Cooked Ham in Bread

Cooked Ham in Bread is an Easter classic. It is usually served as a part of Easter breakfast along with horseradish, eggs and potica or some other sweet bread (for example, poprtnik or pinca).

Ham is never absent for Easter breakfast. One reason is that farmers slaughtered pigs in winter, as in the past it was easier to store a large amount of meat in the cold. The smoked ham could be kept longer than other types of meat, which were eaten before the Lenten period. So by Easter only the ham was left in the chambers.

Due to its popularity Cooked Ham in Bread is not only enjoyed for Easter these days, but it often appears on picnic tables and for other celebrations.

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 500 g flour

• 10 g instant yeast

• 15 g salt

• 80 g butter at room temperature

• 250 ml warm milk

• 1 egg

• 25 g sugar

• 1 egg for the egg wash

• 1250 g piece of gammon (meat that becomes ham once cooked)

Instructions:

Ham

1. Place Gammon in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook for about an hour (as per instructions).

2. Drain cooked ham in a colander and let it cool completely. Tap it with paper towels to dry it.

Dough

1. In a bowl, combine flour and yeast.

2. Heat the milk, sugar, and butter in a sauce pan until butter is melted.

3. Once the milk mixture is sufficiently cool, add the egg and mix.

4. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and knead a little. Add the salt and continue kneading by hand or using a mixer until the dough is soft and elastic. It should not stick to your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about 60 minutes).

Making Cooked Ham in Bread

1. Heat the oven to 180 C (355 F).

2. Put parchment paper on a baking sheet.

3. Roll out the dough, place the piece of ham on it, and wrap tightly. Cut away the excess dough and use it to make decorations, for example, a braid.

4. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
5. Whisk egg in a cup and gently brush the bread with it.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil after about 20 minutes so that the decorations do not brown too much.
7. Wrap in a damp towel so that the dough remains soft.
8. Slice and serve.