Let's talk sandwiches. Specifically, the bread with which these vessels of lunchtime sustenance are assembled. They come in all varieties: homemade and storebought, whole grain and fluffy white, fancy ciabatta rolls and standard square-shaped slices. What's your pick? What makes a really good sandwich bread?
The cheater's easy answer is that it depends on the sandwich. This is definitely true — a soft scoop of egg salad has different needs than a sturdy roast beef sub — but I'm thinking a little more basic today.
I'm thinking of what makes a good standby, day-in-day-out, dependable sandwich bread for all seasons. Is it sturdiness? Good sandwich bread must be able to not only support the toppings we choose to give it, but also survive some knocks in the backpack. Is it tastiness? Cardboard slices are definitely not welcome here.
What do you think makes a good sandwich bread? Do you have a particular brand that you stand by? Or do you make your own these days?
Related: Say Goodbye to Soggy Sandwiches: The Perfect Sandwich Container
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I get mine mostly from a local bakery.
Best sandwich bread I've ever had was the sourdough from the Sage Bakehouse in Santa Fe... when I can't have that, I get whatever local sourdough I can find-- fresh baked is key!
Thin slices of sourdough (toasted to make them sturdier and tastier) with thin crust are the best. (I buy thin-sliced sourdough from a local bakery.) I don't like crusts but hate to waste food.
My kids love the herbed focaccia from Grace Bakery (SF Bay Area) for cheese sandwiches, and although focaccia is sort of all-crust, these sandwiches are excellent to pack for a hike.
I'm not a huge fan of sandwiches unless they're grilled. The good news is that grilling gives a bit more substantial support to ingredients, so I don't have to use as thick or dense a slice as I would otherwise.
I'm thinking of what makes a good standby, day-in-day-out, dependable sandwich bread for all seasons.
It's nutrionnal panel.
My favorite bread is called the Woodstock from Grateful Bread in Sacramento. Its grainy and seedy but yet not too thick to overwhelm something as simple as grilled cheese but also holds its own when stuffed with meat, veggies and lots of other good stuff.
I like to make my own bread. I make a loaf most weeks, and it's always a bit different. Last week I made a colcannon bread, with mashed potatoes and kale in it (Inspired by a dream!). Delicious mild savory flavor that went nicely with a cheese sandwich.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/02/27/colcannon-bread-kale-and-potato-bread/
The other week I made an oatmeal walnut honey bread that made delicious pb & j sandwiches.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/02/09/honey-oatmeal-walnut-bread/
One of my favorites is an oatmeal, black pepper and nutmeg loaf that's nice with just about everything! I loved it with spinach and white beans on toast!
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/11/14/spinach-and-white-beans-on-toast-oatmeal-black-pepper-and-nutmeg-bread/
Even though we eat whole wheat bread, I admit that certain sandwiches taste horrendous with wheat. I could never eat grilled cheese with wheat or peanut butter and jelly with wheat. Unhealthy white bread for those, please!
This is my go-to sandwich bread, if I'm making my own. It's sturdy enough (especially when toasted) for a substantial sandwich, it's just whole-wheat-y enough to taste somewhat healthy, but it's also close enough to really good white bread for PB&J, peanut butter and banana, or just butter and jam.
Crispy on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside Kaiser rolls. They're nearly impossible to find outside of the NY/NJ metro area. and even if you can, they're not the same. Apparently it's got something to do with the water - can't get a decent NY style pizza anywhere else either.
Hats off to everyone who makes their own sandwich bread.
For those of us who don't, Milton's Original Multi-Grain bread is a very tasty spermarket brand. I get it at Trader Joes and I have seen it at Costco. It has a touch of sweetness and is very sturdy, but is soft enough for egg salad.
Something sturdy and substantial, but thin. I particularly enjoy NY's Heidlberg Cracked Wheat or another sturdy whole grain bread.
But for BLTs and grilled cheese, I prefer a squishier white bread (though not as squishy as Wonder) like a potato or country white.
Fried egg sandwiches are best on either hard rolls or especially on toasted English muffins.
Chewiness! Like a multi grain bred. And also slices that aren't too big.
I roll my own here too. I think I would be ordinarily be one of those people who would have to resort to using a bread pan, but after some experience I can make a pretty decent gros pain or boule, which I find is just the right size to get good sandwich slices out of (for me). I find too, that a day in a plastic bag, while making the crust chewy instead of crispy, also stiffens the crumb just enough that it can stand up to fairly juicy ingredients without mushing flat.
any recommendations for a good gluten-free sandwich bread? Most I've tried have a horrible consistency. I love sandwiches and having to go GF has been hard.