Almojábanas (Colombian Cornmeal Cheese Bread). Esta receta también está disponible en Español.
Colombian almojábanas are a type of bread you usually eat for breakfast or as a snack. They are little buns made of cornmeal and cheese, that also have a sweet taste because of added sugar.
Cheese bread
Almojábanas are one of Colombia’s cheesy types of bread. Besides them, there is also pan de yuca and pandebono. The difference lies in the type of flour/starch used and the type of cheese. Almojábanas are made of cornmeal and a white cheese called cuajada, or queso campesino. Pan de yuca contains only yuca starch (also known as tapioca starch), whereas pandebonos contain yuca starch ánd cornmeal. The cheese used in pandebono and pan de yuca is queso costeño, which is a fresh salty cheese.
Ingredients of Almojábanas (Colombian Cornmeal Cheese Bread)
To make almojábanas you only need a few ingredients that are easy to find in Colombia.
- Cornmeal
- Cornstarch
- Cuajada or queso campesino
- Sugar
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Eggs
- Milk.
All ingredients except the cheese you can find outside of Colombia as well. The cornmeal necessary to make these cheese bread is precooked cornmeal (white, but yellow will also work). The brand P.A.N. is available in many countries in the world, and of course online.
The cheese however is more complicated to replace. Queso campesino and cuajada are both fresh, softer but firm cheeses. They are similar to Mexican queso fresco. When queso fresco is not available to you, firmer ricotta or mozzarella (the type you can grate, not the fresh one) would be an option. Important to note that you need to use a fresh, but firmer type of cheese. A type of cream cheese won’t work. I tried it with mozzarella and I liked it, although the breads turn out a bit greasy and cheesy than they would have with the Colombian cheeses.
Because almojábanas are made with cornmeal, they do not contain gluten. Eat these cheese breads straight out of the oven as they tend to get dry rapidly. They taste great together with a cup of hot chocolate milk: chocolate. And if you do have leftovers, check out this Almojábana bread pudding!
For other breakfast ideas, click here.
There is still so much to discover concerning Colombian food! Find inspiration for other vegetarian recipes here.
Almojábanas (Colombian Cornmeal Cheese Bread)
Ingredients
- 250 gram queso campesino or cuajada, grated finely see notes for replacement
- 60 gram precooked white cornmeal cornmeal for arepas, see notes
- 20 gram cornstarch (about two tablespoons)
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- salt
- 1 egg, whisked
- 4-6 tbsp milk (as necessary)
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 220 degrees Celsius (440 Fahrenheit)
- Cover baking sheet with baking paper
- Add cornmeal, corn starch, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix
- Add grated cheese and whisked egg, mix with a fork. Then knead with your hands until cheese is incorporated well into the dough
- Add milk per spoon if necessary. This depends on how wet the cheese is. You want a light and smooth dough, that is not sticky, but also not crumbly
- Divide the dough in 8 equal pieces, and shape them into balls. They will be a bit bigger than golf balls. Place them on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden
- Serve while warm
Notes
- Queso campesino and cuajada are fresh, white cheeses, easy to find in Colombia. They can be replaced by Mexican queso fresco. If not available, you could replace by ricotta or grated mozarella and they will turn out delicious although the flavor will be different from traditional almojábanas.
- For this recipe you need the same type of cornmeal as used for arepas. It is a white, precooked cornmeal, although the precooked cornmeal made of yellow corn works as well. In South American countries many brands are available, outside these countries the brand P.A.N. is sold often in Latin American supermarkets and online.
- They taste best fresh. Even after 1 hour they tend to get dry and crumbly, so best to eat them all straight away. If you do have leftovers, warming them up in the oven helps a bit. Or make my recipe for Almojábana bread pudding (link in blog post).
