Ham and broccoli rolls

Yum!!!  These were so tasty.  Doesn't matter that I did a ton of things wrong that I would fix next time, they still tasted delicious.  And...  I think it is the first time I've actually sneaked a veggie in my baby.  He spit out the first piece of broccoli (I think because it was hot.) but no more and I'm sure he had more than 1 piece in his roll.  Yea!!!

I found these over at Mel's kitchen cafe, but she found them somewhere else.  Check out her link, she has some great pictures.  I actually did take a few more pictures of these than normal.

Things I learned - 

1.  Don't roll the dough to thin.  There's a lot of toppings on these and they need the thickness of dough.  
2. If making 2 trays, definitely rotate (switch oven shelves) half way through cooking.  (Totally should have known better on this one, but 20 minutes passed so quickly.)
3. Make sure to roll tightly.  It is specifically mentioned in the directions, but I wasn't reading by then.  I really should have rolled them tighter if I wanted them to turn out prettier.   (see picture to the side - not pretty.)

-Here's the recipe. Enjoy!  We sure did, probably a little too much.  I think they tasted better the more I ate.  They are quite filling.

Dough Ingredients

(from Mel's kitchen cafe)

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Ham and broccoli rolls
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe


Ingredients

• 1 recipe roll dough, I used the recipe above using half wheat flour
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened (I actually used only 2 Tablespoons)
• 2 cups chopped ham (I used 8 oz. diced ham)
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli (I used more like 2 1/4 cups -probably too much, but it was 1 small crown of broccoli.)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Monterrey Jack, but pick your favorite)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used the rest of what I had which was about 2/3 cup)
• 1 cup finely chopped green onions (I only used 3 - just over 1/2 cup, but I had used extra broccoli and didn't want to overstuff them too much.)

Directions

1. Follow the recipe for your roll dough until the dough has risen. Punch down the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick 
2. In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the butter/cream cheese mixture. Top with the ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions. Roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal. Slice the roll into about 1-inch segments. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet (I put them on parchment paper to make clean up easier) and cover with plastic wrap. (I didn't cover them. I boiled a bowl of water in my microwave to make it steamy and put the pans in there to rise. I use my microwave as a proofing box all the time.) Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.