Lately, on some mornings, often when the sky is rainy and gray and the work week is still mostly ahead of me I feel the active need to remind myself of the promise of infinite possibilities, to cultivate that magical feeling of expectation, excitement and most importantly, gratitude for the day. To do so, I’ve started making an early morning detour under the grey skies to my favorite Colombian cafe. I order a cafe con leche and a pan de bono. I sit at a table alone and watch as the combination of half tourists, half office workers and a few stay-at-home-moms with double strollers comes through. They go about their morning routines, carrying their troubles, the day’s necessities, grappling with their own inner monologues. It reminds me of the world’s magnitude. I smell the coffee grinds blooming, hear the milk warming into frothy bubbles and I savor the soft, warm pan de bono, one of my favorite parvas– baked goods from the region of Antioquia in Colombia. It’s a leisurely affair, a celebration of deliciousness and the power of observation. It’s my version of a quick time-out, where I’m accountable to no one and I could be anyone, from anywhere.
When I finish the pan de bono, I take the coffee to go, checking my blackberry to see what I’ll be walking into when I get to the office. No messages yet? Good. I have one more stop to make. I walk a block to the library and browse the cooking section, the biography section and the fiction. I’ll allow myself to be transported for a bit in the aisles of the library, take out a book that I promise myself to make time to read, then walk the rest of the way to work with my umbrella and cafe con leche in hand. On these days I feel better for have stolen a few moments for myself while the day was still new. I look forward to the rainy detour days. I need them.
This enough should be inspiration to recreate pan de bono at home (I often crave them on weekends), but there’s an added bonus. World Cup! One of my favorite occasions. A world divided comes together in a display of athletic prowess. These are the things that speak to me. The Brazilians have their own version of this cheesy bread called pão de queijo. How could I watch and not have one?
The recipe calls for tapioca/manioc flour, which I was unable to find readily. It’s made from the cassava/yucca root, which means these babies are gluten free. I thought I could grind up tapioca pearls with my coffee grinder, but no such luck. I burned out the motor. Then I bought a new one and burned out that motor too. Then I bought another new one and on my way to pick it out I passed the “world” section of the same store and I found tapioca flour (Bed, Bath & Beyond, $3.99). How’s that for irony? I actually contacted Erin from Naturally Ella about this, as she just came out with an awesome book about grinding your own flour. I think tapioca pearls may call for more than a coffee grinder. Armed with all the tapioca pearls and flour I’ll ever need, I got to work and in about half an hour I had enough pan de bono for 12 rainy day work detours and an entire futbol game. Viva Colombia!
Pan De Bono
Ingredients:
(12 pandebonos)
- 2/3 cup cassava starch or yucca flour, also called tapioca flour or manioc flour
- 1/4 cup precooked cornmeal or masarepa
- 3/4 cup Mexican queso freso or Colombian quesito (substitute with farmer’s cheese or if not, feta)
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 1 large egg
- pinch of salt
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. In a food processor, place the yucca/tapioca/manioc flour, cheese and masarepa. Process until well combined. Add the egg slowly while food processor is running. Divide the mixture into 12 equal size portions, shaping them into balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden on top. Serve warm.
I remember those days. Happily, I am retired now and can do whatever! These rolls look devine. I will have to try my hand at making them. I love a bread challenge.
It must be nice to be able to fill your time the way you want. I imagine a routine is important when you have lots of time. I haven’t done much bread, but these are so good. I cut down on the cheese in my recipe because the first batch I made seemed too cheesy, but these were just right. Always lovely to hear from you, Jovina.
Yes please to the cheese bread. Stolen moments can transform a day. Football wise, I’m more leave it than take it, but keep passing the cheese rolls. Thanks very much.
Very well said. You might like these, considering the name of your site! They’re kind of addictive!
Oh I love days when I have a few moments to myself when I can sit down for a moment in a café and sip some coffee (and nibble on a home-made cookie) while watching people passing by. It’s the first time I hear of pan de bono, and it sounds delicious; like a Colombian version of Gougères, a fabulous cheese puff from Burgundy. But of course the actual recipe is quite different. I’d love to try them, but I doubt I can get my hands on masarepa here, so I’ll just dream about them instead. Unless I could use masa harina instead? I hope you are doing well!
So glad you can relate! The Gougères sound wonderful. I’m going to look them up. I love learning about French pastries. You can definitely use masa harina. I think they should come out well. I think you’d like these. I’ve gotten into a little bit of a Latin American phase these past few posts, which I guess was how I started. I hope you’re well too. And that you have vacation plans soon! I’m sneaking off to Florida for a long weekend. I cannot wait. They have tons of good Cuban food down there. Finally. FINALLY.
