Crispy baked Bulgarian ham and cheese sandwiches are one of my favorite childhood breakfasts! Growing up, my parents always made me the BEST sandwiches. We have many versions of this sandwich in Bulgaria and this one is called “sandvich s shunka & kashkaval” which literally translates to “sandwich with ham and cheese.” If you’ve made the Bulgarian Meat and Cheese Sandwiches or my Bulgarian Cheese Feta and Egg, you’ll love this one too!
When I was a kid, you could see me enjoying this sandwich every single day alongside a sweet tomato from the garden. It’s still one my favorite breakfasts. I can eat these every single day and simple recipes like this one remind me of my childhood. If you have nostalgic recipes like this one in your country, please let me know in the comments below.
I like to buy 6-inch baguettes and cut them in half, but you can use any size baguette or sliced bread that you like. These sandwiches are as simple as boiling an egg. You add butter, ham, and cheese, and bake until the cheese has melted. In Bulgaria, we add slices of sweet garden-fresh tomatoes on top for the perfect bite.
Ham and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 baguette
- thin slices of butter I used grass-fed, salted butter
- a few slices of your favorite ham I used black forest
- a few slices of cheese any melty cheese you like, I like cheddar or Bulgarian Kashkaval
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- I like to use two 6-inch baguettes and cut them in half, but you can use any baguette or sliced bread that you like.
- Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise, and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Add a few slices of butter onto each bread half.
- Fold the ham in half and layer 2 to 3 slices on top followed by a few thin slices of cheese.
- Bake until the cheese has fully melted. My oven takes 10 to 15 minutes but cook time will depend on the oven.
- A lot of times my parents/grandparents would only use the top element (broil) and just broil the sandwiches until the cheese was bubbly and melted so you can use this method too as opposed to baking at 425F.
- Once the cheese is melted and the bread has crisped up, remove from the oven and enjoy!
4 Responses
My parents come from Croatia and when we were visiting from Germany my grandmother would do this sooo often. I love how a lot of your recipies bring happy memories back from my childhood. Thank you so much for that!
Hi Viktoria, I am so happy to have brought such nostalgic memories for you. It’s amazing how connected we are.
Dear,
I am from Serbia, many recipes are similar or same in our country, but I love the way you make them with some twist, so far, you are my favorite and my new “Jamie O.”
Love and hugs from Belgrade,
Mina.
Hi Mina,
Thank you so much for sending me such a beautiful message! We are neighbours after all 🙂