Yes, that's what I use. I use the processor to shred the quesito but the mixer works to mix all ingredients. You might have to mix by hand at the end in order to get the consistency, the mixer will not really give you the dough consistency for the bread to hold together
Consuelo
The dough was to dry I added one more egg. Why the pandebonos did not growing ?
Diane
Hello Erica - Is an 8 cup food processor large enough for this recipe? I have tried making it without a food processor, and I don't think it is the right approach. I want to follow your instructions exactly. Please confirm how large of a food processor is required for this (and the other bread recipes like pan de yuca, pan de queso).
Claudia
My dough did not hold together per the recipe, so I had to add another egg. The dough did bind after that. They baked beautifully, but the flavor wasn't quite right (from what I remember from many trips to Colombia).
Next time I would make a few changes: I would have the eggs and the cheese at room temperature; I would switch the amounts of cheese-- 1 1/4 c. quesito Colombiano and 1 c. feta; and I would definitely use yuca flour, not a substitute. (I used tapioca flour because my supermarket did not carry yuca starch.).
If I had to guess, the yuca flour will give me the flavor I didnt get with the tapioca flour.
Erika Soto
I agree my dough did not bind unitil I added 1 1/4 of quesito colombiana and 1 of feta, a second egg, 2 tablespoons of corn oil and two table spoons of water
Maria Clara Khan
Hola Erica, todas las recetas estan super. Todos en la familia disfrutamos mucho estos platos colombianos.
Voy a asar pandebono o pan de yuca y quiero saber si lo puedo congelar para enviarlo por correo a mi hija que esta en la universidad y me ha pedido que le mande el cheese bread como ella lo llama.
Gracias.
MC
Erica Dinho
Hola,
Nunca los he congelado, pero puedes tratar de hacerlo. En Colombia a veces los venden congelados.
Franco
I just made these for my wife, who is a fan of Pandebonos... We loved the flavor!!! I have to say, it is the easiest recipe so far. I made them smaller than usual, and could not stop eating them... ha ha ha...
However the consistency while light and spongy, I'm used to them having more air as supposed to them being doughy. Any ideas as to how to get them that way? should I have made them regular size? the batch gave me 18 as supposed to 12.
Thank you
K Cox
I love these. We live in North Carolina. My husband is Colombian and I have been several times and love the food, the people and the culture. Colombia is a beautiful country that I claim as my second home. I think I also made your Sancocho. We had bandeja paisas today at a great Colombian restaurant in Charlotte. I am making these again soon and look forward to your other recipes. Thank you for sharing. Me encanta con Colombia.
DEE
A coworker brought them to work and they were really good. I want to try making them.
The recipe calls for •1/4 cup precooked cornmeal or masarepa
How do I prepare this.
Erica Dinho
The masarepa???
William
You can't, what you need to do is go to the latino isle in the supermarket and look for PAN, is a yellow flour-like bag with a white logotype in a blue background. The yuca flower can also be replaced with Tapioca flower, it's practically de same.
William
BTW, excuse me, I meant FLOUR, lapsus calami hehe.
nona
Lol, you dont pre cook it ..its a precooked cornmeal ...just add as is to recipe.
jaselle scott jr
i loveeeeeeeee them so much
Anonymous
I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for your blog. I am Colombian, and came to the States when I was 14 years old, and my mom isn't big on cooking, so I never really got to learn much about how to prepare Colombian dishes. Now I'm a mother to 2 small children and married to a Russian, I go to your blog a lot for guidance on how to make dishes from my beloved homeland. Once again thank you from the bottom of my heart, for helping an expat like myself share the wonders of Colombian cuisine with my loved ones. Best regards