All-American Ham & Cheese Roll

Looking for a sandwich you can grab and eat with one hand, WITHOUT the filling sliding out? You’ve found it. Ham and cheese are rolled in a sheet of yeast dough and baked, yielding a stuffed sandwich that’s a treat to eat.

Crust
3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons potato flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon pizza dough flavor (optional, but delicious)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup water

Filling
1/2 pound thin-sliced ham
1/2 pound thin-sliced cheese: Swiss, Muenster, American, or your cheese of choice
Mustard

To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them together–by hand, mixer or bread machine—till you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour.

Roll the dough into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Brush all over with mustard, leaving a 1" mustard-free zone all around the edge. Add the cheese in a single layer, then the ham; again, leave the border bare.

Starting with a long edge, roll the dough into an 18" log. Pinch the long seam closed, then fold the ends over and pinch them closed, too. Curve the log into a horseshoe shape on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, seam-side down. Cover the sheet, and allow the roll to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours; it should look puffy, though not doubled.

Slash the roll crosswise, about ½" deep, at 3" to 4" intervals along its length; snipping it with a pair of scissors is actually easier than using a knife. Bake the roll in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 minutes, until it's golden brown, tenting it lightly with foil if it appears to be browning too quickly. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

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