Home Made Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets

Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket

Do you have allergies and miss eating hot pockets? Or do you just want a healthier and tastier alternative to hot pockets from the freezer section? This is the recipe for you! As a college freshman, before my allergy diagnosis, hot pockets were just as much a staple in my diet as Ramen noodles were. Now with my allergies I miss the easiness of pulling a frozen dinner out of the freezer. Yes there are a couple I can have on the market but most of the gluten free ones that actually taste good have at least one of my other allergens in it. So I have learned to make my own hot pockets to freeze for an easy meal later. Even my husband, David, likes it when I make a wheat version of these to freeze so he has easy meals to take from the freezer to work when we don't have any good leftovers. While the ideas and opportunities are endless, tonight I made some ham and cheese hot pockets. I like to use Schar's gluten free white bread mix for these because it rolls out nicer than other mixes I've used. The kicker is that it costs $6-$7 a box! The good news is you can get quite a few pockets out of one box, especially if you choose to have your dough pretty thin. I also have been using Land O Frost for my pre-packaged deli meat since most, if not all varieties are labeled gluten free. Believe it or not, not all ham is gluten free so its just best to use one that is labeled gluten free. For these I picked out the Black Forrest Ham variety and we used green beans and banana wheels as our sides. Some other ideas though for hot pockets include; roast beef and cheddar cheese, bacon cheeseburger, Philly cheese steak, pizza pockets, chicken and broccoli, etc. What are some pocket flavor ideas you have?

Hot Pockets

Yield 12-14 depending on crust thickness preference

-1 box Schar gluten free white bread mix (You will need water, a soy free oil, and salt.)

-2 lbs Land O Frost Black Forrest Ham, diced

-1 package (7 oz) Daiya cheddar cheese wedge

-white rice flour for dusting and rolling

-Soy Free Earth Balance butter spread

-garlic salt

Directions: Mix Schar bread mix according to package directions. Dice all of the deli sliced ham. Shred the Daiya cheddar cheese wedge or buy shreds. Personally I like the taste of the wedge. Lightly dust a surface with white rice flour. The Schar dough is sticky so you will need to put some flour on your hands and even sprinkle some on top of the dough before you grab it out. Grab a small to medium sized ball of dough and roll and stretch it in your hands, adding flour as you go until it just barely doesn't stick to your hands. Take a rolling pin and roll it out. It is important to roll it half out, then pick it up, dust with more flour, flip it over and repeat a few times or you will never get it off the surface once it is completely rolled out. You will eventually do this with all of the dough. I make rectangles about 5 by 8 inches. Make about 12-14 rectangles. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Get out a couple of non-stick cookie sheets. You can either assemble the pockets on the surface or move the rectangle to the cookie sheet before filling. Distribute shredded cheese and chopped ham evenly to each rectangle. Fold rectangle in half. Seal the edges of the dough together by pinching it and rolling it in towards the center (see finished picture). Place each finished rectangle on a non stick cookie sheet if you haven't done so already. You may need a large turner to assist you. Melt some butter in a bowl. Using a basting brush, lightly brush each completed pocket with butter. Sprinkle garlic salt over each one. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until dough is done. Broil for 3 minutes to brown the top. Remove and serve immediately. These also work great as a freezer meal. Once they have been cooked, let them cool completely. Wrap each pocket separately in freezer paper once cooled. Place each freezer wrapped pocket into a Ziploc bag and place in the freezer. Next time you want one, pull one out of the freezer and remove wrapping. Place the pocket on a plate. Microwave each side for 60-90 seconds and it's ready to eat again!

Disclaimer: It is always important to read labels because brands frequently change their ingredients. These ingredients and brands work for my family but some may be processed in the same facility as wheat, soy, dairy and/or eggs and therefore depending on your severity may or may not work for your family.