Among all the breads that I have baked (not that there have so many at this point), this is the ultimate favorite among Speedy and the girls. There have been requests that make another batch, and I intend to very soon. But not today because I have a bad cold and I don’t think I’ll be doing a lot of cooking at all. I actually baked this bread on November 14 (the last time I used Fleischmann’s rapid rise yeast before it disappeared from the supermarkets) but dilly-dallied with the posting because there are too many photos to crop and edit.
This is a very easy bread recipe. So long as you kneaded your dough correctly and the dough had a chance to rise sufficiently, the bread will come out right. You just make your bread dough then, when risen, form into a log then roll into a rectangle. Spread with butter, top with ham and cheese. Let rise. Brush the top with butter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake. Cut into slices. Aromatic, pretty, delicious.
Ingredients
- 3 c. of all-purpose flour
1 packet of Fleischmann’s rapid rise yeast
1 c. of lukewarm water
1/2 c. of sugar
1 tsp. of rock salt
1/4 c. of vegetable oil
additional flour for dusting
five slices of ham
five slices of cheese
about 1/4 c. of softened butter plus more for brushing the top
1 tbsp. of sesame seeds
Instructions
- Pour the lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast. Leave until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add half of the mixture to the yeast. Pour in the vegetable oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until the texture appears even. The dough will be very sticky at this point. Add the rest of the flour. Stir until the dough just comes together then dump onto a lightly floured work surface.
Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes or until elastic and no longer sticky.
Gather the dough into a ball. Lightly brush a large bowl with vegetable oil. Put the dough in the bowl, turning it every which way so that every part of the surface is coated with oil. Cover the bowl (cling film or a damp towel will do) and leave to rise until double in bulk, about one to three hours depending on the humidity.
When the dough has risen sufficiently, punch down then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead for a couple of minutes then roll into a log about three inches in diameter.
Roll the dough flat to form a rectangle. Spread the entire surface with butter. Arrange the ham and cheese slices on top.
Start rolling the dough, as tightly as you can, to seal the ham and cheese inside.
Just keep going making sure that the ham and cheese don’t slide off the dough.
Pinch the edges so that the dough does not unroll.
Because the long dough could not fit into my oven, I cut it into three portions. It might have been a better idea to divide the dough into three portions before rolling and filling. That way, I would have had three individual rolls with ALL THE EDGES TUCKED IN.
The way things happened, after the dough had risen for the second time, the filling got pushed out a little on the cut sides (see below). Not that it affected the taste or texture of the bread. Just the looks. It didn’t really matter to me but it might matter to you so I’m saying that if you like perfect looking rolls, I gave you the option above.
So, anyway, once the dough has been filled and rolled and cut, leave to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.
About 15 minutes before the dough has risen a second time, preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the tops of the unbaked bread with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 30 minutes.
After baking, the bread would be golden brown and crusty outside.
Slice the bread and be amazed at how soft and white the inside is.
Serve the bread warm (bread is always best right after baking). The girls bought some of the sliced ham and cheese bread to the condo and since I heard no complaints about ruined texture, I’m assuming that the bread reheated well.
Cooking time (duration): 4 to 5 hours, including rising time for the dough
Number of servings (yield): 12 to 15 slices
Meal type: snack
love cheese, love ham, love bread! will definitely try this ms cons! though i haven’t baked bread using rapid rise, just active dry yeast, thank you for the recipes and baking options.=)
We’re going bread baking crazy here so expect more.
Noticed that you commented on the price of the yeast on the last two bread posts. Actually, if you live in Antipolo, there are a few bakery supply stores which are very near. I buy mine in Marikina. Just go to the public market close to Sta Lucia mall and ask around, there are about 4 or 5. They supply whole wheat flour, bread flour, yeast, margarine, even surprisingly imported ingredients like Crisco to the many bakeries in the Marikina-Cainta-Antipolo (in other words, Sta. Lucia) area.
I cannot give you exact store names as I never stay with one store; you have to pick and choose the quality of the flour (no weevils, white, fine grain and doesn’t clump, indicating that the flour is free from dampness).
As for yeast, the local brands are not at all inferior to the imported ones (I’m not accusing anyone of badmouthing pinoy products, so please dont get me wrong :p) and buying big bags (like 300 grams),and storing them in an airtight container in the Freezer (not ref or shelf) will extend their shelf lives for up to 6 months longer than the expiry date.
It’s what my family does. We buy flour and other supplies at wholesale prices, and keep them in a separate freezer. You can do that with things like AP flour and yeast. Buying wholesale is noticeably cheaper than buying at a grocery store…
Yah, there is a baking supply store in the Antipolo market. Yeast, bread flour… Just haven’t tried their products yet. I didn’t know there are so many near Sta. Lucia. Will check them out. Thanks.
hi ms. connie, i am kind of intimidated every time i hear the word “bake and dough” together. for some reason i feel like it’s hard and too much work. but when i read the detailed process of this recipe, it seems so easy. by the way i tried 2 of your recipes.. baked rice with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme and baked macaroni. ang sarap especially the baked rice. with your easy to follow recipes i feel like a pro..kudos to you and speedy!
Surprisingly there are so many good food supply stores near the mall. You can find Assam Indian Minimart in the street across Sta. Lucia too. You can find fresh cardamom there :p
I keep forgetting to go there. Someone told me about it some time ago in a discussion thread about tortilla press.
Hi Connie,
How many grams or how many tbsp does 1 packet of yeast have? Baka kasi walang nasa small packets, i’ll buy the big one.
1/4 oz.
That looks wonderful. It would make a great breakfast.
happy new year, ms connie!
is it ok to use instant dry yeast for this recipe? thank you.
Hi yah! Ms. Connie,
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I tried making it and turned out okay 1st time baking it. My family enjoyed. It was eaten quitely, did not tell my 10 y/o son that it had cheese on it but he ate all what’s in his plate and asked me to make some again. And I will.
wow! perfect! parang pandesal din po ang paraan ng paggawa, then a lil difference in the sugar measurement plus the butter.. having said that, i would surely try this recipe! ( btw, your pandesal is an all-time fave of my friends and family here in Malaysia,awesome!)
if ever, i’ll use bacon (my boys love bacon) do you think i have pre-cook the bacon?
thanks again!:)
“if ever, i’ll use bacon (my boys love bacon) do you think i have pre-cook the bacon?”
just in case i will use bacon instead of ham, do you think i have to pre-cook the bacon?
Yah, I think you’ll have to.
hi ms. connie. do you think it is ok to make many unbaked bread and stock them in the fridge then bake it when needed?
thanks.
In the freezer. In airtight bags or containers.
Hi Miss Connie
I have been a fan of your site and I’m always trying out your dishes. Among my family’s favorites are the braised spare ribs, oxtail cooked in beer, blondies, etc…
I have been looking at this recipe for months now. My husband and son loves ham and cheese so much but I have not done any bread before and is a bit scared to do anything with yeast. I make pan de sal but it is thru my breadmaker (that I bought on a garage sale for $5
)…
Anyway, I had finally overcome my fear and made it yesterday, but cheated (ashamed) and used my breadmaker…. I had also used the yeast that I use in my pan de sal which is also sold in packets here in Auckland. But I think I should use another type of yeast that is sold here that is used for hand made breads.
It had turned out okay (but does not appear appealing, hahaha), bread really tastes nice and my son had said that I am now Master Chef NZ
….
But next time, I would do it your way and will not cheat again…
Zendie
Anyway,