Colombian Almojábanas (Cheese Bread Rolls)
Almojábanas are small Colombian cheese breads made from masarepa, precooked corn flour, and a fresh curd cheese. They bake in half an hour and come out soft inside with a thin crust. Unlike pandebono, which uses cassava starch and salty queso costeño, these are corn-based and mild. Makes ten.
Servings: 10 Almojabanas
Calories: 136kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup masarepa (precooked white corn flour) sold as P.A.N. or Areparina in US Latin aisles; regular cornmeal will not work
- 1 pound cuajada or fresh curd cheese about 450 g; queso fresco or farmer's cheese work. If using cottage cheese, drain it thoroughly first
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ tablespoon baking powder that is 1½ teaspoons, which is easier to measure
- ¼ tablespoon salt that is ¾ teaspoon
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (205 °C).
- Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until you have an even dough. Stop as soon as it comes together: overworking it makes the almojábanas dense.
- Divide the dough into 10 balls and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, or greased with butter.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until they are golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath.
- Serve warm, with coffee or hot chocolate. They are at their best within an hour of coming out of the oven.
Notes
If you use cottage cheese instead of cuajada, drain it thoroughly in a sieve or a cloth first. It holds much more water than curd cheese, and undrained it leaves the dough slack and the almojábanas spread flat instead of rising.
Nutrition
Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 431mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 1mg