Bread Snails Filled with Diced Cooked Ham and Fontina Cheese

The bread snails filled with ham and cheese are a delicious and versatile snack, perfect for an aperitif or a party. Here is the recipe step by step.

Ingredients

• 500 g of bread dough (or pizza dough)
• 150 g of diced cooked ham
• 150 g of diced fontina cheese
• 1 egg (for brushing)
• Sesame or poppy seeds (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Preparation

1. If you are using ready-made bread or pizza dough, let it rest at room temperature for about an hour. Otherwise, prepare the dough and let it rise.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, shaping it into a rectangle about 5 mm thick.
3. Evenly distribute the diced cooked ham and fontina cheese over the dough, leaving a small free edge along the sides.
4. Roll up the dough onto itself, starting from the long side, until it forms a long cylinder.
5. With a sharp knife, cut the cylinder into pieces about 3 cm thick.
6. Place the snails on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spaced well apart from each other.
7. In a bowl, beat the egg and carefully brush the top of the snails.
8. If desired, you can sprinkle them with sesame or poppy seeds. This will add not only flavor but also a pleasant crunchiness.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown and well cooked.
10. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

These snails are best enjoyed warm when the fontina cheese is still stringy. Enjoy your meal!

Curiosity

In Italian cuisine, the combination of cooked ham and cheese is a timeless classic. This recipe is based on the idea of “girelle”, a type of snack that is easily customizable. In keeping with Italian tradition, we have chosen simple and quality ingredients like fontina cheese, which melts wonderfully, and cooked ham, which brings a touch of savoriness.