Farm House Ham and Cheese Rolls

Are you a cinnamon roll fan? We are! Well, here’s that same basic dough turned into a soft and tender SAVORY roll – Farm Home Ham and Cheese Rolls. Deli ham and shredded cheese are nestled into a creamy spread on top of the dough, then rolled up, sliced, and baked into a buttery favorite.

Farm House Ham and Cheese Rolls Recipe

Howdy! Chef Alli Here. Let’s Get You Cookin’…. Shall We?? 🙂

I make cinnamon rolls all. the. time.

Big, soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls that are oozing with a gooey cinnamon/sugar filling and glazed while still warm…..absolutely delicious.

Soooo, one day a friend of mine, Karen Hanson, asked why I didn’t ever use the same dough to make ham and cheese rolls. Ham and cheese rolls?? They sounded so yummy!

Well, the rest is history. Karen showed me how to make them and now I make ham and cheese rolls almost as much as I do cinnamon rolls.

It’s super nice to have a savory roll option since ham and cheese rolls make such a perfect addition to big bowls of steaming hot soup….such as Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Speedy Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup. (Both are family favs!)

What to love about this easy recipe –

1. Everybody goes ga-ga over these rolls – be prepared to share the recipe….again and again.
2. You can freeze these rolls, then thaw, raise and bake fresh whenever you need them.
3. Customize the recipe by substituting different cheeses and cooked meats in place of the cheddar cheese and ham.

Here’s what you’ll learn from this recipe –

• How to roll out the dough and top it with the filling.
• An easy way to slice the rolls so they are all the same size.
• A great tip for making bread dough raise a little faster.
• A good way to check to see if the rolls are fully cooked at the center.

Here are the ingredients you need to make easy ham and cheese rolls –

• One batch of cinnamon roll/bread dough (for my favorite bread dough/cinnamon roll dough recipe, click right here)
• Thinly-sliced deli ham
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Granulated garlic
• Worcestershire sauce
• Melted butter

How to make Farm House Ham and Cheese Rolls in 6 fast steps –

**Full, printable recipe card below – just scroll on down within this post to find it! 

1. Roll the bread dough into a large rectangle, about 22 inches wide by 18 inches tall in size.
2. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and granulated garlic; spread this mixture evenly over the bread dough rectangle. Lay the ham slices over the mayonnaise spread, in a single layer, overlapping them slightly; sprinkle the cheese over the ham.
3. Starting at the long side of the rectangle that is closest to you, roll up the dough encasing the filling inside, creating one big log of dough. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log of dough into 8 rolls.
4. Place the 8 rolls onto a greased, rimmed baking sheet; let the rolls raise in a draft-free area for 20-25 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls on the center oven rack, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until baked throughout and golden brown on top. Remove the ham and cheese rolls form the oven and gently brush with melted butter. Let cool slightly before serving.

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Answers to Common Questions Asked About This Recipe

Which tools are helpful for making ham and cheese rolls?

A good, heavy-bottomed baking sheet with a rimmed edge is essential for anything you’re baking in the oven. The heavy bottom makes a big difference in how baked goods brown as they cook and also helps them cook much more evenly, too. I love these baking sheets.

For rolling out the dough, you’ll need a rolling pin. I use one like this, but use the one that feels most comfortable in your hands.

I use cake icing spreaders way more than I thought I would for spreading butter, spreads, frostings, etc. I also use off-set spreaders a whole lot, too.

I love a good serrated slicing knife that’s very sharp so I don’t smash my rolls as I’m slicing. This is the one that I have and it works super slick. **You will also love it for slicing homegrown tomatoes in the summer!

For brushing butter over the ham and cheese rolls once they’ve baked, a good silicone basting brush does the trick.

Can I freeze ham and cheese rolls to bake later?

Yes, I do it all the time. Once you’ve placed the rolls onto the baking sheet, pop then into the freezer for 24 hours. Once frozen solid, remove the rolls from the baking sheet and place them into freezer bags. This way, you can pull out however many you want at a time for baking later.

How should I thaw and bake the frozen ham and cheese rolls?

Place the frozen rolls into a greased casserole dish (4 average size rolls fit nicely into an 8 x 8 inch pan, leaving room for them to raise, just as 8 rolls fit nicely into a 9 x 13 pan), letting them thaw and raise.

Once the rolls are nicely raised, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the raised rolls onto the center baking rack, uncovered, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bread dough is fully cooked and the rolls are golden brown on top. Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes, then brush with melted butter.

Can I put the frozen rolls into the fridge to thaw overnight and then bake them the next morning?

Sure can and this works great. I place my frozen rolls into the designated greased baking pan and then into the fridge; they will thaw overnight in an 8-10 hour period. The next morning, remove the rolls from the fridge and uncover; let the rolls rest on the counter for at least 1 hour prior to baking so the rolls have time to raise.

Is there a good way to make bread dough raise faster?

I like to create a warm environment in my oven for raising my dough. I turn my oven on for 3 minutes and then immediately turn it right back off. This makes the perfect warm (and also draft-free) spot for my dough and rolls to raise. The added warmth definitely helps give them a boost when it comes to raising.

What are some good flavor combinations to vary these ham and cheese rolls a bit?

I’ve used thinly sliced deli turkey with Swiss cheese before and it’s very good. I also like using pepperoni with provolone cheese, as well. Any cooked meat can be used in these rolls – ham, roast beef, salami, pepperoni, turkey, chicken…etc. And, you can use any type of cheese that floats your boat, as well. Use your imagination!

Are there toppings I could add to these rolls?

Yep. I’ve sprinkled poppy seeds over the top, as well as red pepper flakes. After you brush the rolls with melted butter, I also like to sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese. These rolls are also delicious with cooked, chopped bacon sprinkled over the top!

When I try to roll out my bread dough, it seems resistant and pulls right back! What am I doing wrong?

Sometimes bread dough can be this way, especially if it’s a bit chilled. It just needs to rest and relax for a few minutes. Leave the bread dough on your work surface for a good 5-10 minutes, then try rolling it out again. I bet by now it will be much more compliant!

What is the best way to slice ham and cheese rolls (or cinnamon rolls!) so that they are all the same size?

This is a great question! Once you have the dough rolled up into a log, slice it in half so that you now have two logs, each one equal in length to the other.

Now slice each each half into half once more, so that you now have 4 logs of dough. Slice each of the 4 logs into half, making 8 rolls total. Perfect!!

Does it matter if my rolls are not all the same size when I bake them?

Well, technically, not really. However, it does help the rolls to cook much more evenly if the rolls are all about the same size when placed onto the baking sheet. And, if they are about the same size, nobody will be fighting over who gets the biggest one.

How do I know when my ham and cheese rolls are fully baked throughout?

I check bread dough doneness using two forks. When the rolls are nicely golden brown, take the forks and gently pull apart some of the bread on a roll that’s at the center of the pan. If there’s no dough inside and the bread looks fully cooked, you’re good to go. If the bread dough still looks a bit “doughy” down inside, bake the rolls for 5 minutes more.

More Favorite Recipes to Enjoy –

• SPEEDY CINNAMON ROLLS
• CINNAMON ROLLS WITH MAPLE FROSTING
• HOW TO MAKE JUMBO CINNAMON ROLLS
• INSTANT POT CHILI DOG CHILI BOWLS
• LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP
• INSTANT POT RAVIOLI SOUP
• HOW TO MAKE OVEN BAKED HONEY HAM

Printable Farm House Ham and Cheese Rolls recipe

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Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli

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