Ham and Cheese Rolls

These Ham and Cheese Rolls are layered with savory ham and melty cheese, rolled up in soft, buttery crescent roll dough, and baked with a savory poppy seed butter sauce. Using my homemade crescent roll dough makes these rolls extra soft and fluffy, with a delicious ham and cheese layer in every bite.

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Prep Time: 3

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 4 22

Servings: rolls

Ingredients

Dough

177 g warm water (¾ cup) around 90°F/32°C
60 g warm milk (¼ cup) around 90°F/32°C
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
50 g sugar (¼ cup)
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
20 g dry potato flakes (¼ cup)
1 large egg (50 g) room temperature
¾ cup warm whole milk about 95°F
45 g butter flavored shortening (¼ cup)
28 g unsalted butter (2 tablespoons) softened
360 g bread flour (3 cups)

Filling

60 g mayonnaise (¼ cup)
12 ounces thinly sliced ham (340 g) about 12 slices
12 ounces sliced Swiss or provolone cheese (340 g) about 12 slices

Topping:

114 g unsalted butter (½ cup/1 stick) melted
1 tablespoon minced onion (8 g)
30 g Dijon mustard (2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (15 g)
2 teaspoons poppy seeds (6 g)
28 g unsalted butter (2 tablespoons) melted

Instructions

Prepare the dough:

To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the ingredients for the crescent roll dough: the water, milk, instant yeast, sugar, salt, dry potato flakes, egg, shortening, butter, and half the flour. Mix with the dough hook attachment, on low speed until combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
177 g warm water
60 g warm milk
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
50 g sugar
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
20 g dry potato flakes
1 large egg
¾ cup warm whole milk
45 g butter flavored shortening
28 g unsalted butter
180 g bread flour
While on low speed, gradually add the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. You may or may not need the entire amount of flour. You can stop the mixer and check the dough by lightly tapping on it with your fingertip - it should feel soft, slightly tacky, but not wet. *When in doubt, it’s always best to go lighter on the flour. You can always add more flour later, but you can’t take flour away. Too much flour in your dough will give you dry, dense rolls.
180 g bread flour
Knead the dough on low speed for about 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and cohesive. It should be mostly cleaning the sides of the bowl. If you take a piece of dough, you should be able to stretch it a few inches apart without it tearing.

Bulk Fermentation

Spray a large bowl with nonstick baking spray. Remove the dough from the mixer and place it the bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.

Shape & Fill

Spray a 9x13-inch (22x33-cm) pan with nonstick spray and set aside. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll the dough to a rectangle, about 14x18-inches (35x45-cm).
Spread the mayonnaise over the dough. Lay the sliced ham over the mayonnaise, followed by the sliced cheese.
60 g mayonnaise
12 ounces thinly sliced ham
12 ounces sliced Swiss or provolone cheese
Starting with the edge nearest you, roll the dough up tightly with the ham and cheese, making one large roll. Pinch the ending edge of the dough to the roll to close the seam. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal sized pieces. Place the rolls in the pan - there should be 3 rows of 4.

Final Proof

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and all the rolls to rise about 50% in size, until they're puffy, about 45-60 minutes. Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Mix the Topping

Just before baking the rolls, in a small bowl, whisk together the butter, Dijon mustard, minced onion, kosher salt, Worcestershire, and poppy seeds. Mix until combined and smooth. Pour over the rolls, coating the tops.
114 g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced onion
30 g Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Bake

Bake the rolls, uncovered, for 24 to 28 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. If you're unsure if they're done, insert an instant read thermometer to the center of a roll - it should be at least 195°F/90°C.
Remove from the oven and brush the rolls with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Allow the rolls to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving warm.
28 g unsalted butter

Notes

Freeze unbaked rolls: You can freeze them unbaked. After rolling them up, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for several hours, until frozen solid. Transfer the frozen rolls to a zip top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 4 weeks. To bake, place the frozen rolls onto a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 3 to 4 hours. Pour poppy butter sauce over the rolls just before baking.
Make Ahead options: After kneading the dough, place it in a large covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out to shape the ham and cheese rolls.
Storing: Once completely cooled, wrap the rolls individually in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat, uncovered, in the microwave.
Dough Ingredient Substitutions: You can swap out the butter flavored shortening for equal parts butter (in addition to the other butter in the recipe).

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