Wow – why have I never had one of those? For a brief moment I thought they were like big cheese croquetas, but reading down and seeing tapioca I can imagine a more spongy bread like texture. Cheese goes with nearly everything so I’m sure they are delicious! Thanks for the inspiration 😉
They have a croqueta-like feel, MD, but they’re more bread and less cheese. I bet you could make a good croqueta with tapioca flour. These are delicious. I always love your comments, MD. Thanks.
Thanks Amanda. I was thinking about them for a while and wonder if they are like buñuelos, which are apparently made of cassava in some South American countries?
They are similar to savory buñuelos (not the dessert ones). Buñuelos are usually fried. These are unique because they’re more bready and baked. I first had them at my mother in law’s house. She’s from Colombia and introduced me to Colombian bakeries where they have almohabanas (a version of pan de bono with different cheese, milk and baking powder) and pan de yucca (where they add butter) and buñuelos (which seem to use corn starch as well as the ingredients here). They have a million varieties of breads like this that all seem sort of the same to me, but each is different in preparation and they all taste like heaven. I’d love to take you into a Colombian bakery so we can salivate over everything.
I’d very much like that too. One day…
I am not a coffee drinker, but I have always loved the thought of it and your prose is drawing me closer to become one. Your photos, as always, are exquisite!
What a beautiful compliment. Thank you, Drunken Cyclist. I keep my new bike near my bed and stare at it all the time. I’m seriously dreaming of a bike tour, riding miles with good wine. Wine and coffee are my two favorite vices. They can transform my mood just as much as a stolen moment.
Sounds like a wonderful way to start your day. Spending 40 minutes in traffic every morning trying to get my teenage son to school, then myself to the office certainly depletes the magical feeling of excitement. My mug of camomile tea is quite helpful in that commute I might add! However, I would trade with you and your morning detour in a heartbeat. This cheese bread must be fantastic. And I would love it because I prefer a savory bread over sweet with coffee. Can’t believe you went through three grinders. Holy smokes! And who would have thought to go to Bed Bath and Beyond for “world” food ingredients?! I can imagine your delight when you saw the tapioca flour. 🙂 Wonderful post Amanda…
Thanks so much for reading! I figure most people probably stop after the second paragraph. I try to be short, but I like reading into other people’s lives. That commute sounds rough. I used to have to take a bus to work and it was so early that I wasn’t hungry. I’d take hot water with me to warm up from the cold. I now realize how lucky I am to have the option to walk. But yes, mornings should feel sacred. Every day is a blessing and it’s so easy to lose site of that during a commute and errands.
I would never stop reading your posts after the second paragraph! I love reading your prose. 🙂 It certainly is easy to lose site of the goodness in crawling traffic. But, the calming tea helps! And I do look for the good in the situation. It’s great to spend time with the boy in the morning…
Pics make me drool..
Thanks so much 🙂
These look so good! Perfect for the World Cup, if you pass them off as Brazilian 😉
What do they taste like?
Thanks, Chaya. They taste like cheese, with a hint of corn and sweetness. It’s tough to describe! If they traveled well I’d send you a care package.
Photography in the oven light always hits a homerun, it sort of delivers the anticipation a baker’s family feels as the smell of bread whiffs across the house. These should go splendidly with some chunky blueberry or strawberry jam.
Thanks so much. I’m so impatient, always looking in the oven to see how they’re doing. I just devour them plain, but they’d probably lend themselves to lots of great jams and butters.
Your time out sounds perfect to me – there’s nothing more enjoyable for me than to sneak a little time off in the day to just breath and observe the world around me. I often sit in an alcove at lunch outside and just watch people go by, and funnily enough, a group of men play soccer on the adjacent field. To have a piece of this delicious bread would make my afternoon that much sweeter. Lovely post, Amanda, and 3 grinders! I tried grinding macadamia nuts in my coffee grinder (I don’t have a food processor) and it was a horrific mess. I stopped just in time to avoid breaking the motor.
Hilarious that we had the same grinder experience. Your time out sounds lovely too. I like watching people play soccer from afar. And I like people watching in general. I think you’d love these, Ngan.
I love th wworld cup too – although very unimpressed with Span right now 🙁 Big Man is in bad mood! Love these buns and as I can get the ingredients will definitely be making them!
I know. I’m surprised at Spain. These do ease that blow. 🙂
I meant Spain of course!
What a weird place to find tapioca flour! These look incredible. Love the idea of your rainy coffee mornings too. Part of me thinks if I had somewhere like your Colombian cafe here I would get up early just to do the same thing!
