Pull-Apart Ham Rolls

, from Issue #75. November, 2017
Photography by Olivia Galletly.
Pull-Apart Ham Rolls

These soft and golden rolls are a great way to feed a crowd. The rolls can be made a day in advance, just keep them in an airtight container until you are ready to use.

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

Buns
1½ cups milk, at room temperature
1½ teaspoons dried yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 egg, beaten
4 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 egg, for egg-wash
Filling
50 grams butter
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
150 grams champagne ham, thinly sliced
150 grams swiss cheese, grated
12 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and ground black pepper

METHOD

Buns: Place the milk, yeast and sugar in a bowl and mix. Leave to dissolve for 5–10 minutes. Add melted butter and egg and stir until well combined.

In a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, place the flour and salt. Add the milk mixture and mix until flour is completely incorporated. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough becomes shiny and smooth.

Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or so until doubled in size.

Roll into 12 even balls, roughly 92 grams each. Place in a lined baking dish, cover and leave to rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180oC. Lightly beat the egg and gently brush the tops of the buns.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and risen.

Once cool, make a cut in the top of each bun lengthways (be careful not to cut all the way through).

Filling: Combine the butter, garlic and mustard. Smear a generous amount of butter mixture into each roll and stuff with ham, cheese and thyme.

Cover with tinfoil and return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove foil and bake for a further 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Makes 12 rolls.