Pan de Jamón: Venezuelan Ham Bread + VIDEO

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This is the most delicious and easy-to-make pan de jamón (ham bread) you can dream of!  First of all, it comes packed with one whole pound of ham. Second, you do not have to knead anything! Here, the kneading work, usually the most laborious part of making bread, is made by a Kitchen Aid.

Venezuelan pan de jamón

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Homemade Pan de Jamón

Venezuelan pan de jamón

I made my first pan de jamón the same year my good friend Miro Popic published his book El libro del pan de jamón y otros panes. I attended Journalism School in Caracas and worked as a writer in Pandora, the weekly magazine that came on Saturdays with El Nacional.  My editor assigned me to interview Miro.

A pioneer making homemade pan de jamón, Miro gave me an autographed copy of his book. I treasured it for decades until I lost it while buying Christmas presents in a Caracas mall more than 15 years ago.

Venezuelan pan de jamón

Born in Chile, Miro enormously contributed to Venezuelan gastronomy and culinary traditions. His book, made available to those willing to knead and bake, the secret to making a recipe as synonymous with Venezuelan Christmas as the hallaca, chicken salad, and ponche crema.

Thanks to Miro, making pan de jamón for Christmas and New Year’s Eve became a consistent tradition in my kitchen. Everything was going very well until I discovered La Cava do Iria: a bakery owned by Portuguese bakers, of course, in Santa Eduvigis, in Caracas. They made and sold the best ham bread I’ve ever tasted. 

Venezuelan Pan de Jamón: A Tradition Made Bread

Venezuelan pan de jamón

Then, I decided to focus on my Rum Christmas cake and cookies and leave the pan de jamón business to the Portuguese, blessed with the gift of making bread.

On Christmas 2007, already living here in Southern California and craving a good pan de jamón, I decided to put my hands in the dough again. I had to resort to common sense. The reason: I couldn’t find a full version of Miro’s recipe on the internet. My precious Mi Cocina a la manera de Caracas, by Armando Scannone, that cooking Bible we Venezuelans treasure, wasn’t available either. It came with all my belongings on a ship that only arrived at the Port of San Pedro in Los Angeles five months later.

How to Fill a Good Pan de Jamón

Venezuelan pan de jamón

In addition to common sense, which, as we know, is not the most common of the senses, I put a lot of all the fillings a pan de jamón must have: ham, of course, manzanilla olives stuffed with piquillo pepper, and raisins, raisins, and more raisins because in the end, that’s what Christmas is for: to celebrate abundantly and with abundance.

The name of this bread is pan de jamón. I fill each loaf with a pound (456 grams) of the best quality ham. My favorites are the Black Forest and honey baked.  I like my ham thinly sliced. I don’t remember if Miro’s bread had bacon on it, but I added two slices of bacon, and the flavor contribution was worth every calorie.

Venezuelan pan de jamón

When I began making my panes de jamón, I limited myself to cover the dough with the ham and the rest of the filling (as shown in the picture above.) But from watching Claudio Nazoa make his bread in a video, I adopted his filling method, which I explain below. Just in case, Claudio Nazoa is a Venezuelan humorist and another pan de jamón crusader.

What Kind of Olives To Use 

I use pitted manzanilla olives stuffed with piquillo pepper. For me, manzanilla olives have a perfect size for this recipe. Unpitted olives are forbidden. Period.  Gordal olives, which are delicious and fleshy, are too big for the delicacy of a pan de jamón should be.

Venezuelan pan de jamón

I sliced the olives and spread them over the ham when I started making my bread. Now, I also put add a row of whole olives. These whole olives go one inch away from one of the edges of the dough. Then, I cover those olives with the dough and, with my fingers, press down on the dough base to ensure the olives stay in place. This little trick guarantees that each slice of bread has its olive in the center.

Can I make Pan de Jamón with Turkey?

Yes, you can use turkey to make this bread. The only thing is that it would not be pan de jamón, but pan de pavo. This option is perfect for people who do not eat pork. If you choose to make the turkey version, don’t leave out the turkey bacon.

Venezuelan pan de jamón

But, if you accept a suggestion, add a handful of dried cranberries to the olives and raisins. Also, increase the amount of melted butter you brush the dough. Everything else is equal.

Tips to make the perfect Venezuelan Pan de Jamón

Venezuelan pan de jamón

Pan de jamón is undoubtedly the most delicious savory bread we Venezuelans enjoy during the holidays. I wrote the following in September 2021, almost ten years after sharing my recipe. These are tips that result from my experience over all the years, especially since I moved to Miami, where I make my bread for sale during the holiday season:

