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Pandebono is a delicious cheese bread, perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack with coffee. It's a simple recipe made with cheese and two kinds of flour - tapioca flour (cassava or yuca starch) and cornmeal. The precooked cornmeal used to make arepas called (masarepa) works well, as does regular cornmeal. You can even order a special mix for making these rolls: harina de pandebono. The cheesiness comes from salty farmer's cheese, or any mild, firm cheese that melts well - quesillo, monterey jack, mozzarella, or a mixture of these cheeses with a bit of cheddar and/or Parmesan.

The dough is shaped into balls or bagels, which puff up nicely in the oven even though there's no leavening ingredient. They're best when they're warm from the oven (and still soft), and they reheat very well in the oven.

See Also

Brazilian Cheese Bread - Pão de Queijo

Honey Quinoa Bread

South American Cheese Breads - Pao de Queijo, Pandebono, and Chipa

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow masarepa (precooked cornmeal)
• 1/2 cup tapioca (cassava, yuca) flour
• 2 cups grated farmer's cheese, monterey jack, or mozzarella
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• salt to taste

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes

• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: About 12-15 small rolls

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
   
2. Mix the two flours and the sugar in a bowl.
   
   
3. Stir in the grated cheese and the eggs. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Taste for salt, and add salt as needed.
   
   
4. Knead dough until smooth. If the dough seems too dry, add a few teaspoons of milk or buttermilk. The dough should be soft and pliable. Let dough rest for about 10 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
   
   
5. Roll dough into balls that are slightly larger than golf balls. To shape the dough into rings (rosquillas), first roll a piece of dough into a cylinder, then join the ends together to form a circle. The rolls do not have to be perfectly smooth - they will puff up in the last several minutes of baking.
   
   

1. Place rolls on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden in color and puffed.
   
   
2. Serve warm.

Makes 15 small rolls