Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Ham and Broccoli Pockets


Ever since we had success with our pizza pockets, my mind has been swirling.  Breakfast pockets.  And, now -- ham and cheese pockets.



Whole wheat dough, a filling made with ham and green veggies, and a sauce with great flavor from extra sharp cheddar cheese made creamy from flour and milk!  


The original recipes uses a filling that combines mild cheddar cheese and butter.  I've found that you can eliminate the butter and still get a nice thick sauce.  And, if you use extra sharp cheddar cheese, the flavor is much greater and therefore you can use less cheese.  Just a little healthier... but every little bit helps, right?


Ham and Broccoli Pockets - Inspired by Good Life Eats
Makes 8-10 pockets

Dough
1 C really warm water
1 tsp. honey
1 T yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour

Filling
1 1/2 C diced ham
1 1/2 C broccoli florets, chopped
1 C peas
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 C milk*
1/8 C chicken broth
3 T flour
1/4 tsp. pepper


Prepare dough by dissolving the yeast in the warm water.  Allow this mixture to sit for ~1 minute.  Then, add in the honey, salt and olive oil.  Using your mixer, mix in the flour.  Knead about 5 minutes until smooth.  Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes while you prepare the filling ingredients. 



Place the frozen veggies (or fresh -- I ended up using frozen) in a large bowl.  



Add the diced ham.  



Saute the veggies and ham together until warmed.  Then, set aside.  

Combine the chicken broth and flour in a measuring up.  Stir until flour and broth are smoothly mixed together.  



Add the broth and flour mixture to a saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring until mixture just begins to thicken.  Then, add in the milk.  Season with pepper.  



Stir until mixture thickens.  Then, remove from the heat.  Add in the cheese.  



As the heat from the dish melts the cheese, you may need to add a bit more milk to increase the liquid nature of the sauce.  I ended up adding between 1/8-1/4 C.  



At this point, divide the dough into 8-10 pieces, and roll/press each out into a circle.  



Place ~1- 1 1/2 C filling on half of the dough circle.  



Using a pastry brush, lightly wet the outer edge of the dough.  Then fold the dough over the filling and use a fork to seal.  



Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for 10-12 minutes until pockets are lightly browned.  



Cool for 3-4 minutes before cutting and serving.  Filling will be hot!  




14 comments:

  1. YUM! These look delish! Kinda like a chicken pot pie in a pick up form. :)

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  2. I will have to try these the next time I have leftover ham. My munchkin will love these!

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  3. Oddly enough my elementary school used to make a stromboli much like this (we had a very good school cook), and I was just thinking about them the other day! Yum! I can't wait to make these.

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  4. What a cute little pocket!!! These remind me of Hot Pockets, but wayyy healthier! :)

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  5. Amazing!! I want one right now!!

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  6. I've never enjoyed the store bought Hot POckets much, but your homemade version is making me drool!

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  7. Hi Sno White,
    I just love the filling of Ham and Broccoli for your lovely pie. I really like your dough recipe, and will have to try it out.What a great idea and combination. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you next week!

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  8. Yum!! These look great! I bet they would freeze well too! I believe I have all the ingredients to make them, maybe we'll try them for lunch tomorrow.

    Thanks for sharing at What's Cooking Thursdays!

    www.savingthosedollars.blogspot.com

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  9. Holy smokes, these look little fingers ready! My daughter is going to love this. Come on over and share this great recipe at Hunk of Meat Monday.

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  10. This is totally awesome! These pockets look delicius and I'm sure they really are! Who doesn't like meaty and cheesy pockets?! I love the fact that you used wheat flour for the dough, so healthful. I gotta give these a try soon!

    Amy
    http://utry.it

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  11. Definitely a must try! I love that you made your own bread! I hope I can someday get the courage to do so also. HAHA.

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  12. One of the reasons I'm dragging my feet about using whole wheat flour is for some reason in every picture the food made with it looks dry. Please someone tell me that the crust isn't as dry as it looks in photos. Please tell me it's just as moist and buttery tasting as crust made with white flour.

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  13. @Stacey

    While I've been eating whole wheat for a long time, I don't notice a dry consistency. The White Whole Wheat Flour really makes a difference, or making sure that the whole wheat is really finely ground. If you want it a little more buttery, brush with a little butter in the last 5 minutes of baking.

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Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you; especially how you're finding JOY in your kitchen.

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