Šunka U Kruhu (Ham In Bread)
Here is how to make sunka u kruhu (ham in bread), an Easter dish popular in parts of Croatia.
- 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) piece of cooked or baked ham
- 600 gram of all-purpose flour (1.3 pounds)
- 25 grams fresh yeast cube or 1 pack dried yeast (7g)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 400 ml of warm milk (1.7 cups)
- 150 ml of oil (1/2 cup)
- 1 egg for coating
- The ham should be first cooked if you have one that is not already cooked. Cook the ham in a large pot so that the whole ham is covered with water. Once the water has boiled, cook the piece as long as the ham is heavy. Eg 1 kilo of ham needs to cook for 1 hour. Turn off the flame and leave the ham to cool in the water in which it was cooked. That way, the ham will retain its juiciness. Once the ham has cooled completely, take it out of the water, drain and dry well with a towel
- For bread, first of all, heat the milk in a pot. Prepare and mix all the dry ingredients in a larger bowl and add in the yeast and some of the warm milk. Let the yeast rise for about 10 minutes
- Once the yeast has risen add the oil and the rest of the warm milk and knead the leavened dough. Be prepared for thefact that you have to knead the bread with a strong effort for at least 10 minutes because this is the only way to make it light and soft after baking.
- Flour the kneaded dough on all sides and leave covered in a warm place to rise and double in volume. It takes about 30-45 minutes
- Now, coat the cooled and dried ham well on all sides with a beaten egg. This is important so that the ham sticks nicely to the dough and so that it does not separate from the bread after baking! The ham that separates from the bread after baking is hard to cut and definitely doesn’t look nice and tidy on a tray.Transfer the raised dough to a floured work surface or on the parchment paper, roll it out into a rectangle about 2 cm thick. in the middle of the rolled dough, place the cooked ham, which you have previously coated well on all sides with a beaten egg
- Wrap the ham in the dough over all sides so that it is completely wrapped and at the same time push the dough with your palms to the ham as much as you can. Make sure that the dough is at the bottom of the ham so that it does not dissolve during baking
- Place the ham in the dough in a baking pot covered with baking paper of dimensions only slightly larger than the ham itself to keep its shape during baking. If you do not, the ham in the dough will spread all over the tin, and you end up with an irregular and flattened shape, which we don't want
- Pierce the dough with a fork all over, and coat in the rest of the egg wash
- Bake the ham in a preheated oven set to 180ºC (350°F) for 20 minutes. After that, the ham in bread should be nicely baked.
- Take it out, cover it with aluminum foil or a lid and continue baking for a further 35 minutes and just before the end of baking, take out the ham again, remove the lid/foil and bake it a little longer, so that the bread forms a nice golden crust
- Cool the baked ham in bread wrapped in a kitchen cloth so that the crust does not harden too much. Serve the ham cut into slices with boiled eggs, spring onions, and horseradish sauce or French salad
Components 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) piece of cooked or baked ham 600 gram of all-purpose flour (1.3 pounds) 25 grams fresh yeast cube or 1 pack dried yeast (7g) 2 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon sugar 400 ml of warm milk (1.7 cups) 150 ml of oil (1/2 cup) 1 egg for coating Method The ham should be first cooked if you have one that is not already cooked. Cook the ham in a large pot so that the whole ham is covered with water. Once the water has boiled, cook the piece as long as the ham is heavy.
Turn off the flame and leave the ham to cool in the water in which it was cooked. Once the ham has cooled completely, take it out of the water, drain and dry well with a towel For bread, first of all, heat the milk in a pot.
Prepare and mix all the dry ingredients in a larger bowl and add in the yeast and some of the warm milk. Let the yeast rise for about 10 minutes Once the yeast has risen add the oil and the rest of the warm milk and knead the leavened dough. Be prepared for thefact that you have to knead the bread with a strong effort for at least 10 minutes as this is the only way to make it light and soft after baking.
Flour the kneaded dough on all sides and leave covered in a warm place to rise and double in volume. It takes about 30-45 minutes Now, coat the cooled and dried ham well on all sides with a beaten egg.
This is important so that the ham sticks nicely to the dough and so that it does not separate from the bread after baking! Make sure that the dough is at the bottom of the ham so that it does not dissolve during baking Place the ham in the dough in a baking pot covered with baking paper of dimensions only slightly larger than the ham itself to keep its shape during baking.
If you do not, the ham in the dough will spread all over the tin, and you end up with an irregular. Flattened shape, which we don't want Pierce the dough with a fork all over, and coat in the rest of the egg wash Bake the ham in a preheated oven set to 180ºC (350°F) for 20 minutes. After that, the ham in bread should be nicely baked.
Take it out, cover it with aluminum foil or a lid and continue baking for a further 35 minutes and just before the end of baking, take out the ham again, remove the lid/foil and bake it a little longer, so that the bread forms a nice golden crust Cool the baked ham in bread wrapped in a kitchen cloth so that the crust does not harden too much. Serve the ham cut into slices with boiled eggs, spring onions, and horseradish sauce or French salad
