Muffaletta Bread

5 from 2 votes

This bread is used for the famous French Quarter sandwich of the same name. Just about the only way to obtain this bread is to make it yourself and this bread is so easy, it's perfect for a beginning baker or anyone who is hesitant about bread baking. The sandwich is compressed in the fridge overnight which means you get to join the gathering and aren't stuck in the kitchen.

Prep Time15

Cook Time22

Resting time2

Total Time2 37

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, Muffaletta Bread, Muffaletta,

Servings: servomgs

Calories: 262kcal

Author: Helen S. Fletcher

Equipment

9x2" round cake pan

Ingredients

Muffaletta Bread

2 ½ cups bread flour (350 grams)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
1 ½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ¾ teaspoon table salt
1 cup water
2 + tablespoons olive oil
grated parmesan or sesame seeds

Assembly of Sandwich

4 large slices ham (¼ pound)
4 large slices, smoked turkey (¼ pound)
4 large slices roast beef (¼ pound
8 slices hard salami (¼ pound)
4 slices Swiss Cheese (¼ pound)
4 slices American Cheese (¼ pound)
4 slices pepperjack cheese (¼ pound)
4 roma tomatoes
Hot banana peppers, as needed
Sandwich dressing of choice

Instructions

Muffaletta Bread

The instructions for the processor and the mixer are the same unless otherwise noted.
Spray a 9x2" round cake pan with a non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
Place the flour, sugar, salt and instant yeast in the bowl of a processor. Pulse several times to mix.
Combine the water (cold if using the processor - warm if using a mixer) and olive oil. Pour over the dry ingredients and process until it mostly forms a ball.
Pour it onto a work surface and form it into a ball. Place it in a container or bowl sprayed with a non-stick baking spray. Turn it over so both sides are coated. Cover the bowl or container with plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours until doubled in bulk.
Deflate the dough and press it into a 9" round. Place it in the prepared 9" pan.
At this point it can be covered directly with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days to develop flavor. If baking immediately, cover it and let it rise until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. While the oven is preheating, brush the top of the bread lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese or sesame seeds.
Bake 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown and medium brown. Cool on a rack and use immediately or wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. That, unwrapped at room temperature.

Assembly of Sandwich

These ingredients are the ones I used. Feel free to use any meats, cheeses, condiments, and sandwich spreads you like.
Juice the roma tomatoes by cutting off the top and squeezing the liquid from the tomato. Slice them about ¼" thick and set aside.
Slice the bread in half horizontally.
Spread a thick layer of the sandwich spread on the bread to within ½" of the edge. Cover it with the hot banana peppers.
Layer the meats and cheeses in the following order: Ham, Swiss cheese, salami, American Cheese, smoked turkey, pepperjack cheese, roast beef and slice of tomato to cover the beef.
Spread the underside of the top layer of bread with a thick layer of sandwich bread to within ½" of the edge of the bread.
Place the sandwich on a parchment line rimmed baking sheet. Place a piece of parchment on top of the bread. Place another baking sheet on top of the paper and weight down with at least 10 pounds of weight. I used two 10# dumbells because I had them but a 10 pound bag of flour works also. Do not use sugar.
Refrigerate overnight to compress the sandwich.
To serve: Bring to room temperature and cut as desired.

Notes

There is always an abundance of photos to guide you in the post above. If you have questions, look at the photos or read the header of the article. Many of them will be answered there.

As always, I recommend using a scale for accuracy and consistency. Flour, in particular, is difficult to measure by volume. For my recipes, I use 140 grams per cup of unsifted all-purpose, bread or whole wheat flour and 125 grams of cake flour. Others may use different weights so use whatever they suggest.

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Bread Flour will ensure you get the highest rise and best texture out of this bread. All-purpose flour can be substituted but the bread won't be quite the same.

The olive oil I used was virgin for the best taste. Vegetable oil or canola can also be used.

The sugar can be omitted if desired. It will take the bread longer to rise but will still be fantastic.

Instant Yeast is used to speed things a long. Although the photos below show the yeast added with the flour, I have recently changed how I handle instant yeast. In my experience, I have found that while gathering the other ingredients, adding instant yeast to whatever liquid is being used softens it enough to increase its rising power and the end product is higher than just adding it to the flour. In the past, on several occasions, I noticed little bumps in the mixed dough and that were unincorporated yeast. I use this method with any recipe using instant yeast. The second time I made this dough I used this method and the dough rose more.

Be sure to juice the tomatoes so they don't leak when the sandwich is compressed,

When layering, alternate cheeses, condiments, meats, and/or vegetables.

By compressing the sandwich the ingredients all stay together and don't start falling out of the bread. It also makes it easy for the host to enjoy the guests since all that needs to be done is cut and serve.

Make sure to use enough of the dressing to add to the sandwich but keep it within ½" of the edge of the bread so when it is compressed, it doesn't ooze out.

Nutrition