This delicious combination of soft, buttery dough with deli ham and cheese makes this an irresistible meal. You’ll have a hard time putting any away in the freezer.
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
2 eggs, beaten
4cups all-purpose flour
1/2cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
Filling/Topping:
1pound (16 ounces) deli ham
1pound (16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
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Instructions
Make It Now:
Prepare Dough: Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed. Run on the dough cycle. It should be around 90 minutes for reference.
Divide and Roll Dough: After dough cycle is complete, flour your surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and roll into balls. Using a rolling pin, roll one dough ball into a circle that’s about 1/4-inch thick (about the size of a medium pizza).
Add Toppings: Sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded cheese over the dough. Add a single layer of ham slices on top of the cheese.
Cut and Roll: Using a pizza cutter, cut into about 10 pie-shaped pieces* by cutting straight lines through the dough. (Like you would cut a pizza.) Starting at the large end, roll up the dough. Place on greased baking sheet with the end side underneath the roll. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of each roll with a little bit of butter.
Repeat: Repeat these steps for your second and third balls of dough.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden brown on top. They are best served warm.
*Depending on the size of each dough ball, you may get a little more or less than this. The recipe yields 30 crescent rolls in all.
Freeze For Later: Bake as stated in recipe. Let cool completely. Place in air-tight, freezer bag or container, squeeze out as much air as possible, and seal. Freeze for up to 2-3 months for best quality.
Prepare From Frozen: Let the Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls thaw at room temperature (for no more than 2 hours), in the refrigerator overnight, or using the defrost setting on the microwave. Warm up in the microwave before eating.
Notes/Tips
There is no need to activate the yeast prior to adding it to the machine.
It works best to add the cheese before the ham. That way you’ll lose less of the cheese when rolling them up.
We recommend using an uncured ham to avoid preservatives. We like Applegate and Boar’s Head brands.
Shortcut for Dough: Use 3 cans of store-bought crescent rolls or 3 dough balls from a local pizzeria in place of the homemade dough.
Variations: Try other kinds of deli meat, like roast beef or turkey, and other kinds of cheese, such as shredded cheddar or Colby jack.
Add-In Ideas: To kick up the flavor a little, try sprinkling some dried Italian seasoning and/or garlic powder on top of the cheese before layering with ham.
We haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour, but let us know if you do.
A reader tested freezing these before baking them and this method did NOT work. See note in the article above.