Ham and cheese baked into a bread...a compendium.

You've found mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food.  Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy are the usual bloggers here.  Today, Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are both away from their computers and unable to blog, so Cathy is writing.

Today's post is about a common food item coincidence discovered while logging, deleting and organizing photos and events to eventually blog about. Yep, I've been staying indoors during these crazy humid days and it's this, football on TV and completing Continuing Education credits online.

I was amazed at how many photos I have of the simple food item of ham and cheese baked into a bread and decided to share the variations I've found in Southern California.  Some places I have blogged about before and some places will be posted in the future.   

Last October, I wrote about Euro Pane, a bakery restaurant in Pasadena.  Ham in chunks and melted cheese, along with onion and carrot baked into a crispy crusted, quality bread ($5) (it's quite large). Simple and wonderful. 

Euro Pane Bakery 950 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 107 Pasadena, CA 91106 (626) 577-1828

Last November, we stopped at the Super H Mart in Diamond Bar.  One of the many businesses in the Food Court area, Tous les Jour (a Korean bakery), sold this ham and cheese baked in a soft, cheesy bread ($2.10). I remember liking it, but not the specifics.  Website

Here's a cross section of the ham and cheese from Paris Baguette ($2.20) The croissant, crispy, flaky, fluffy, also has a sweet glaze on top.  It's disconcerting at first, but since there is very little ham or cheese filling, it makes the majority of the bites (the bread) rather pleasant. 

Paris Baguette, inside HMart and Zion Market, San Diego 

In June, I traveled to 85C Bakery in Irvine. Twice. This Taiwanese bakery sells a ham filled cheese topped soft bread roll ($2.25)  It's very cheesy, tasty and unique.

85C Cafe and Bakery 2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 123 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 553-8585  US website Open 7 a.m. daily.

Right across the parking lot from 85C is Bon Epi, a Korean bakery, which makes a wonderful ham and cheese croissant. It's one of my top two.

Bon Epi Patisserie and Café 2750 Alton Parkway, Suite 101 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 251-0070.  Open seven days 7 a.m.-midnight Website

Best Donuts and Deli is a Mexican Bakery located two storefronts from Little Sheep Hot Pot.  A new Starbucks was built at the corner of the mall and The Mister and I walked in here looking for a treat to have with a coffee. 

These trays were next to the counter, ready to be set out.  I asked what was in the small rolled breads; the nice lady handed me one - as a sample.  Ham and cheese in a perfect ratio with the bread; the ham was chopped, it is a hard white Mexican cheese that isn't too melty-gooey and there were chopped marinated carrots in the mix. It was really a perfect bite.  Two for $1.  

The bread is a nice, chewy white bread, not anything flaky nor soft.  Simple and very good. As you can see, we also got two sweets. A longer post (about the torta sandwiches and donuts here) is forthcoming.

Best Donuts and Deli 4714 Clairmont Mesa BlvdSan Diego 92117 (858) 581-1278

K Sandwich also makes a ham and cheese croissant ($2), and the result is amazingly consistent. These are photos from three different visits.

You can see the croissant dough has a crispy flaky crust layer with a softer bready interior and  that pieces of white cheese are rolled inside the ham before baking. It's an easy, quick snack.

K Sandwich corner of Convoy/Linda Vista at Mesa College Drive (7604 Linda Vista 92111) Open at 6 a.m. Mon-Sat, 8 a.m. Sunday.

Santee has four Starbucks stores (if you count the one inside the Vons) and next to the one located in the Albertson's parking lot is Pink Donuts, which sells a ham and cheese filled bread ($1.75).   
 

A very soft, buttery bread surrounds a good amount of ham.  The bottom part of the ham has a thin layer of a soft white cheese.  Good, because it's fresh, the bread crushes easily.  Not bad in a pinch/early morning when I don't want to drive very far). 

Pink Donuts  9802 Magnolia (at Mast Boulevard) Santee 92071 (619)258-8807   

Yet another donut shop, Peterson's Donut Corner in Escondido, sells a very hammy ham and cheese filled bread ($2).  Again, it's just a thin layer of cheese on the bottom part of the bread. It's a good bread dough, only slightly crispy but a good slightly chewy dough.  (That's a blueberry frosted cake donut, excellent- 95¢)

Peterson's Donut Corner 903 S. Escondido Boulevard, Escondido 92025 (760) 745-7774 

Pangea Bakery Cafe, on Convoy street, sells good sized ham and cheese bread semi-loaves for $2.50.  A hunk can easily be shared by two people. 

