Pan de Yuca-Ecuadorian Cheese Bread

Hey, Alicia here again with another great Ecuadorian recipe from my husband; Pan de Yuca. I think that literally translates to "Yuca Bread" but in English we call it cheese bread.

As you can see it's not cheese bread like is normally thought of when one talks about cheese bread. Cheese is the main ingredient in these delicious little buns. So instead of just having cheese sprinkled on top of bread this is literally cheese bread.

This bread has an ingredient that isn't found in most grocery stores here in the USA. Yuca starch, yuca harina, or sometimes called tapioca starch, can be found at Latin markets (our local market is called Rancho Market). We like the Goya Brand tapioca starch. You can also get it on Amazon.

When my husband first started making his bread for us he used this recipe from Laylita's recipes. Over time he has changed the recipe to have the bread turn out as he likes them. Laylita has a lot of fun and delicious Ecuadorian dishes on her website so it's worth a gander to check out her site.

Click through the gallery below to see the process in action of making these. They are very easy to make. Usually he only uses one type of cheese but since he was making them for a large family this time, he had to use 4 different cheeses to have enough dough, and the results were very delicious and flavorful.

Click on the button below to get the recipe. I'll post a few tips below too.

• This is easiest to make in a food processor. I love my KitchenAid food processor. If you don't have one or need a new one I reccommend it!
• If the dough feels too dry you can add some water, or my Brother-in-law adds some sour cream to the dough.
• If the dough seems too wet you can add more tapioca starch.
• Basically any cheese can be used, but most commonly used in the states, is mozzarella (and maybe some feta too). I think once he used some gruyere.
• The dough is best if it is chilled a bit before baking but it's not necessary if you don't have time/can't wait.
• Eat them ASAP (let them cool a little) because they are best warm.

Pan de Yuca

As you can see from these ingredients, this is gluten free! So if you have celiac friends, this should be safe for them to have!

I hope you get to try these and enjoy them. We'll probably post soon about the yogurt drink that goes with them so stay tuned!

Let us know if you have tried the recipe and what you think. Or if you have any questions, post it in the comments below!