Almojábanas (Colombian Cornmeal Cheese Bread)
Colombian almojábanas are made of cornmeal and fresh cheese. They are perfect for breakfast or as a snack during the day. Because they are made with corn meal they are gluten-free as well.
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).
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