I have been working on trying to reproduce a bread that I get at a
local Italian bakery - Prosciutto bread. Since prosciutto is a bit
pricey to put into bread, I used the remains of a baked ham.

I read the following recipe, which is not so dissimilar to what I
eventually did that it could not be used as is or as a starting off
point.

Spring Street Prosciutto Bread
o 2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
o 1 cup warm water (105-110F)
o 2 eggs
o 2 tablespoons olive oil
o 3-1/4 cups bread flour
o 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
o 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
o 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese
o 2 cups minced prosciutto
o cornmeal for dusting
Dissolve yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl and set aside
for 15 minutes. Stir in eggs and oil. Combine 3 cups of flour with
salt and pepper, and stir into the yeast mixture. Knead to combine
adding more flour, a little at a time, to make a firm dough.
Combine Parmesan cheese and prosciutto, lightly dust with flour. Work
mixture into the dough. Turn dough out onto a floured board and !
knead until smooth, 10 minutes. Return dough to a well-oiled bowl,
cover, set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about
2 hours.
Punch down dough and knead for 3 minutes. Divide dough in half. Form
each half into an oblong loaf. Sprinkle 2 baking sheets with cornmeal
and place a loaf on each. Set aside to rise until doubled in size,
about 1 hour.
Line oven with wet baking tiles, stones or trays of terra-cotta chips
and preheat to 425F.
Using a razor, make 6 slashes diagonally across the top of each loaf.
Bake until golden, about 40 minutes, spraying with a plant mister
every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Cool on a wire
rack.
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My changes were the use of a sourdough pre-ferment, the inclusion of
some rye flour (about 20%) and an overnight retard of the dough in the
fridge....and my usual chaotic methodology of never measuring
anything, but using touch and appearance of the dough to achieve a
dough texture that I seek.

I used the sourdough base so as to get a chewy interior and a blistery
crust, two things I really wanted in this bread. I have posted photos
of the process if you wish to see it.

The only thing I would change in making this again would be to
increase the black pepper. I would have liked a bit more bite to it,
but otherwise, I am very happy with it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25648800@N04