Ham and Cheese Picnic Bread

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the flour, egg, butter, sugar and salt; mix well. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large mixing, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Combine the ham, cheese, pimento, and olive in a medium mixing bowl; set aside.
5. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a 10x14 inch rectangle. Make parallel cuts 3/4 inch wide and 2 inches long on the two long edges of the rectangle. Evenly spread the filling mixture over the center of the rectangle. Fold the short ends of the rectangle over the filling. Starting from one of these ends, alternately stretch strips from the two sides across the filling so that the strips overlap diagonally. Transfer the loaf to a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
6. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Reviews (65)

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25

CJP9W

Dec. 3, 2005

"The loaf shaping is easy: mound the filling in the middle third of the dough, then make cuts from the filling to the edges of the doug, making 3/4 inch wide strips. Alternating sides, fold the strips..." See more at an angle across the filling. The top of the loaf will look like a braid."

23

ANGG

Apr. 14, 2003

"Oh, wow! What more can I say. This was so delicious and very popular. I added a few finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and it was a huge success. I also did the dough up in my bread machine on doug..." See moreh cycle, before putting the filling on and baking in the oven. It worked very well, and made preparation extremely easy."

23

BARBIE0492

Sep. 11, 2003

"This bread was good. I served it at a graduation party and even though I did something wrong and the bread didn't rise, it was still very good. I will try again...." See more"