Thanks, Pami. I really do find myself getting up for it. You’ll have to find a place that does the same for you. I never would have thought to go to an appliance store. Hope you are well!
Maybe I would if we moved to London, but here in our little town there’s barely anything open before 9am! 🙂 Maybe we can meet up next time I’m in NY and you can show me this little piece of heaven.
I would love to!
And obviously, my services are always available should you ever find yourself on this side of the pond!
I will have to try this sometime! Thank you so much for such an interesting post!
Aw. Thank you. I appreciate it.
I’m so happy you aren’t wasting all your talents on legal writing. Lovely piece (as always). And thanks for introducing me to Pan de Bono.
Thanks so much. That means a lot. I sometimes feel like I’m neglecting my fiction, but this whole endeavor, cooking, writing, community building has become so important to me and so fulfilling that I rarely judge myself for that anymore. I never wanted to limit myself to just the law 🙂 The pan de bono is one of my exciting discoveries. Totally worth writing home about!
OK. I shall follow your instructions, not burn out a coffee grinder or two, and make these little suckers. I’m pretty sure mine will have a little chunk of chorizo in the middle. I’m effing excited!!!
Omg that sounds awesome. They’re pretty easy if you’re anyone but me.
Beautiful post Amanda. I love reading you and only wish I could live your life for a couple of days, or at least overlap. Thank you for slowing my day down just a little as I took time out to read a bit about your world this morning.
What a lovely post! You’re such a good writer. And these breads are fascinating! I’ve never cooked with tapioca flour, but I need to in order to discover the resulting texture of these. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much, Mimi. That means a lot. You can probably find the flour more easily in the south west!
Those little moments I have to myself are so few and far between, but so wonderful when they do come around.
Even if a few coffee grinders died in the process, these little rolls look like they turned out perfectly!
Thanks, Mary Frances. I’m glad you relate. The rolls really did turn out great. Worth 3 grinders! Thanks for stopping by!
Oh wow, these sound amazing. Bready and cheesy are two of my favorite qualities in food… 🙂
I’ve never heard of Colombian cheese bread, but I love Brazilian cheese bread (and its chewy, mochi-like quality) — I guess the tapioca gives these a similar texture? (Sorry to hear about your burned out coffee grinder motors by the way! I didn’t even know it was possible to replace just the motor… I would have assumed I’d need to replace the whole coffee grinder!)
p.s. I love that photo of them in the oven with the oven light on — it almost looks like there’s natural light shining in from a window into your oven!
Yes, I think you’re right! The tapioca makes it mochi like. The Brazilian ones are almost exactly the same. I hadn’t thought of that as a way to describe them. I actually did just replace the whole grinder. The lower end ones are cheap. I’m glad you’ve had these!
Viva Colombia, indeed. I love your opener narrative, Amanda. I can see how flavor this is and that you crave for the. Very inviting photos. 😛
Thanks so much, Fae. That’s very meaningful.
Ah, Amanda, what a beautiful post, the images are spectacular, thank you for sharing!!!
Thanks so much. Thank you for taking the time to read.
What an amazing recipe, Amanda! Never heard of ‘pan de bono’ before; it looks so delicious! I’m learning so much through this blogger adventure…
I wish I could share one of those stolen moments watching people passing by with a great cup of coffee in my hands. And what about that improvised visit to the library! I’d kill to have that time before work to recreate myself in such joy!
Viva Colombia! 😉
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. Yo tambien he aprendido mucho a traves el blog. Stolen moments are the best.
dreamy 🙂 Your stories are always fun to read and I love the photos–especially of the rolls in the oven. Totally magical.
Thanks, Liz. Your comments are always so thoughtful. I’m still dreaming of your marshmallows. Next time we camp, it will be gourmet.
Nearly sure it was one of your posts that prompted me into either buying cassava, or at least knowing what to do with it – I never did use it! By the time I read about it online I was too wimpy to cook it. Looked great with my wooden chopping boards. So I don’t hold out much luck in making these. Unless! Does the International store carry manioc flour? Will have to have a nosy. In the meantime, I’m still slurping – if it’s first thing, don’t ask – on café con leche. Normally it’s strong, black and slightly sweetened by this time. It’s been so cold!
Aw. Yes I use a lot of cassava here so it was probably my post. Glad to know you love a little cafe con leche too. Yuccas are really rustic looking. They’re beautiful for quite an ugly veggie.
This looks like the cheese bread we have in the Philippines, I got to try them to find out
So cool, Raymund. I’ve noticed that a lot of your recipes are so similar to the colombian ones I make. I guess both were spanish colonies at some point so. .