I took the popular gluten-free, cheese bread from Colombia (pandebono), made it vegan, and added soy chorizo — creating the perfect gluten-free, savory, and delicious dinner roll for any dish!

You may remember my vegan spin on pão de quiejo, Brazilian cheese bread. The dairy and egg weren’t all that I changed, but I turned it into a true fusion dish by adding vegan hot dogs to the centers as well. On Instagram, someone commented saying how they loved pão de quiejo, but also mentioned pandebono, which I’d never heard and decided I should check it out!

Traditionally, this delicious, cheesy bread is served at breakfast with cocoa or coffee. My Northern American palette couldn’t imagine this combo, but I like to enjoy them (veganized) with dinner, as a roll to enjoy with salads, soups, pasta, and stews.

Because I’d never heard of this bread until I’d already gone vegan, I’ve never had it made with the traditional ingredients, and I’ve never had it made by someone else. When looking up recipes, they all had different ratios of tapioca starch vs. masarepa. I had to make it a couple different times before finding my favorite combo.

All that to say, just because it’s how I prefer it, that does not mean it’s how it would come in Colombia. As for the soy chorizo, this is definitely my addition, and not traditional. If you ask me, however, it’s delicious with chorizo, and I had to add a touch of my own creativity to the mix. Didn’t I? Of course I did!

Let us talk about the dry ingredients that make up this yummy bread, shall we? Tapioca starch (or tapioca flour is the same thing) and masarepa are the two main ingredients in these rolls. Tapioca starch is also what is used in the Brazilian cheese bread. It is a gluten and grain free powder which is often used as a substitute for cornstarch or arrowroot powder, and can be found in health food stores. With gluten-free being as mainstream as it is now, I can often find it in common grocery stores as well.

These gluten-free, Latin American bread varieties use the tapioca starch as the main flour, but if you are unfamiliar with it, or gluten-free baking in general, you will definitely notice a difference in consistency from traditional bread. These rolls are stretchy in the middle, but not only from the cheese, though I feel as though the stretchiness adds to the cheesiness sensation.

The pandebono, because it has the masarepa as well, isn’t quite as stretchy as pão de quiejo. Now you may be asking, “What in the world is masarepa?!” since that is not a common ingredient either, at least not if you’re in the United States, like me.

Masarepa is a type of corn flour, similar to masa harina, what is used to make tamales. The two corn flours are processed differently, preventing them from being interchangeable. Unfortunately, masarepa not as common here in the states as masa harina (at least not where I am in North San Diego). I am able to find it in one of my local Latin foods store, but I can’t find it in the smaller Latin markets, or in any major grocery stores. If you have trouble, remember online is always an option for hard-to-find grocery items.

From what I researched, I believe a white cheese is more common in traditional pandebono. However, because I’ve added the soy chorizo, I prefer mine with vegan cheddar or a cheddar-mozzarella mix. You’re of course welcome to use your own preference. I find these oh-so-tasty, and really look forward to making and enjoying them every time I do.

I have two dishes that I enjoy these with the most. I like to make them with my Easy Cheezy No-Burger Macaroni and with Vegan Crockpot Jambalaya by The Veggie Girl. I know it’s a bad habit but I’ve always enjoyed having some sort of bread with my mac n’ cheese, and since these are gluten-free… why not, right? As for the jambalaya, her recipe is one of my faves for the slow cooker, and it only uses a half pack of soy chorizo which is perfect because you’re left with another half to use for the rolls!

These are also great as a snack, with soup, salad, or I may even like to try them with some tofu scramble at breakfast. That actually sounds really good! Please tell me what you think! Are you from Colombia, and/or have you had the traditional pandebono? I’d love to hear from you!!! Leave a comment below, or if you make this recipe, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.