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A platter of ham and cheese croissants on a breakfast table. Coffee, orange juice, clementines and plates with eggs are on the table as well.

Ham and Cheese Croissants

A flavourful béchamel sauce and two types of cheese ensure that these aren't your run of the mill ham and cheese croissants. Using ready made puff pastry, and a little prep the night before means that these will bake up quick in the morning while you put the coffee on!
Course Baking, Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine French
Keyword béchamel sauce, cheddar cheese, gruyere cheese, ham, puff pastry
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

Béchamel Sauce

  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • pinch cayenne pepper

Croissants

  • 2 sheets puff pastry
  • 6-12 slices of black forest ham or French ham
  • 7 oz (200 grams) Gruyere or Emmental Cheese, thinly slices
  • 3 oz (85 grams) cheddar cheese, thinly sliced into batons
  • 1 egg for eggwash
  • 2 oz (50 grams) finely grated fresh Gruyere cheese

Instructions

Béchamel Sauce

  1. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the flour and stir through for one minute to remove the raw flour flavour.
  2. Pour in the milk, mustard, pepper and cayenne and whisk thoroughly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Whisk until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Croissants

  1. Heat the oven to 375F, and place two racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. On a well floured surface with a well floured rolling pin, roll out the two sheets into approximately 9 x 11 or so rectangles. Position the shorter ends at the bottom and top (portrait orientation) Work with one at time if needed.

  3. Starting in one top corner, use your finger to lightly trace out five lines horizontally across the pastry to create six triangles. The end ones may be a bit wonky, but that's alright. Once you are happy that the triangles are pretty even, use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut through the lines to create six long triangles. See photos in the blog post for assistance.

  4. Lift the first triangle in both hands, pulling it gently apart to lengthen the triangle even more, return to the counter. Repeat with the remaining triangles. Cut a small slit in the short side (the top of the triangle). This will help you pull out on either end to stretch out the pastry as you roll them up to give the croissants more width.

  5. Divide the cooled béchamel between each croissant, spreading it out on the wider part of each triangle, leaving the very top of the short side, and the final third or so of the long point empty. See the blog post photos for assistance.

  6. Top each croissant with the ham, then both the sliced Gruyere and cheddar batons, again leaving the long points empty. See blog post photos for a visual.
  7. Gripping each end of the short side and pulling away from the centre, start rolling up the filling. Press firmly but not to tight so as to tear the pastry. If the tip doesn't adhere to the pastry, use a bit of water to help it stick. Turn it over so that the tip on the outside is underneath, and place onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Each sheet can hold six croissants.
  8. Repeat with remaining croissants.
  9. Whisk the egg with a splash of water in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to paint the tops of the croissants. Try not to brush the sides where you can see the layers of pastry. Getting egg on these edges will act like a glue and inhibit the pastry from puffing up properly.
  10. Bake on the lower rack for 15 minutes. Quickly remove and sprinkle the grated fresh Gruyere over the tops of the croissants. Return to the upper rack this time and bake until golden brown and baked through. The cheese will be bubbling and the pastry should be perfectly golden. This should take between 15-20 minutes.
  11. Place the racks onto a wire rack to cool until the cheeses that have bubbled out to firm up.
  12. Serve warm.

  13. See blog post for more details.

Recipe Notes

Store in a sealed container for up to three days. Re-warm in a toaster oven or regular oven set at 325F until warmed through, about 8 minutes.
You can freeze baked cooled croissants in a freezer bag up to one month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and re-warm as described above. See blog post for freezing unbaked croissants.
Feel free to prepare the croissants up to the point of the egg wash and store in the fridge overnight. Bring out while the oven is heating up the next morning. Brush with egg and continue with the recipe.

Feel free to halve the recipe if so desired.