Ham and Cheese Bread

This vintage recipe is a great way to use leftover ham. Sprinkled with grated cheese and sesame seeds, Ham and Cheese Bread is pretty and versatile. It makes a great recipe for a casual dinner, a packed lunch or a tasty snack. Any leftover bread, sliced and toasted, works nicely as a quick breakfast.

Using Leftover Ham

Do you have holiday leftovers still hanging around?

I usually serve a ham for at least one festive dinner during the holiday season. It is easy to prepare and needs little attention once it’s placed in the oven. It also goes perfectly with some of our favorite vintage sides: Southern Style Green Beans, Cornflake topped Hash Brown Casserole, and a loaf of Braided Cheese Bread.

A ham makes a great centerpiece for a holiday dinner menu. The thing is, my family never eats a whole ham. This year we had a spiral cut ham on Christmas day, saved the bone for New Year’s Black Eyed Peas, and still had a lot of ham left over. The leftover slices were then frozen in several meal-sized portions.

Over the next few months there are times when I am glad to have that ham tucked way. When things get hectic I simply take one of those portion of sliced ham from the freezer to provide a quick dinner entree. It tastes good plain, on sandwiches, or, with a little extra effort, I can use it in a recipe. Ham is a great way to flavor a pot of Navy Bean Soup or Red Beans and Rice. It also adds protein to an Arugula and Cheese Strata or this dinner friendly loaf of bread. The recipe for quick Ham and Cheese Bread is one I first tried over twenty five years ago. It is still a family favorite.

An Easy Vintage Recipe

The recipe for Quick Ham and Cheese Bread is adapted from one I found in a small Bantam paperback given to me as a wedding present; Betty Crocker’s Dinner For Two Cookbook. This recipe was one of the first that I tried as a newlywed in my small apartment kitchen. It is simple enough for a novice cook and doesn’t ask for a lot of special ingredients.

While easy to prepare, this recipe produces a bread that is pretty and versatile. Delicious served warm from the oven, Ham and Cheese Bread makes a nice casual entree for dinner or brunch. It works well at room temperature too, as a snack or as picnic fare. I also discovered that leftovers can be sliced and toasted for a quick breakfast. In the end it is easy to see why it remains a family favorite.

Enjoy!

Ham and Cheese Bread

Servings

9

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

This vintage recipe is a great way to use leftover ham. Sprinkled with grated cheese and sesame seeds this delicious loaf is perfect for a quick lunch or a tasty snack.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix

• 1 cup chopped cooked ham

• 2 eggs

• 2/3 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or other salad oil)

• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard

• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

• 1 or 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Combine all of the ingredients except the sesame seeds and 1/2 cup of the cheese.
• Spread the batter in a greased 2 quart casserole dish.
• Spread the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese and the sesame seeds across the top.
• Bake at 350F for 30 – 35 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve warm.

Notes

• Recipe Source: slightly adapted from the recipe for Ham ‘n Cheese Supper Bread in an old paperback copy of Betty Crocker’s Dinner For Two Cookbook from 1975.
• If you don’t have, or don’t want to use, Bisquick baking mix, try this substitution – 2 cups flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 Tablespoons butter. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course meal. Then complete the recipe as directed above.