Jalapeno, Ham, and Cheese Rolls

These little bites of delight jazz up the humble sandwich yet are simple to pack and easy to make. It’s bold, a bit spicy, and a little sweet. With no crumbs or drips, it makes for a perfect road trip or party food.

It plays homage to a couple of different foods from two different continents: fried pimento and manchego sandwich from Spain and pepperoni roll from West Virginia coal miners.

One of my college friends, Christa (the same friend who talked me into making king cakes), gave me a cookbook that is a compilation of her family’s recipes. Y’all if anyone gives you one of those, hang onto it for dear life even if you don’t cook. The jalapeno rolls are based on their 60 minute (yeast) roll recipe. The only change to the rolls is the addition of peppers so if you want the perfect dinner roll that is soft and slightly sweet that takes you back to the best school yeast rolls, use this recipe.

Jalapeno, Ham, and Cheese Roll Ingredients
Dough ingredients
6 jalapenos, core removed and diced
1 Tbl oil
¼ c warm water (105-110 degrees)
4 ½ tsp dry active yeast or instant yeast (2 packets)
¼ c sugar divided
3 ½ c AP flour
1 ½ c warm milk (105-110 degrees)
3 Tbl melted butter
2 tsp salt

Filling Ingredients
16 jalapenos
2 Tbl oil
8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese
12 oz of ham

Topping Ingredients
2 Tbl melted butter
2 Tbl garlic powder

Jalapeno, Ham, and Cheese Roll Directions
Preheat oven to 350. 

Slice off the stems of the jalapenos then slice them in half lengthways. Remove the core with a spoon.

Pile the jalapenos in a sheet pan and add 2 Tbl of oil. Gently toss the peppers to coat them. Spread the peppers out skin side down. Bake until the skin begins to wrinkle and light brown spots appear. The pepper will become brownish green. Remove from the oven. It should take about 30 minutes. Allow the peppers to cool to room temperature before wrapping them in the dough. Change the oven temperature to 400 after you remove the peppers.

Heat 1 Tbl of oil in a frying pan until it shimmers. Add the 6 diced jalapenos, and sautee them until the jalapenos are soft and the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.

For active dry yeast:
Add ¼ c warm water, 4 ½ tsp active dry yeast, and 1 Tbl of sugar. Stir and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, add 3 ½ c flour, 1 ½ c warm milk, 3 Tbl melted butter, 2 tsp salt, and 3 Tbl sugar then mix in the contents of the first bowl until combined.

For instant yeast:

Add ¼ c warm water, 4 ½ tsp instant yeast, ¼ c sugar, 3 ½ c flour, 1 ½ c warm milk, 3 Tbl melted butter, and 2 tsp salt to a large bowl and mix until combined.

After the dough is combined, put the dough on the counter. You shouldn’t need additional flour, but if it’s sticking, you can add a little more flour.

Pat the dough into a rough 6” square and add ½ of the cooked jalapenos to the half of the square furthest from you. Fold the bottom of the square over the jalapenos so the seam is towards you. 

Take the heel of your dominant hand and gently push the top of the dough forward. Pull the dough back towards you and rotate it 90 degrees. Repeat a few times.

Repeat with the remaining cooked peppers. Continue to knead the dough until the dough forms a soft, smooth ball.

Oil the mixing bowl and put the dough in a bowl and cover it tightly with Saran wrap. Let the dough rise until you press it and it deflates (about 15 minutes).

Make sure the oven is preheating to 400 degrees (after the peppers are removed).

While the dough rises, finish preparing the fillings. 

Cut 4 oz of cheese and 12 oz of ham into thin strips about 3-4” long and ⅓” wide.

After the dough rises, punch it down and cut it into 16 pieces. The easiest way to do it is to half and form to equal size discs. Cut each disc into 8 pieces like you would cut a pizza. Gently pat them into a disc then fold the sides of the disc towards the center, and flip it over so the seam is down. Put you hand over the ball with the heel and fingers of your dominant hand lightly touching the counter, make a circular motion with your hand to tighten the ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and allow to rest about 10 minutes.

Pat the ball into a rough 4” square. Add 2 jalapeno halves, and 1/16 of the cheese and ham in the center of the dough parallel to the edge of the counter. Fold the top and bottom sides of the dough to the center of the dough. Then fold the top half to the bottom. Pinch the seams together.

Take the heels of your hand and gently rock the dough back and forth. Tuck the two edges under the dough and pinch it closed. Rock the roll back and forth a few more times. Place the roll on a sheet pan. Repeat and space the rolls about 2” apart. You’ll need two sheet pans. 

Brush the rolls with 2 Tbl of melted butter and sprinkle 2 Tbl of garlic powder on the top of the rolls. Most of your rolls will probably pop open and that’s ok.

Cover with Saran wrap and allow the rolls to rise about 20 minutes.

When you gently press the dough with your finger, it should slowly fill in the indention. If the dough immediately bounces back, allow it to rise longer. If the hole does not fill in (halfway is good), press the roll down and allow it to rise again. When the dough is ready, bake it for about 10 minutes.

Rotate the pans 180 degrees and bake another 10 minutes. If the garlic begins to get past golden brown, top the pans with foil. The rolls will be lightly browned and have a soft crust when finished.

Eat the rolls warm or at room temperature.

Notes
If you’re serving the rolls at a party, you can serve it with a variety of condiments to jazz it up. I think it goes well with honey mustard, spicy mustard, or hot honey. Go wild. It’ll be fun.

Most of the effort for the rolls comes from making the dough. While the dough is one of the simplest to make and the first bread I learned to make, I get not having time. You can use premade dough as the base and gently knead in the peppers.