Pan de Yuca is a special bread made around the world. This tasty bread is found in many Spanish-speaking countries including Colombia and Ecuador, a favorite for breakfast or coffee breaks. Pan means bread in Spanish and yuca is one of the many names for cassava. You may have also heard yuca called by other names like manioc or tapioca.

This starchy root is used to make all kinds of dishes, but is especially delicious when combined with cheese. For these Pan de Yuca we’re using soft, fresh cheese that melts into the dough to give every bite a creamy flavor. You can use queso costeño or queso fresco for this recipe (or use feta in a pinch).

You may find tapioca starch in your grocery and that’s the same thing as tapioca/yuca flour. The high starch content means it’s used for different applications.

To begin making this dough simply combine everything into a food processor with a mixing blade. Or you can use an electric mixer. Or mix it by hand. The dough comes together easily by any method.

Since this flour is gluten-free we’re not going to be kneading the dough much, so you only need to mix it until it’s uniform in color and has a texture you can roll into a ball.

Use some parchment paper on a baking sheet or place the balls of dough into greased muffin tins. You want to make slightly larger balls than you would make for pão de queijo or croquettes. Use a lined baking sheet for rounder pieces and use the muffin tin when you want to ensure the balls do not spread in the oven.

One word of advice- do not wing it and use an un-lined or un-greased pan. These tasty little bites can easily stick to the pan and become difficult to remove after baking.

Bake these until they’re lightly browned. They may get a crackled appearance and that’s ok.

Serve these Pan de Yuca for breakfast or snack or serve them as a great side to soups or casseroles. They do a great job to soak up juices from a stew, but are so creamy and delicious you might want to enjoy them on their own.