These Brazilian Ham and Cheese Rolls taste like childhood to me! So I thought they would be perfect for Back-to-School.

A thousand years ago, when I was a child, I used to eat a lot of these delicious Brazilian Ham and Cheese Rolls at school.

My mom didn’t have the habit to pack us lunch, so me and my brother would buy food at our school’s cafeteria. In her defense, she tried to send us homemade sandwiches, but bringing your own food to school was “lame” back in my days, so we convinced our parents to buy the “food money” for the cafeteria. I remember how happy I was when my dad handed me the little orange pad of “fake money” that said “pizza”, meaning we could exchange those tickets for pizza. Pizza for lunch? Woohoo!

Other than pizza, he also used to get us the “salgados” pad, which means “snacks” in Portuguese. Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes), potato rolls filled with Brazilian cream cheese, sfihas (little Lebanese meat pies) and, of course, enroladinhos de presunto e queijo (the classic little ham and cheese rolls).

Now, tell me, who wouldn’t be excited for lunch break in school with those options?

True, some of these were not the healthiest options to eat every day, but back then kids used to eat whatever they wanted and still be healthy. We also didn’t have as many video games as kids do today, so we exercised more and that balanced out the not so healthy eating habits, I guess…

Nowadays, as we are more aware of what we put in our bodies – and in our children’s – I doubt someone would let their kids eat pizza (or fried croquettes) for lunch every day.

Most of the moms I know pack their kids’ lunch and I haven’t heard any kid complain that bringing lunch to school is lame or tacky, like we used to. However, kudos to those moms that are able to pack a nutritious meal that is also tasty. What’s the point of packing salad with tofu if your child is not going to touch it and will end up sharing some Oreos with a generous (or too distracted to notice a thieving hand) friend?

Keeping the kids happy AND healthy is one hard task, I’ll say. And that’s why I’m here to help you today!

These ham and cheese rolls are actually good for you, if consumed in moderation, and the kids will go nuts about them. They have a good serving of protein, dairy and carbs. If you pack some fruit and some salad or veggies to go with it, then your child is having a well balanced meal that they won’t switch for any cafeteria greasy pizza!

What is the difference between these Brazilian Ham and Cheese Rolls and regular ham and cheese rolls? Probably not much!

I am calling them Brazilian because I am sharing how it is usually made in Brazil, including an easy recipe for the dough. Other than that, it doesn’t have any “exotic” ingredients in it. People often mistaken Brazilian cuisine as a branch of hispanic or caribbean cuisines, but they forget our main influence is european.

Think Portuguese bread and pastries and you will begin to understand Brazilian food! It is more hearty than spicy, for sure.

 

This recipe makes about 20 small rolls. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and you can either eat them at room temperature or reheat them in the oven.

I’m not a fan of freezing cured meats, like ham. I just think it alters the color and texture.

However, if you don’t have a problem with that, you can bake your rolls for 10 minutes and then freeze them for up to 3 months. When ready to eat them, bake for the remaining necessary time or until they are golden brown and cooked through!

These are truly a great snack for on-the-go or even to serve for breakfast! I hope you guys give it a try and come back to let me know how crazy in love you are with them!!

P.S. Wanna keep in touch? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest to stay up to date with my posts! If you end up making one of my recipes, I would love to see it! Just take a photo and post it on your preferred Social Media and tag me or use the hashtag #oliviascuisine!