Pan de Jamón (Stuffed Bread with Turkey Ham)
A couple of years ago -I won't reveal how long ago, but let's say I'm suddenly feeling vintage-. I learned to make this recipe.
My neighbor then, owned a coffee shop, and she and her brother baked all kind of things for their business. I always use to sneak-in their house and help here and there with the baking. More often than not, I would just be a liability to them, and they would let me know it, and I would end up just helping clean-up (my own mess by the way).
I learned it by observing, the first time I came up with the recipe on my own I was pleasantly surprised and proud.
I usually make this recipe around the December season (as thousands of Venezuelans also do), I have no clue why I don't make it more often, this could be eaten all year round. Need to meditate on that one. Whilst I pounder on that thought, recipe is below.
This recipe yields 4 loaves of bread.
Ingredients:
1½ kg. of wheat flour
2 tablespoons fresh yeast (in grain or paste)
200 gr. of butter or margarine
3 eggs (2 for the dough, 1 for egg-wash)
200 gr. of brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
½ liter of milk
200 gr. of smoked turkey bacon (cooked)
1 kg of turkey-ham (regular or smoked)
200 gr. of raisins
200 gr. of green olives (pitted)
Directions:
1. In a cup of warm water bloom the yeast. Let stand for four minutes.
2. Warm up the milk and add: salt, sugar, butter.
3. Place the flour on a bowl, add the milk and yeast mixture.
4. Add two eggs, and mix until a homogeneous dough. Leave the dough ball for 35 minutes in a warm place.
5. Pre-heat oven at this point at 250 degrees Farenheit.
6. Divide the dough into four parts and in a flat surface stretch it with the roller to form a rectangle.
7. Spread on the turkey-ham and turkey bacon to completely cover the dough surface. Add raisins and olives. Roll the dough from one end to the other, and tuck in the upper and lower end, poke with a fork to let theat through when baking. Let it rest for 30 minutes before baking.
8. After 20 minutes of baking, remove from oven and brush the egg-wash. Bake for another 20 minutes.
9. When done let it rest for 15 minutes outside the oven and then cut into wheels.
Enjoy!