Venezuelan pan de jamón
  • Reserve at least three hours to make this recipe, and remember that you cannot make bread in a hurry.
  • Make sure the yeast is active before making the mise en place. You can only know this by putting the yeast in lukewarm water with sugar. If the yeast foams, then you’re good to go. 
  • Let your Kitchen Aid mixer (or equivalent) knead using the spiral hook. You can also do hand kneading. 
  • When the dough reaches a smooth, elastic texture and consistency, divide it into two, and make two balls.
  • Brush a bowl with a few drops of oil (I use EVOO) and grease the dough on the outside. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, on a floured surface, shape it into a rectangle with your fingers, then stretch it with a rolling pin until you reach the desired size and thickness.
  • If there comes a time when the dough doesn’t stretch, but it still doesn’t have the desired dimensions and thickness, it means it’s “stressed.” Flip it over and let it rest for a minute, and you’ll see how easy it is to continue stretching. 
  • Put a  good layer of ham on top of the olive’s row. Make sure the slices overlap each other. Half of the ham slices must be outside the dough. Then, when rolling your bread, will make it very plumpy in the center.
  • Cover the rest of the dough with the rest of the ham, carefully leaving about 4 inches of dough uncovered. Instead of spreading the ham, put it folded or as if it were a “ruffle.” By doing this, you’ll see lots of ham when slicing.
  • Once you roll your bread, make a few cuts in the dough uncovered by ham, starting from the center and dividing into two, four, and then eight strips. With those strips, wrap the bread.
  • Let it rest for half an hour when you have your bread assembled.
  • Preheat your oven to 350F ahead of time to ensure uniform baking temperatures.
  • Before putting the bread into the oven, give it an egg wash with papelón syrup (piloncillo). If you don’t have papelón handy, you can add the same amount of molasses to the egg wash.
  • Immediately after removing the bread from the oven, brush it with melted butter.
  • Let cool completely before slicing.
Pan de jamón slices

Here is my pan de jamón recipe. I hope you like it as much as we do. Thanks for subscribing to my Youtube channel and for visiting my Amazon store.

Venezuelan pan de jamón
4.80 from 59 votes

Pan de Jamón Recipe

A symbol of the Venezuelan Christmas culinary traditions, this is the most delicious and easy-to-make pan de jamón (ham bread) you can dream of. First of all, it comes packed with one whole pound of ham. Last but not least, you do not have to knead anything! Make it and everybody will ask you for the recipe!
Prep Time1 hr 45 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Resting Time30 mins
Total Time2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories: 3698kcal

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup tepid water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon yeast
  • 420 grams all-purpose flour
  • 3 eggs 2 for the dough and 1 for the egg wash
  • 1⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon tepid milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted 2 tablespoons to make the dough, and the rest to assemble the bread, and finishing it)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 bacon strips
  • 1 pounds ham thinly sliced
  • 20 Manzanilla olives stuffed with piquillo pepper whole
  • ½ cup manzanilla olives stuffed with piquillo pepper sliced
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup blond raisins
  • 1 tablespoon papelón syrup piloncillo syrup, you can substitute with molasses

Instructions

  • Dissolve the white sugar in the water.
  • Add the yeast and let it rise for about 15 minutes.
  • Once the yeast has risen, add the flour, yeast water, milk, two eggs, and three tablespoons of melted butter in the bowl of a mixer with the kneading hook.
  • Process until a smooth dough forms. You may need to add a little more flour.
  • Make a ball with the dough in a large bowl with a few drops of olive oil. Brush the dough with the same oil to prevent it from drying out and cracking. Cover it with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for at least half an hour or until it doubles in size.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • On a floured surface, with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle measuring 15 by 20 inches and ¼ inch thick (40 cm x 50 cm and 5 mm thick.)
  • Brush the dough with melted butter.
  • Spread the brown sugar over the dough.
  • Make a row with the whole stuffed olives on the edge that will be the center of the bread. Wrap the olives with the dough, and press with your fingers to ensure the olives stay in place.
  • Add a good layer of ham on top of the olives row. Ham slices must overlap each other.
  • Cover the rest of the dough with ham. Leave about 3 inches of dough uncovered. Instead of spreading the ham, put it folded or as if it were a ruffle.
  • Add the bacon strips.
  • Sprinkle with sliced ​​olives and raisins.
  • Roll up carefully. The idea is that the roll is not tight but somewhat loose.
  • Make a few cuts in the dough that remain uncovered, starting from the center and dividing into two, four, and eight strips. Wrap the loaf with those dough strips.
  • With a fork, prick the bread all the way through.
  • Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking dish.
  • Transfer the bread to the baking tray. Cover it with a clean towel and let the bread rise for half an hour.
  • In a bowl, make an egg wash. Beat the remaining egg with papelón syrup (or molasses) and brush the loaf.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the tray every 10 minutes.
  • The bread is ready once the crust is evenly golden.
  • Remove from the oven and brush the loaf with melted butter.
  • Let cool completely before slicing.

Video

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Pan de Jamón Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 3698 Calories from Fat 1377
% Daily Value*
Fat 153g235%
Saturated Fat 58g363%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 17g
Monounsaturated Fat 67g
Cholesterol 640mg213%
Sodium 7779mg338%
Potassium 3284mg94%
Carbohydrates 425g142%
Fiber 24g100%
Sugar 86g96%
Protein 160g320%
Vitamin A 1818IU36%
Vitamin C 6mg7%
Calcium 368mg37%
Iron 25mg139%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breads
Cuisine: Venezuelan
Keyword: how to make pan de jamon, how to make Venezuelan pan de jamón, pan de jamon recipe, Veneazuelan pan de jamón recipe
Author: Enri

Notes

The nutritional values are estimated per loaf. Each loaf may serve 12 people.

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