Ingredients
Dough
- 250 gachira (arrowroot) starch
- 200 gqueso costeño or a dry salty white cheese, finely grated
- 100 gcold butter, cubed
- 1egg
- 1egg yolk
- 1 tspsugar
- ½ tspsalt
- 2–3 tbspcold milk, only if needed
Directions
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two trays with baking paper.
- Rub the butter into the achira starch with your fingertips until it looks like fine crumbs, then work in the grated cheese, sugar and salt.
- Add the whole egg and the yolk and bring the dough together by hand. It should be firm and slightly crumbly; add milk a teaspoon at a time only if it will not hold.
- Roll pieces into short fat cigars about 6 cm long, or press into small rounds, and set them well apart on the trays — they spread and puff.
- Bake 18–20 minutes until pale gold and dry to the touch. They firm as they cool, so take them out while they still give slightly.
- Cool completely on a rack. Stored airtight they keep crisp for a week, which is why they travel in bags along the Magdalena roads.
Technique
- Achira starch behaves nothing like wheat flour: it has no gluten, so the dough is worked briefly and never kneaded.
- The cheese must be dry and salty. A moist cheese makes the biscuits heavy and stops them crisping.
Substitutions
- Cassava starch (almidón de yuca) is the usual stand-in where achira is unavailable, giving a slightly chewier biscuit.
- A firm feta, rinsed and dried overnight, approximates queso costeño.
Variations
- Pandebono and pandeyuca, the same family of starch-and-cheese breads found elsewhere in Colombia.
- A larger, softer version eaten warm from the oven rather than stored.
History
Baked in Huila around Neiva and sold in bags to travellers on the Magdalena valley roads.
Frequently asked questions
What is Achiras?
Achiras is a bread & pastry from Colombia: crisp cheese biscuits made from achira arrowroot starch, eaten with coffee. Baked in Huila around Neiva and sold in bags to travellers on the Magdalena valley roads.
How long does Achiras take to make?
Achiras takes 25 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 biscuits. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Achiras?
Yes, within limits. Cassava starch (almidón de yuca) is the usual stand-in where achira is unavailable, giving a slightly chewier biscuit. A firm feta, rinsed and dried overnight, approximates queso costeño.
What is the most important thing to get right in Achiras?
Add the whole egg and the yolk and bring the dough together by hand. It should be firm and slightly crumbly; add milk a teaspoon at a time only if it will not hold.
