Many years ago, these Hawaiian Roll sliders were popping up everywhere. I tried them at a potluck and knew I had to make them at home. The soft billowy Hawaiian roll is the perfect foundation for sandwiches. The smoky ham and the melted cheese are the perfect combination for a balanced sandwich. The thing that takes these over the top however, is the glaze that goes on top. I knew my family would love them. So of course I did a quick internet search, found a recipe and set to work!
As is fairly normal with me, I immediately thought, ‘uh…that doesn’t sound right’ and started to adjust the ingredients. After many tweaks and test runs, this is the final result. And based on the feedback I got from some of the service members this week, I think it’s a winner!
I had never added eggs to these sliders before this week. Adding eggs was a stroke of genius when I was looking for a good breakfast recipe that I could easily mass produce.
Ingredients
Hawaiian Rolls
This is of course your blank canvas. It is the foundation that you will build your slider on. I prefer the original sweet Hawaiian roll. But if these are too sweet for your preference you can buy other varieties. They have whole wheat and a dinner roll. They even have actual slider buns if you prefer.
Ham
For this recipe I used honey ham. I prefer the sweeter hams and I think in this recipe the honey or brown sugar hams work better and reflect the sweetness in the bun and the glaze. If you prefer less sweet, you can use a different type of ham. You could even use turkey if you’d like.
Cheese
In our breakfast sliders I think the cheddar works best. The stronger flavor of the cheddar holds up well against all the other layers. Using a more mild cheese will get lost in the flavors of the other layers. When I do these without the eggs I experiment with a variety of different cheeses and they are great. But for these, I’d suggest sticking with cheddar.
Eggs
To make these “breakfast” sliders I added in scrambled eggs. You can scramble these up on the stove top, or you can follow our guide to do them in the oven here: Eggs For a Crowd.
Butter
For this recipe we’re going to use unsalted butter. It will be used both in the eggs to scramble them and in the glaze on top. Get the best quality you can, and make sure it’s unsalted.
Worcestershire Sauce
If you can actually say Worcestershire then kudos to you. Seriously. If you can spell it without having to check 4 or 5 times to make sure it’s correct…then double kudos! So what is it? My immediate thought without having looked it up is that Worcestershire sauce is similar to soy in that it is fermented and that it adds umami to a dish. Umami is that thing…that taste in a dish that you can’t quite describe or place but adds depth and complexity. After googling, I was correct. According to Southern Living: “Worcestershire sauce is a fermented sauce. It starts with a base of vinegar and is flavored with molasses, sugar, onion, garlic, tamarind, and anchovies.”
Onion Powder
Adding onion powder is my preference in this dish over dried onion. Mostly because I always have onion powder. I would only buy dried onion for this recipe alone. It is also a texture preference. I don’t prefer the harder texture of the dried onion in contrast to the fairly soft texture in the rest of the recipe.
Stone Ground Mustard
Using stone ground mustard is important. A smoother Dijon is too strong. Yellow hot dog mustard is well…just no. The small mustard seeds give a slight texture and the seeds kind of burst. The flavor is subtle but very good.
Poppy Seeds
Poppy seeds add a slightly nutty flavor, the small seeds add texture and a pretty contrasting color.
Brown Sugar
Of course it’s not shown above. Why? Because when I took this picture, I completely forgot to add it to the photo. And by the time I realized, I had already made half the recipe. The brown sugar creates a slightly sweet, sticky topping. The sweet/savory balance is the genius of this recipe.
Salt and Pepper
Of course, salt and pepper are used for almost everything I make. Kosher salt is my preference for the cleanest flavor. Ground black pepper, I buy black peppercorns and grind them in a cheap coffee grinder. The Salt and Pepper is going into the scrambled eggs.
The Process
Slice the rolls lengthwise. I have found the easiest way to do this is to place the buns on your lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a long serrated knife, rest the blade on the edge of the baking sheet. This will serve as our guide. Do not try to slice through in one quick motion. Rotate the buns as you cut around and around. Slowly getting to the center until fully through.
Once your buns are fully sliced in half, carefully remove the top half and set aside.
Place the ham in a single layer on the bottom buns.
Next, place a layer of scrambled eggs on top of the ham.
Lastly, layer the cheddar slices on top of the scrambled eggs.
Gently replace the top buns.
In a small sauté pan or sauce pan, place 4 tbs of butter, onion powder, Worcestershire, poppy seeds, brown sugar and mustard and place over medium heat. Gently stir and swirl until the butter is fully melted and the mixture is hot and bubbly.
Brush this mixture over the top of the buns.
Bake at 350º for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes or until the tops are golden and the cheese is melted.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Using a sharp knife, gently cut along the lines of the top buns. We are not cutting all the way through, we are simply cutting the meat to make it a little easier to pull apart. You can skip this step. However, be aware, if you do skip this step then when you go to pull the sliders apart, the hot meat may slide out and in conjunction with the hot cheese, it may burn you. Not to mention leave a naked slider near by.
Pull these sliders apart and enjoy! We served these with hash brown patties, fresh fruit and double chocolate muffins!
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sliders
Equipment
- 1 Bread knife
- 1 Rimmed baking sheet
- 1 Silpat Or parchment or foil
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 Package Hawaiian Rolls Oringal, 24 pack
- 1 Dozen Eggs Large
- 1 Stick Butter Divided
- 1 Pound Deli Ham Sliced
- 1 Package Sliced Cheddar
- .5 Tsp Poppy seeds
- .5 tsp Stone ground mustard
- .5 tsp Onion powder
- 2 Tsp Brown sugar
- 2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350º
- Scramble the eggs in 4 tbs of butter. Set aside.
- Place the rolls on the baking sheet lined with a silpat, parchment or foil. Using the rim of the baking sheet as a guide, slice the rolls in half lengthwise. Using a long serrated bread knife, saw back and forth and rotate the pan as you go.
- Gently remove the top of the buns and set aside.
- Evenly spread the meat across the bottom of the buns.
- Layer the scrambled eggs evenly over the ham.
- Lay out the cheese slices on top of the eggs.
- Carefully replace the tops of the buns over the cheese.
- In a small sauce pan or sauté pan on medium heat, combine the remaining 4 tbs butter, brown sugar, mustard, onion powder, poppy seeds and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbly.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the butter mixture over the tops of the buns.
- Bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet to ensure even baking. Cook an additional 10 minutes or until the tops are golden and the cheese is melted.
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