Savory Ham & Brie Bread with Fig Jam

This Ham and Brie Bread recipe is a Bakes & Blunders original that I’m quite proud of.  Brie cheese is a versatile ingredient that is very popular in baked brie appetizers involving crescent dough.  This gooey cheese works well with both sweet and savory flavors. For this quick bread, the brie pairs nicely with salty ham and sweet fig jam.

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This recipe was originally published on January 24, 2019 and is being republished with updates on August 19, 2021

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Story Time

 

Back in high school, I fell in love with brie cheese while raiding the fridge at my bff’s house for an after school snack.  Brie has been one of my favorite cheeses ever since.  (Goat cheese was and is another favorite!) But this recipe is actually inspired by a sandwich I had many moons ago in Georgetown.

Shortly after discovering my love of brie, I went to Georgetown with some friends and while we were there we grabbed some food at a local, trendy deli.  I grabbed a hoagie with Virginia ham, brie cheese, and fig jam. It sounded like a strange combo, but my love of brie made the decision for me.

 

 

Sandwich Inspiration

 

Guys, it’s been over a decade since I had that sandwich and I still think about it!  Ham, brie, fig jam, what a great combo. As you know, I’m a fan of The Great British Bake Off.  Well, in one season, Tamal bases one of his bakes off of a sandwich he ate once that he’ll never forget.  Sound familiar? I totally identified with him on a spiritual level.

Watching that episode made me realize I could use my sandwich daydreams to inspire my own bake.  The first plans for my Ham and Brie Bread began to form…

 

On a bit of a side note, I had another life changing sandwich featuring my #1 cheese.  I went to a cafe in Sykesville, MD with my cousin awhile ago and had a bagel sandwich with ham, brie, apples, and spicy honey mustard.  When in doubt, always choose the sandwich with brie.

 

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Ham and Brie Bread Decisions

 

So.  Tamal had inspired me to channel my ham, brie, and fig sandwich love into a baked good.  But how? Well, he also made this amazing walnut, fig, and goat cheese bread that made me think of doing something similar.  I considered making a ham and brie bread with a yeast dough base, but I knew the added ingredients would slow down the rise and I wasn’t sure the best way to approach that.

In the end, I turned to the old faithful, The New Best Recipe Cookbook, for guidance.  I found a cheesy quick bread recipe that I felt could be manipulated to my purposes.  A quick bread would certainly be easier to add the ham and brie than a yeast dough.

 

 

Trial & Error

 

I’ve made this bread several times now to get all the details just right.  Luckily, it’s a pretty simple recipe, and tastes amazing!

 

Ding!  Round One

 

I first made this loaf while we were in Texas (for the second time).  It wasn’t a glowing success, but I knew I was on the right track.  I used a package of Oscar Meyer Carving Board Ham, but found the chunks to be smaller than I liked.

 

Round Two

 

This second loaf of Ham and Brie Bread was amazing!  It was a bit salty, so I’ve cut the amount in half. Otherwise, perfection.  In this round, I got a small chunk of ham and cut it into cubes.  This was much better than the round one ham choice.

When I was baking this loaf, I was inspired to sub in some bacon grease for a portion of the butter.  I always save the grease whenever we make bacon.  It’s such a useful ingredient to have in your fridge.I didn’t use much bacon grease, but I believe it adds a smoky, umami flavor to the Ham and Brie Bread.   

 

Related Reading: 4 Yolk Challah

 

Final Round

 

This time I put everything I learned to the test and ended up with a gorgeous loaf!  I did have to use the same carving board ham that I used in Round One because that’s all we could find at the time.

Put a generous smear of fig jam on top and this ham and brie bread is the perfect sweet and salty snack.  I like to warm mine up before I add the jam so that the cheese is nice and gooey!

 

 

Future Plans for the Ham and Brie Bread

 

I really enjoy this loaf as a quick bread, but I still can’t get the idea of a yeast dough version out of my head.  In the future, I think I will attempt this variation. To get a proper rise, I think I’ll try a slow fermentation by placing the dough loaded with ham and brie in the fridge overnight.  I did this with a cinnamon raisin bread I made once and I think the idea would be the same.

 

Enjoy!

 

Now, that beautiful sandwich from back in the day had a generous smear of fig jam to bind the flavors together.  I highly recommend topping a slice of this Ham and Brie Bread with some delicious fig jam for the full effect. It makes a delicious sweet and salty combination.  

For some reason, ham, brie, and fig jam just work together and I love it.  If stuffing carbs with cheese and meat is your jam, check out these  Cheddar, Bacon, and Chive Biscuits.  And if you dig this recipe, follow Bakes & Blunders on Facebook for even more fun baking content!

 

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