Pandebono (Colombian Cheese Bread)
Golden, puffy cheese breads made with cassava starch, corn flour and fresh cheese — crisp outside, soft and stretchy inside. Naturally gluten-free and best eaten warm from the oven with hot chocolate.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 220°C (430°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
✅ Done when: oven reaches 220°C (430°F)
Mix the dough
In a bowl, mix the cassava starch, corn flour, both cheeses, sugar and baking powder. Rub everything together with your fingertips until the cheese is evenly spread through, then stir in the egg.
- 200g cassava starch
- 40g corn flour
- 250g or feta
- 100g queso fresco or mozzarella
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
✅ Done when: crumbly mixture with cheese evenly distributed and egg fully mixed in
Bring together
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Shape
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Bake
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Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 220°C (430°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
✅ Done when: oven reaches 220°C (430°F)
Mix the dough
In a bowl, mix the cassava starch, corn flour, both cheeses, sugar and baking powder. Rub everything together with your fingertips until the cheese is evenly spread through, then stir in the egg.
- 200g cassava starch
- 40g corn flour
- 250g or feta
- 100g queso fresco or mozzarella
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
✅ Done when: crumbly mixture with cheese evenly distributed and egg fully mixed in
Bring together
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Shape
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Bake
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The Story Behind the Dish
Pandebono comes from the Valle del Cauca, around Cali, where cassava and fresh cheese have long been staples. Bakers there perfected a bread that needs no wheat at all, relying on the stretch of cassava starch.
Today pandebono shops are everywhere in Colombia, and a warm pandebono with a cup of coffee or chocolate is a classic afternoon snack (onces).
⭐ Why It's Famous
The contrast of a crisp crust and a chewy, cheesy centre is irresistible — and it happens to be gluten-free.
💡 Fun Fact
One popular story says the name comes from an Italian baker in Cali who sold his bread shouting 'pan del bono' — 'bread of the good one'.
Valle del Cauca (Cali)
3.45°N, -76.53°W
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