I made these Ham and Cheese Sicilian Brioches for my daughter’s 8^th birthday party. When I was a child, I would spend part of my summer holidays at my nonni’s house in Palermo. Not far from where they used to live, there was a place called I Cuochini (aka the little cooks) where my mum would sometimes take me for a quick snack. They make amazing stuff… from panzerotti to arancine to panelle etc. All typical Palermo street food. The best part though is that they make everything small in size, so instead of having 1 big item, you could have 2 or 3 different mini items and satisfy your palate! I recreated their “Brioscine” filled with ham and cheese for the party and they turned out delicious. I used my ravazzate dough for the buns and it worked perfectly for these! Each bite took me back to my childhood holidays in sunny Palermo! Try them and let me know! Buon appetito!

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Ham and Cheese Sicilian Brioches

The recipe for Ham and Cheese Sicilian Brioches, a delicious snack idea.

Course Snack

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

• 1 kg – 2 lb. flour
• 500 ml – 2 cups lukewarm water
• 100 gms – 3.5 oz. lard
• 100 gms – 3.5 oz. sugar
• 20 gms – 0.7 oz. salt
• 14 gms – 1/2 oz. dry yeast
• Ham sliced
• Swiss cheese sliced and chopped
• Béchamel sauce optional
• 1 egg yolk or milk

Instructions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water together with 1 tbsp of the sugar. Set it aside to activate.
2. In the meantime, put the remaining sugar, flour, salt and lard in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once the yeast and water mixture has become frothy, add it to the bowl. Knead well until you obtain a smooth and pliable dough.
3. Let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
   
4. Divide the dough in smaller balls about the size of a mandarin for brioches or a ping pong ball for mini brioches. Flatten them with a rolling pin. Place some ham and cheese (and béchamel sauce if you are using any) in the centre of the dough circle. Then gather the edges and seal your bun. Put it upside down on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
   
5. Brush with some egg wash (made with 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp of water) or some milk.
   
6. Bake in a pre heated oven at 200°C – 390°F for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

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