These soft Ham and Cheese Rolls are perfect snacks or lunch that fill you up with the tasty meat filling and its garlic butter glaze. They are like ham and cheese sliders but fancier!
I love it when food items come in one complete package such as in these ham and cheese rolls. It is bread, ham, and cheese in one parcel and all I need to do is grab them, and eat as I go. For those times when all I want for lunch is a sandwich, and a portable kind of lunch too, these ham and cheese rolls are perfect.
I mean, I just have to put work into the baking and assembly of the rolls and once they are done, these beautiful savory bread are warm and ready to go.
These ham and cheese rolls are drizzled with a garlicky butter glaze just before baking and that makes them so flavorful, moist and tasty. I tell you, waiting for them to cool down a bit before grabbing a piece is a real struggle. Then, imagine my struggle that I had to wait longer because I had to style it and photograph it so that it can make it to the blog.
It did make it obviously, minus one piece.
The dough recipe is my favorite. It is simple, easy and kneaded by hand. It requires only one rise, and that makes it perfect for these ham and cheese rolls because once you decided to make them, you just can’t wait to have them in your hand.
Variations for Making Ham and Cheese Rolls
- You can use any kind of ham, or any kind of deli meat if you prefer. I used black forest ham.
- You can also use any cheese slices that you prefer. I used Mozzarella, but Swiss or cheddar are good choices too.
- For filling the rolls, I used mayonnaise to brush the dough, but you can use mustard or even plain butter.
Enjoy this recipe, guys. You will be amazed at how soft and flavorful they are. I have included some step by step photos after the recipe card to illustrate the process.
Want more bread? You will love these:

Ham and Cheese Rolls
These are soft and flavorful ham and cheese rolls glazed with a buttery, garlic sauce.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup reserved.
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 egg
- 40 grams butter
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
For the Filling
- 5 tbsp mayonaisse
- 10 slices ham
- 10 slices mozzarella cheese
For the glaze
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp honey
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Rolls
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In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, flour, sugar, and salt. Melt the butter in the microwave and add the milk and water. Heat this liquid mixture in the microwave until it reaches 110 F.
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Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl. Mix together using a wooden spoon. Add the egg, then add the remaining flour little by little, mixing after each addition. Only add sparingly-you will not need the entire 1/2 cup. You only need to see the dough gather in the center and cleaning the sides of the bowl. After this consistency is achieved, stop adding the flour.
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Turn the dough over on a floured board. Knead for about ten minutes, adding a little flour just to avoid the dough from sticking to the board or to your hands. From sticky and shaggy, the dough will be smooth, elastic and can stretch thinly if you take a little portion out and spread it using your fingers.
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Let the dough rest for ten minutes. Roll it into an o8 x 17 inches rectangle. Trim the edges to make the rectangle straight. Spread the mayonnaise over the surface. Arrange the ham slices across the surface then top with the cheese slices.
With the long side nearest you, roll the dough into a tight log. Cut into 15 portions and place on a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish or similar.
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Let the dough rise: Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 12 hours OR pre-heat oven to 200 F. Once the oven reaches the temperature, turn off heat and place the rolls inside with the door closed. Let rise for 60 minutes. Then remove from oven.
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Spread the glaze on the risen rolls. Reserve some glaze for brushing the baked rolls later.Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Recipe Notes
Dough recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ham and Cheese Rolls: The Process
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and add the milk and water. Heat this liquid mixture in the microwave until it reaches 110 F.
Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl. Mix together using a wooden spoon.
Add the egg, then mix everything together.
Add the remaining flour little by little, mixing after each addition. Only add sparingly-you will not need the entire 1/2 cup. You only need to see the dough gather in the center and cleaning the sides of the bowl. After this consistency is achieved, stop adding the flour. You will use the rest of the flour during kneading.
Turn the dough over on a floured board. Knead for about ten minutes, adding a little flour just to avoid the dough from sticking to the board or to your hands.
KNEADING THE DOUGH
GUIDELINES TO TELL YOU IF YOU HAVE KNEADED THE DOUGH ADEQUATELY:
- The dough will start to take shape as you knead. From being shaggy and sticky, it will be more smooth and more elastic
- If you poke the dough using a finger, the indention you create will quickly be filled up again by the dough rising or fighting back to your touch.
- If you pull out a small portion of dough and spread it with your fingers, the dough can stretch so thinly until it is translucent before finally breaking. This is called the windowpane test.
Let the dough rest for ten minutes. Roll it into a 20 x 10 inches rectangle. Trim the edges to make the rectangle straight. Spread mayonnaise on the surface of the dough then top with the slices of ham, followed by the slices of cheese.
Roll this into a tight log, starting on a long side of the rectangle. Press the log to seal. Cut into 15 portions, about 2 inches thickness, and place each roll on a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish or similar.
Let the rolls rise: Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 12 hours OR pre-heat oven to 200 F. Once the oven reaches the temperature, turn off heat and place the rolls inside with the door closed. Let rise for 60 minutes. Then remove from oven.
Spread the butter glaze over the risen rolls. You can reserve some glaze for brushing on the baked rolls later.
Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Used in this recipe*:
Great recipe! I make them as individual rolls (not touching each other) and freeze them for easy school lunches. I’ve done cheddar and ham with mayo and a touch of mustard, also pizza sauce and mini pepperoni slices with mozzarella. Wanted to point out that the nutritional information is incorrect. I count carbs as my son is type 1 diabetic I have this recipe at 24g of carbs not 4g. Not to be picky just thought it could help especially someone who is diabetic and needs to count carbs.
Hi Mel!Thank you! I am happy you love this! Thank you for your feedback, I will be updating the nutritional info. Take care!