UntrainedChef
Cheese and Ham Croissants - baking, bread recipe

Cheese and Ham Croissants

1 hr
2 portions

Freshly baked and stuffed with ham and cheese — these are brilliant straight from the oven, but they also freeze beautifully. Make a double batch while you're at it.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Mix all the dry ingredients for the dough in a bowl. Melt the margarine, add the liquids and warm everything to 26–28 °C. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and mix well in a stand mixer. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour until doubled in size. If you're kneading by hand, hold back a little of the flour.

  2. 2

    Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a round pizza-like circle, then cut into six triangles. Place a slice of ham and two slices of cheese on each triangle, then roll them up starting from the wide end.

  3. 3

    Place the horns on a baking tray lined with baking paper, making sure the tip is tucked underneath. Cover with a cloth and let them proof for about 20 minutes.

  4. 4

    Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle over sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake at 200 °C for 15–20 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Per average serving

1.0k
Calories
kcal
82.2
Protein
g
53.7
Carbs
g
49.6
Fat
g
4.3g
Fiber
6.4g
Sugar
2602mg
Sodium

Tips from the kitchen

  • Get the liquid to 26 to 28 °C and no hotter. Stick a finger in. It should feel barely warm. Too hot and you kill the yeast, and the dough won't rise.
  • Tuck the tip of each horn underneath before baking. If it sticks up, it unrolls in the oven and you lose the shape, plus the cheese leaks out the side.
  • Two slices of cheese per triangle sounds like a lot but it melts down to nothing, so don't skimp. Lay them flat over the ham so they melt evenly.
  • Don't skip the second proof. Twenty minutes under a cloth makes them puff up properly. Bake them straight after rolling and they come out dense.
  • Pull them at golden, around 15 to 18 minutes. The egg wash browns fast, so check at 15 and don't let the bottoms go too dark.

Ways to vary it

  • Swap the cooked ham for thin slices of salami or some cooked bacon if that's what you have in the fridge.
  • A smear of mustard on the triangle before the ham gives them a bit of bite. Optional, but nice if you like that.
  • Skip the seeds and just do egg wash for a plain top, or use a mix of sesame and poppy for two looks on one tray.

Storage & leftovers

These keep two or three days in an airtight container in the fridge. They freeze well once cooled, so bag them up and they'll be fine for a couple of months. Reheat from frozen in a 180 °C oven for about 10 minutes so the outside crisps back up instead of going soggy in the microwave.

What to serve with it

Good with a bowl of tomato soup for lunch, or just on their own warm with a glass of milk. They go in the lunchbox cold too.

UC
By Untrained ChefPublished 12 May 2026 · Updated 11 July 2026

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