Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches

Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Tiny baked buns filled with ham, cheese, mustard, mayo, honey and covered in poppyseeds – what’s not to love? I came across the idea for these ham and cheese brioche sandwiches while paging through cookbooks, and immediately headed to the kitchen to make them. With all the ham, cheese, mayo, and butter, I wanted to keep the brioche buns on the lighter side, so I used our no-knead challah dough–it’s basically a light brioche. Plus, my family swoons every time I make it. I wasn’t wrong. These buns are delicious, and they are perfect for every occasion. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, baby showers, pool parties, even Father’s Day.

Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches

This recipe is inspired from two places – Baking School cookbook for the ingenious method of the buns, and Pinterest for the filling. There is a lot of room to improvise here – smoked turkey and sharp cheddar is another lovely combination. This recipe can easily be cut in half. You can set these up the night before and hold them in the fridge until the next morning. Let them come to room temperature while the oven preheats (about 45 minutes to an hour) and then bake as directed.

For the buns
2 pounds challah dough from The New Artisan Bread in Five (page 296), or Healthy Bread in Five (page 324)

Mayo (or sriracha mayo), about 1/3 cup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
8 ounces Provolone cheese, cut into small pieces (see below photo)
10 ounces deli sliced ham, cut into small pieces (see below photo)
Egg wash (1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, and a pinch of salt whisked together)
Poppyseeds (about 3 tablespoons)

Pouring sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Brioche Dough | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using your chilled dough, divide the dough into 1.5 ounce (40g) pieces (they will be quite small). Gently roll each piece into a ball – they don’t have to be perfect.

Slice each ball in half, using a very sharp knife.

Brioche Dough on baking sheet | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Place the bottoms of the dough onto your prepared baking sheet.

Ham on top of brioche dough on baking sheet | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Cover each bottom with a smear of mayo, and then top with the ham.

Topping Brioche Sandwiches with provolone | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Then top with Provolone cheese.

Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches Before Baking | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Mix the 3 tablespoons mustard and 1 tablespoon honey together, and coat the bottoms of the tops with the mixture. Place the tops on (mustard side down) and press down gently.

Loosely cover the sandwiches with plastic wrap, and let them rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature (not too much longer, as you have meat rising with the dough).

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Brush the tops of the brioche sandwiches with egg wash, and then generously sprinkle with poppyseeds.

Let the buns bake for 5-7 minutes. While they are baking, combine the the melted butter, honey, and mustard together.

Pour the butter mixture over the partially baked buns (remember, the pan is hot!) and then continue baking for 13-15 minutes, until the buns are golden brown.

Let cool about 15 minutes and then serve.

Baked Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Serve warm, and enjoy!

Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches | Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

11 thoughts to “Ham and Cheese Brioche Sandwiches”

  1. I’ve seen these on pinterest and have been wanting to make them – so happy that I’ll be able to do it with the challah dough! That’s one of my favorite doughs! I’m definitely going to be making these soon, my mouth is watering. I wonder if the finished sandwiches would freeze well at all? I’m all about freezing food for quick grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches.

  2. What a great recipe! I was wondering, instead of the challah dough, could I use the Whole Wheat Brioche (p.343) in the New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day? I just happen to have a lot of brioche dough and it looks like it’s very similar to the challah dough. Thanks!

    1. Hi Julie,

      Yes, it will be just great. Whole grain breads tend to be a touch denser, so we recommend a slightly longer rise, but otherwise it will work just the same.

      Enjoy, Zoë

  3. Could these made up to the point of letting them rise, then freeze them? I have a celiac son that will never have the patience to bake but if I could prepare these to the point that he pulls them out of a freezer and lets them rise, then he would be thrilled!

  4. Do you think this method would work with a traditional sized roll? I’m wondering if I can do something similar for my staff at an office potluck…bake them, wrap in foil, and keep them warm in a crockpot maybe?

    1. Hi Becky,

      It will work if they are slightly bigger. If you keep them warm in a crockpot, just don’t put the lid on or they will steam and get soggy.

      Thanks and enjoy! Zoe

    1. We haven’t tried this, but I think it should work, because chapter 9 of the book (https://amzn.to/1msOBmY)–the chapter with the enriched doughs– has lots of stuffed or layered recipes. it’s going to take some experimentation though…

      1. Well, we’ll give it a try this weekend, thanks! I do have the book and we LOVE it, thank you so much for this resource, I’ll take a peek at chapter 9.

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