Thursday, May 3, 2012

Ham and Cheese Rolls

You've probably seen ham rolled up inside bread before, but this one's got a few twists. First, it's ham and cheese and mustard and pickles. Second, it's home made bread. Yeah, you expected that from me, right?

Third, there's white whole wheat in the bread dough, so it's a bit better for you than the typical white roll.

And fourth, this was amazingly good (and hot) right from the oven, but it was just as good as a cold sandwich. Oh, and there's a topping. Just like sweet rolls, there's a dribbly topping. Because I'm crazy like that.

This recipe was created for a Stonewall Kitchen contest, and I was sent a jar of the Stonewall Kitchens Cheddar Ale mustard for use in this recipe. I chose the cheddar ale because I knew I was going to be pairing it with cheese. Several of their other mustards would also be great in this recipe.

This recipe was, of course, inspired by cinnamon rolls. Or maybe it was inspired by these peanut butter sweet rolls. Because I'm always making something that's just a little different.

Ham and Cheese Rolls with Honey Mustard Sauce

For the dough:
1 cup room temperature water
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) white wheat flour
1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the filling:
2 cups (about 10 ounces) diced ham (about 1/4 inch dice)
1/4 cup Stonewall Kitchens Cheddar Ale mustard
1 cup hamburger dill pickle, chopped or sliced into thin ribbons
8 ounces shredded cheese (I used a mix of Colby and Monterrey Jack)

For the sauce (equal parts of):
Stonewall Kitchens Cheddar Ale mustard
Honey
Greek-style yogurt

Combine all the dough ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. (You can also do the kneading by hand or in a food processor.)

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size, about an hour. Meanwhile, spray a 9x13 baking pan with baking spray.

When the dough has risen, flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Knead it briefly, then roll it out to a rectangle about 12 x 20 inches. Orient it so the short sides are left and right. In a bowl, combine the ham and the mustard. Distribute the ham over the surface of the rolled-out dough, leaving about an inch uncovered on long side furthest from you.

Spread about half of the pickles along the edge of the long side closest to you, then distribute the rest evenly over the ham.

Sprinkle the cheese over the ham.

Roll the dough, jellyroll style beginning with the side closest to you. Don't roll it tight - leave it a little loose so it has room for the dough to expand. When you get to the far end, seal the seam.

Adjust the dough so it's about the same diameter all along the roll. Slice it into 12 even pieces and place them in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set aside until the dough has expanded and feels puffy. The rolls themselves won't double in size. This should take 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the dough is ready, uncover it and bake at 350 degrees until it is nicely browned, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the mustard, honey, and yogurt. Make a little less than you want, so you can add more mustard or honey, to taste.

Remove the rolls from the pan and place them on a rack to keep the bottoms from getting soggy. Drizzle the honey mustard over the top, or serve it on the side.

Refrigerate any leftovers.
Yum