Venezuelan Pan de Jamon

This incredibly delicious Traditional Venezuelan "Pan de Jamon" is a MUST-HAVE on your holiday table! Tender and tasty bread dough filled with ham, olives, and raisins, this showstopper bread will WOW your guests.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Venezuelan

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Rising Time 2

Total Time 1 10

Servings portions (1 pan de jamon)

Calories 260kcal

Author Oriana Romero

Equipment

Ingredients

For the dough:

2/3 cup (160 ml) milk
2/3 cup (160 ml) water
4 cups + 1 tablespoon (580 g) bread flour (all-purpose flour will work fine too)
2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast ( 1 envelope - about 7 g)
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg (for eggless version see notes)
4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, melted (more melted butter for brushing the bread after baking)
Egg wash = 1 whole egg + 1 tablespoon water (see notes for eggless version)

Filling:

2 cups pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained and sliced
1 lb (450 g) sliced ham (I use low fat ham)
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/4 cup papelon syrup (see notes) (optional)

Instructions

Line a baking tray with parchment. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine milk and water and microwave in 30-second increments until the mixture is warmed (110°F approx.)
Add flour, sugar, yeast, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook (bread paddle) attachment. Make a well in the center and add the warmed milk mixture, egg and melted butter to the well; mix on medium speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl's sides, about 8 - 10 minutes. The dough should be elastic but not sticky; if too sticky, add a little more flour, about a tablespoon at a time.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and form a ball. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until puffy and doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
After the dough has risen, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 23-x-20 inch (60-x-50 cm) rectangle, about ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick. NOTE: This a big pan de jamon, if you prefer, divide the dough into 2 equal portions and make two smaller breads.
Arrange a row of whole olives on the upper edge. Slice the rest of the olives. Note: you can see step-by-step photos in the post content above.
Line the dough with the ham slices, slightly overlapping each piece and covering the dough's entire surface.
Sprinkle the raisins and sliced olives on top of the ham, scattering them evenly throughout. Drizzle with papelon syrup, if using.
Firmly roll it up like a Swiss roll. Transfer the roll, seam-side down, to the prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with a damp towel. Place it in a warm and humid area in your kitchen, and let it rest for 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
Brush bread with egg wash on all sides. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven, and while is still hot brush wit ith melted butter.
Let the bread cool for 15 – 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

STORE Pan de Jamon at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic wrap after it has completely cooled. It will keep well for up to two days, and then you can move it to the refrigerator for up to five days.

MAKE AHEAD: This dough can be made ahead of time. Just make the dough, wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Then remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe from step 4.

EGG SUBSTITUTE FOR THIS BREAD: You can substitute 1 regular egg for 1 flax egg. Just mix 1 tablespoon golden flax meal and 3 tablespoons cold water. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

EGGLESS EGG WASH: You cannot consume eggs? No problem! Just combine 2 tablespoons of whole milk and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Use when the recipe calls for egg wash.

PAPELON: Papelon, also known as piloncillo, panela, or rapadura, is unprocessed cane sugar sold in hard, flat discs or cones. You can find it in most grocery stores (international aisle) or online.

PAPELON SYRUP: To make the papelon syrup combine in a small saucepan 3/4 cup sheered papelon and 2 tablespoon water, mix and let it simmer over medium heat until thickens. If papelon is not available, you can use 2-3 tablespoons of molasses.

EXTRA TIPS:

Yeast. I like to use instant yeast for this recipe since it does not need to be activated; just mix it with the dry ingredients. But if you only have active yeast handy, you need to activate it. To do so, place milk and water in a measuring cup and heat in the microwave until it reaches 110°F-115°F (43 – 45 º C). Add the yeast, mix, and let it rest for 5 – 8 minutes until foamy. If not, the yeast is dead and should be tossed.
Papelon Syrup. If you are short of time and you cannot make the papelon syrup, you can use 2-3 tablespoons of molasses.
Additions. If desired, you can add a few slices of bacon, for extra flavor.
Shortcut. When I am short of time, I use store-bought bread dough. The brand I like is Bridgford Frozen White Ready-Dough. It comes in a red plastic bag (with three loaves) and can be found in the frozen product aisle in most grocery stores. If using frozen bread dough, let the dough thaw according to the package instructions. Then roll out, fill, and roll into a log. Let it rise until puffy, and then bake.
Baking. For better results, preheat the oven for at least 20 - 30 minutes before baking the bread so it has time to reach the ideal temperature.

If you're making this recipe, please read the whole post content to get lots of tips, tricks, variations, frequently asked questions, and step-by-step photos.

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Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate, and it can vary depending on the products used.

Nutrition