{"id":442,"date":"2010-12-13T04:59:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-13T09:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enrilemoine.com\/2010\/12\/13\/succulent-pan-de-jamon\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T14:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T19:52:12","slug":"pan-de-jamon-venezuelan-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enrilemoine.com\/en\/2010\/12\/13\/pan-de-jamon-venezuelan-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Pan de Jam\u00f3n: Venezuelan Ham Bread + VIDEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is the most delicious and easy-to-make pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em> (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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Front<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Note: As a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program and other affiliate programs, I receive compensation for products sold through the affiliate links in this post at no cost to the buyer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homemade Pan de Jam\u00f3n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Dough<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I made my first pan de jam\u00f3n the same year my good friend Miro Popic published his book El libro del pan de jam\u00f3n y otros panes<\/a><\/em>. I attended Journalism School in Caracas and worked as a writer in Pandora<\/em>, the weekly magazine that came on Saturdays with El Nacional<\/em>.  My editor assigned me to interview Miro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pioneer making homemade pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Manzanilla<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Born in Chile, Miro enormously contributed to Venezuelan gastronomy and culinary traditions. His book was a gift to those willing to knead and bake pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em>. There, he shared all the secrets to making a recipe synonymous with Venezuelan Christmas. Pan de jam\u00f3n is part of our Christmas menu as the hallaca<\/em><\/a>, chicken salad<\/a>, and ponche crema<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making pan de jam\u00f3n for Christmas and New Year’s Eve became a consistent tradition in my kitchen, thanks to Miro. Everything was going very well until I discovered La Cava do Iria<\/em>: 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venezuelan Pan de Jam\u00f3n: A bread and a cherished tradition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Raisins<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then, I decided to focus on my Rum Christmas cake<\/a> and cookies<\/a> and leave the pan de jam\u00f3n <\/em>business to the Portuguese, blessed with the gift of making bread<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Christmas 2007, already living here in Southern California and craving a good pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And my precious Mi Cocina a la manera de Caracas<\/a><\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to stuff a good pan de jam\u00f3n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Venezuelan<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to common sense, which, as we know, is not the most common of the senses, I put a lot of all the stuffing a pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the best ham to make pan de jam\u00f3n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name of this bread is pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I began making my panes de jam\u00f3n<\/em>, I limited myself to covering 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 jam\u00f3n<\/em> crusader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What kind of olives are the best for making this recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I use pitted manzanilla olives stuffed with piquillo pepper. For me, manzanilla olives have the 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 jam\u00f3n <\/em>should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I started making pan de jam\u00f3n, <\/em>I sliced the olives and spread them over the ham. Now, I also add a row of whole olives. These olives go one inch away from one of the edges of the dough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 an olive in the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I make pan de jam\u00f3n with turkey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you can use turkey to make this bread. The only thing is that it would not be pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em>, but pan de pavo<\/em>, instead. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips to make the perfect pan de jam\u00f3n dough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pan de jam\u00f3n<\/em> is undoubtedly the most delicious savory bread Venezuelans enjoy during the holidays. I wrote the following in September 2021, almost ten years after sharing my recipe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Frontal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n