A sofrt bread topped with cheese and layered with a good amount of ham and yellow cheese.  When this is fresh (or toaster oven re-warmed), it's an excellent meal. 

Pangea Bakery Cafe 4689 Convoy Street, Suite 100 San Diego 92111 (858)560-0688 website

I recently wrote a post about Cream Pan, a Japanese bakery in Tustin.  The ham and cheese croissant here is exquisite ($2.50).   It isn't very large and that's OK. This is the only place that bakes in Swiss cheese with the ham, and exposes (and slightly crisps) the ham. The flaky croissant makes the prefect ratio to the meat and cheese filling.  I never get a photo of the cross section, because we exit the freeway and are in and out of here quickly; the croissant is consumed in the car as I drive away. Trust me, it's good. 

Cream Pan 602 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 92780 (714)665-8239 Open 6 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days

I haven't posted on Sidecar Donuts yet, but went here twice in less than two weeks in June.  A small popular bakery in Costa Mesa, Sidecar has lines of people out the door and into the parking lot daily.  It sells more or less 'regular' (but fancy) donuts and each day also sell one even-more-special item.  This day, it was a Monte Cristo Donut ($3.75). Filled with ham, cheese and strawberry jam then fried and topped with powdered sugar, as an egg dipped and fried Monte Cristo sandwich would be. So it's not a bread dough, but still ham and cheese filled and delightful.  I thought I'd add it in here, since it almost fits the topic.

Sidecar Donuts and Coffee 270 East 17th Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (949) 887-2910 Website

To conclude this post, and possibly answer your inner comments, of course this can be done at home.  Above is a meat and cheese bread The Mister made the other day with a one pound refrigerated dough, Jarlsberg cheese and and hard salami. He baked it on a cookie sheet on the outdoor grill; placing the cookie sheet on the opposite side from the heated burner. Radient heat you know.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and that the week ahead will have normal weather. Thanks for reading. 

 

Comments

[Faye]

I'm a huge fan of the Pangea ham/cheese hunk of bread that you posted a pic of! Really generous potion and delicious.

The version you posted w/ the jam looks sooo good right now!

[nhbilly]

Carb overload...Yum!

[nichole]

Awesome.

[Jack]

Great...just back from a trip to Germany and I'm trying to de-carb myself from all the bread I ate....then I read this post this am! Looks great!

[nhbilly]

My Grandpa use to be the head baker at Song Long Bakery on the corner of Bolsa and Bushard. They were known for their chocolate croissant and ham cheese croissant. Heck they were the only bakery in OC and never kept up with time. You bring back childhood memory RIP Grandpa and so long Song Long.

[Ed (from Yuma)]

A great compendious post. I managed to get back to my computer just to savor this. For some reason, I'm suddenly hungry for ham and cheese.

[caninecologne]

What an EPIC post this was! I loved seeing all the different versions that you tried. i shall have to order some of those next time i venture into a bakery. i think i would really like the versions with puff pastry since anything put in puff pastry is elevated to "fancy" status!

[Cathy]

The Pangea version is a favorite of mine, too, Faye. I can make it last four servings. Monte Cristos in general are great, and made into donut form is perfect.
I like to think the protein negates the carbs, Bill. :)
Thanks, Nichole. Welcome to the comment side of our blog.
Welcome home, Jack. Look at the prior post (Tender Greens); I was just evening the field with the salads.The grab and go-ness of baked ham and cheese is tasty, too.
I am *so* very happy to have brought back a childhood memory for you, Bill. It's neat that your Grandpa was a head baker. I bet that bakery was popular in its time.
All I wanted was some good bread and to stop by the deli counter today, Ed. I decided to just walk to the Donut Shop on the corner, which was easier. Hope you don't have al the remnants of our nasty weather.
Thanks, cc-I had a great ham and cheese bread from a Mexican Market someplace in Chula Vista/National City on a rainy, backed up traffic day in February, but can't find the place again. That was more of a baked bread/calzone-ish as I recall; the soft bread ones are different as are the puff pastry/croissant ones. Such an easy simple meal/snack we take for granted.