I found myself with a small piece of ham that needed using up. I wanted to make Deviled Ham with it, but the wheels started turning and I thought what if I used it to make a delicious filling for a biscuit (North American style) type of a swirl?
What indeed. I set out to make it happen with delicious results. What I ended up with was a beautifully flaky buttery biscuit dough pastry, wrapped around a tangy, spicy, salty, cheesy, ham filling. The two together were fabulous!
I have often made meat swirls, using leftover roast beef, gravy, etc. but this was the first time I had made a ham one. They turned out really nice! I was very pleased with the end result.
I should have only eaten one of these, but I couldn't stop myself from enjoying a second one. I guess I got a bit greedy with it. I did cut my recipe in half to make only four for this house, sending half of them next door. Its a good thing. They were so tasty I don't think I could have prevented myself from picking at a third.
Oh, I am such a naughty person when it comes to things like this. I have no self-control. Sigh . . .
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HAM FILLED BUTTERMILK BISCUIT SWIRLS
Just a few simple ingredients. Nothing too out of this world.
For the Biscuit dough:
- 2 cups (223g) self-raising flour (See notes)
- 1/4 cup (60g) cold butter, cut into bits
- 3/4 cup (180ml) cold buttermilk
For the ham filling:
- 3/4 pound (340g) cooked ham, diced
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (55g) full fat mayonnaise
- 3 TBS (47g) Dijon mustard
- 2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- 1 TBS grated raw onion
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground all spice
you will also need:
- 1 cup (120g) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 very thin slices butter
See recipe notes on how to make your own self raising flour and buttermilk. Easy peasy. I used leftover ham from a baked ham, but you can also use a chunk of deli-ham.
If you cannot get sweet pickle relish, throw a couple of finely chopped sweet gherkins into the mix. If you are not a fan of onion, you can totally leave it out.
Do grate your own cheese. No fillers added to make it flow better when you grate your own cheese. I think they use potato starch, but I don't want to be eating that, do you?
I use salted butter. No harm, no foul. I see no appreciable difference. I usually don't add salt to most things I cook.
HOW TO MAKE HAM FILLED BUTTERMILK BISCUIT SWIRLS
These are really very simple to make. You do the biscuit dough and the filling and then throw them together in a very easy way. Bake and serve. You could even make these up well ahead of time and bake when you need them.
First make the filling. Put your ham into the bowl of a food processor and blitz several pulses until coarsely chopped.
Drop in the butter and blitz again, pulsing until the ham is finely chopped and the butter has been thoroughly mixed in.
Scoop the ham into a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients, combining all well together. Cover and chill while you make the dough.
Measure the flour into a bowl. Drop the cold butter bits into the flour and cut in using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender. You want a mixture that resembles coarse meal with some large bits as well as small bits.
Stir in the buttermilk with a fork to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently a couple of turns.
Pat out into a rectangle roughly 8 inches by 12 inches in size. No more than 1/3 of an inch thick.
Spread the ham filling over the dough to cover, leaving a 1/2-inch border on one short end. Sprinkle with cheese and roll up tightly, pressing the empty border firmly against the roll to close.
Preheat the oven to 425&F/230*C/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut the dough crosswise into 8 rounds. Place onto the baking sheet, pressing down very lightly with the palm of your hand. Top each with a very thin slice of butt.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes
You can easily make your own self raising flour. For each cup needed (112g) whisk in 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
You can also make your own buttermilk. One way is to add a TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and fill with whole milk to 3/4 cup (180ml). Leave to clabber for 5 minutes.
My preferred way is to whisk together equal amounts of full fat plain yogurt and whole milk to make up the measure needed.
I was very pleased with how these came out. I did cut the amounts for everything in half to just make four. They were really delicious with just enough ham filling and cheese.
I enjoyed this with some canned baked beans. Sprague Maritime Baked Beans. They have a lovely molasses flavor that goes very well with biscuits and ham, so they were excellent with these!
All in all, with a bit of coleslaw on the side, a very enjoyable supper.
Are you a fan of the swirl or the handheld pocket type of bake? If so you might also enjoy the following!
CHEESE & ONION BAKE - This copycat bake perfectly replicates the pastry offered by a popular British bakery chain called Greggs. These are lovely. Flaky, crisp, with a beautifully flavored filling that is just as good as the original Greggs Bake, if not better. A bit more work than just popping into the shop to pick one up readymade, but well worth any extra effort taken!
HOMEMADE PIZZA ROLLS - These homemade pizza rolls are so quick and easy to make. You simply unroll some all-butter puff pastry, spread it with a few bits and bobs, roll it back up again, slice and bake. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Delicious served warm with some marinara sauce for dipping.
Ham Filled Buttermilk Biscuit Swirls
Yield: 8 Swirls
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 35 Min
These delicious flaky buttery swirls are beautiful served with soup or salads, baked beans, etc. Instead of a sandwich. Buttery and flaky scone biscuit dough spread with a delicious ham filling, some cheese, rolled, cut into thick slices and baked. What's not to love! A great way to make a small amount of ham stretch.
Ingredients
For the Biscuit dough:
- 2 cups (223g) self-raising flour (See notes)
- 1/4 cup (60g) cold butter, cut into bits
- 3/4 cup (180ml) cold buttermilk
For the ham filling:
- 3/4 pound (340g) cooked ham, diced
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (55g) full fat mayonnaise
- 3 TBS (47g) Dijon mustard
- 2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- 1 TBS grated raw onion
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground all spice
you will also need:
- 1 cup (120g) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 very thin slices butter
Instructions
- First make the filling. Put your ham into the bowl of a food processor and blitz several pulses until coarsely chopped.
- Drop in the butter and blitz again, pulsing until the ham is finely chopped and the butter has been thoroughly mixed in.
- Scoop the ham into a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients, combining all well together. Cover and chill while you make the dough.
- Measure the flour into a bowl. Drop the cold butter bits into the flour and cut in using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender. You want a mixture that resembles coarse meal with some large bits as well as small bits.
- Stir in the buttermilk with a fork to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently a couple of turns.
- Pat out into a rectangle roughly 8 inches by 12 inches in size. No more than 1/3 of an inch thick.
- Spread the ham filling over the dough to cover, leaving a 1/2-inch border on one short end. Sprinkle with cheese and roll up tightly, pressing the empty border firmly against the roll to close.
- Preheat the oven to 425&F/230*C/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut the dough crosswise into 8 rounds. Place onto the baking sheet, pressing down very lightly with the palm of your hand. Top each with a very thin slice of butt.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes
You can easily make your own self raising flour. For each cup needed (112g) whisk in 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
You can also make your own buttermilk. One way is to add a TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and fill with whole milk to 3/4 cup (180ml). Leave to clabber for 5 minutes.
My preferred way is to whisk together equal amounts of full fat plain yogurt and whole milk to make up the measure needed.
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Nice concept, but these look like too much dough, too little filling. Beans are always good, especially with a chopped up hotdog added.
ReplyDeleteYou are free to put more into yours if you wish. Nothing precludes you from doing that! We are all different, eh! These were simply perfect for me! xo
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