Ham and Cheese Pockets
These Ham And Cheese Pockets are soft enriched dough folded over sharp cheddar and ham, then cut into 8 and baked with a Parmesan top. No individual assembly and no crimping, just one roll and one fold. Most of the time is rising, and they freeze beautifully.
Servings: 8
Calories: 501kcal
Ingredients
For Dough
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅔ cup water lukewarm
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter unsalted, melted
- 2 large eggs
For Pockets
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 slices ham medium thickness
- 1 egg beaten, for egg wash
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon parsley dried, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ⅔ cup lukewarm water together. Let it rest for 10 minutes, until it dissolves and starts bubbling. If it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead and you'll need fresh.
- Add the 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup melted butter, 2 eggs, and the yeast mixture to the bowl of your mixer. Mix for about 5 minutes, until the dough is soft but not sticky. If it clings to the bowl, add a little more flour and keep mixing until it pulls away cleanly.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 14 by 18 inches and ¼ inch thick.
- Sprinkle all the 2 cups shredded cheddar over half the dough, leaving a small border. Lay the 8 slices of ham over the cheese. Fold the empty half of the dough over the filling and press down gently.
- Cut the folded dough into 8 equal pieces and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart.
- Brush the tops with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the ¼ cup grated Parmesan and 1 tablespoon dried parsley.
- Let the pockets rest and rise on the tray for about 30 minutes.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply golden. Some cheese will bubble out of the cut edges and that's normal. Let them cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Proof the yeast first. Ten minutes and it should foam. No foam means it's dead, so start over rather than continuing.
- Water at about 110°F. Comfortably warm on your wrist. Too hot kills the yeast.
- Dough consistency: soft but not sticky. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if it's clinging to the bowl, but go easy or they'll be dense.
- These aren't sealed pockets. The cut edges are open and some cheese will escape. For fully sealed, cut the dough into 8 rectangles first, fill one half of each, fold, and crimp with a fork.
- Don't skip the second rise. Thirty minutes on the tray gives you noticeably lighter pockets.
- Sharp cheddar stands up to the rich dough better than mild.
- Freezing: baked, wrap individually and reheat from frozen at 350°F for 20 minutes. Unbaked, freeze assembled and bake from frozen with 10 extra minutes.
- Smaller pockets: cut into 12 instead of 8 and start checking at 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pocket | Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 887mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 801IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 261mg | Iron: 3mg
