Colombian Pandebonos With Mozzarella Cheese
This is the second version of pandebonos that I have on the blog. And why two versions? Because several people who live outside of Colombia have told me that no matter how much they look for queso costeño, queso fresco or even feta cheese, they simply can’t find them. Another reason is because some times the pandebonos don’t end up with that chewy texture that they’re so famous for.
So, that’s why I started working on a way to make them with a more popular cheese and also for a way to give them a softer, more chewy texture. I made a few changes to the original recipe that I posted a few years ago and the result was amazing. So much so, that I have made them at least three times with this updated recipe and they always come out spectacular.
The cassava or tapioca starch is always essential for this recipe, so you will need it. I added cornstarch to stabilize the dough and to make it smoother. I completely changed the cheese for mozzarella, because again, it’s a type of cheese that’s easier to find. And not only because of that reason, but also because it tends to melt and stretch with heat, giving the pandebonos a perfect texture. I did keep the salt because the cheese is not salty, so we have to add it. I also kept the sugar to give these delicious pandebonos that special sweet contrast.
Without a doubt and without exaggerating, these are the most delicious pandebonos I have ever had and the best I have ever made at home. That’s why I had to post this new recipe so you can be just as happy with results as I am.
¡Buen provecho!
Pandebonos (Version 2)
Ingredients
- 1 cup 120 g cassava or tapioca starch
- ¼ cup 30 g cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt (use less if the cheese you're using is salty)
- 1½ tbsp white granulated sugar
- 2 cups 200 g shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ stick unsalted butter (4 tbsp or 56 g)
- 1 large egg
- Milk (as needed)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 475ºF (246ºC).
- Mix the cassava starch, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and white sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the mozzarella cheese, butter and egg and start mixing with your hands. If you notice that the dough is too dry, you can slowly add milk as needed until you get a soft, smooth dough.
- Form small balls (about 1½ inches or 4 cm in diameter) with the dough and place them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Bake the pandebonos for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Hi Diana,I have a new oven,baked them at 475 for 10 minutes and all the bottoms where burned.found queso fresco at my local grocery store,used a 10oz block.1 teaspoon of salt made them way too salty.Next time I'll use 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead .grinded the cheese in the food processor,then added the rest of ingredients. Even though I had a few problems,I'm not giving up. Thank you for your recipe
Hi Diana,made the Pan de Bonos again today with a few changes. Baked them at 400 for 13 minutes. Used 2 tablespoons of sugar and reduced the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.My American husband loved them.Thank you
Hi there:) I made pan de bonos following this recipe. It came out good except the breabr became flat after came out of the oven instead of round breads(as seen in the YouTube video). I measured all the ingredients perfectly as given buy don't know why it happened? Can anyone help?
Hello! That has happened to me whenever I make them too big, they just tend to expand easier in the high heat of the oven. Try to make them smaller and rounder, some times using a small cupcake baking pan helps to keep their shape.
Thank you ?
Hello Diana. Thank you for the recipe. After making them and eating them, so many great memories of joy came back to me. I appreciate it!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I made this with 1/2 the salt since my cheese already has salt and it turned out amazing.
I ended up with biscuits….
I have made this recipe twice so far, both time they came out perfect! Thank you so much,love it! I use my stand mixer it was wonderful, very easy. I have one quetion,can I mix everything and save the mixture for the next day?
Hello Katherine, it’s so wonderful to hear you made this recipe! I usually bake these pandebonos as soon as I mix everything together but I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to store it in the fridge. Just make sure to cover it really, really well and if it’s dry the next day, just add a little bit of milk and that should do the trick.
Hello Katherine, I just made this recipe today, however I didn’t have the desired result. Firstly, under the pan de bonos they were completely black, as well, even though I used the oven temp you recommended and time, as soon as I took them out and let them cool, they hardened to the point that you could hurt a tooth. I don’t know what I could’ve done wrong because I followed the recipe exactly. I’m from Colombia and am very disappointed with this recipe.
Hello Emma, my name is Diana. ? Please make sure to measure well all the ingredients and that your dough is not too dry because if it is, it’ll continue drying out in the oven, giving you hard rock pandebonos. As for the oven, you can lower the temperature to 450°F, place the baking rack a bit higher than the middle and make sure you use a baking sheet or parchment paper. Also, take them out of the oven as soon as they start turning golden brown.
I used Baladi Cheese made in Canada…it’s like have queso costeño and Queso Campesino… It has enough salt that you don’t need to add salt in the mix… I made them today and brought back memories of my time in Cali, Colombia… Chewy center… Flavor like what you get in Cali… Your recipe is the best. Thanks.
For your reference to my comment … Baladi Cheese is a middle Easter type of fresh cheese…soft but allow you to shred it and manually mixed with my hands until the dough got a perfect form and consistency….
I just made them and I feel like top feels a bit flakey and I thought pan de Bono’s were a bit sweet but I feel like these are not. Did Make them right 🙁
Pandebonos are not supposed to be sweet, even though some bakeries do add more sugar to the mix.
Can you use flour in place of cassava flour or cornstarch?
For this recipe you need cassava flour so they can rise without the gluten. All purpose flour has gluten and you would need yeast to activate it.
Followed recipe to the letter, came out as dry biscuits, Not burned, but not the chewy open texture of a regular pandebono— like I remember in Miami.
Make sure you use the right measurements and that your dough is not too dry.
Hi Dianna, I made this recipe and it came out great, I have to lower the oven temp to 450 degrees though which is perfect, if I want to make a less chewy inside of the Pandebono what adjustments should I make? Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it is simple and yet very delicious, my kids keep asking for more.
Thank you in advance.
The mozzarella cheese will give you a chewy texture, so you can substitute the cheese for fresco or casero.
I love this recipe. Love how chewy they came out. I baked mine with steam and I think it gave a nice crust with a chewy center. I think I’ll using more sugar next time. I felt like when I am in Colombia the pandequeso and pandebono have sort of a sweet and savory taste to them.
The great thing about this recipe, and all amasijos recipes, is that you can adjust it to your liking. I also like to make buñuelos on the sweet side, so I add a little bit more sugar.
Helo! I used this recipe two times so far and the latter surpassed the first one 🥳.. I guess it’s a trial and error kind of thing. I have a question..can I use cheddar instead of the cheese previously mentioned (mozzarella, queso fresco, feta, ect.? Is it too oily and salty? Thanks for your recipe ❤️
Thank you so much, Kenia! I’m so happy to hear that you liked the recipe. If you want to get the original texture and flavor of Colombian pandebonos, I would suggest sticking to the original version and use queso costeño. However, that does not mean that you can’t tweak this recipe to make it your own, including using a different type of cheese, like cheddar. You will get a different type of pandebono, but in the end, a great tasting cheese bread.
Hi, can I use tapioca flour instead of tapioca starch?
Thank you in advance.
Yes, you can!