Ham-and-Cheese Stuffed Bread
This Ham-and-Cheese Stuffed Bread is a favorite picnic entrée. It tastes like a particularly delicious ham-and-cheese sandwich.
This delicious Ham-and-Cheese Stuffed Bread was my mother’s favorite picnic entrée. It tastes like a particularly delicious ham-and-cheese sandwich and is fun to eat, with everything tucked into a package.
Yield:
6 servingsIngredients
1 package (1 pound) prepared pizza dough, at room temperature
All-purpose flour (for work surface)
3 large eggs
5 ounces shredded Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese
4 ounces good-quality sliced ham, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 scallions, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish: 1 scallion, halved lengthwise
Instructions
Set one oven rack to the lowest position; set the second rack a couple of levels above. Fill a pie plate or other shallow pan halfway with water and set it on the oven’s upper shelf (to create steam and let the bread rise better). Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle about 10 inches wide and 12 inches long. Cover with a clean dish towel and set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk the eggs until blended; then add the cheese, ham, scallions, basil, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.
Pour the egg mixture down the center of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges (save the small amount of egg left in the bowl for later). Form a loaf by first folding the shorter edges up an inch or so over the filling (as you would with a burrito); then fold the long sides up so that they meet in the center; now pinch them together. Be sure to seal the dough well so that the filling stays inside during baking.
Turn the loaf over, seam side down, onto the lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes on the top of the dough. Brush the top with the leftover egg from the mixing bowl and lay a halved scallion lengthwise down the center to garnish. Bake until the bread is deep brown, about 50 minutes. Check the bread periodically during the latter half of cooking—if any filling is leaking out, bring the foil up and around the sides of the loaf to hold everything in.
Transfer to a wire rack for at least 15 minutes to cool before serving. Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature.
Amy Traverso
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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