muffaletta bread

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&#039;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&#039;t stuck in the kitchen.

Muffaletta Bread

bread flour (350 grams)

granulated sugar (25 grams)

instant yeast

table salt

water

olive oil

grated parmesan or sesame seeds

ham (1/4 pound)

large slices, smoked turkey (1/4 pound)

beef

hard salami (1/4 pound)

Swiss Cheese (1/4 pound)

American Cheese (1/4 pound)

pepperjack cheese (1/4 pound)

roma tomatoes

banana peppers, as needed

Sandwich dressing of choice

The instructions for the processor and the mixer are the same unless otherwise noted.

Spray a 9x2&quot; 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&quot; round.  Place it in the prepared 9&quot; 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.

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 1/4&quot; thick and set aside.

Slice the bread in half horizontally.

Spread a thick layer of the sandwich spread on the bread to within 1/2&quot; 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 1/2&quot; 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.

Assembly of Sandwich

Make the iconic New Orleans muffaletta at home with homemade olive spread, Italian meats, and cheese. Let it marinate overnight for the best flavor!

Authentic Muffaletta Sandwich with Homemade Olive Salad

(8-inch) rustic round loaf of bread

(150 g) half mild, half hot genoa salami, sliced

(200 g) mortadella, sliced

(100 g) coppa, sliced

(120 g) provolone, sliced

(250 ml) black olives, chopped

(250 ml) green olives, chopped

celery,

½ shallot, finely chopped

garlic, finely minced

pepperoncini peppers, chopped with seeds in

giardiniera pickles, chopped

parsley

extra virgin olive oil

red wine vinegar

pepperoncini pickling liquid

black pepper,

Make olive salad.

Chop and mix the olive salad ingredients. Adjust seasoning with more vinegar or pickling liquid to taste.

Prep bread.

Cut the loaf in half and remove some of the crumb from both sides to make space for filling.

Spread olive salad.

Evenly spread olive salad on both bread halves.

Layer meats and cheese.

Start with mortadella, placing half on the bottom and half on the top half of the loaf. Repeat with coppa and salami, alternating mild and hot salami on each side. Finish by layering all the cheese on one side.

Wrap and rest.

Wrap the sandwich tightly and refrigerate overnight. Optionally, weigh it down to help the ingredients meld together.

Slice and serve.

Unwrap, slice, and enjoy cold, at room temperature, or wrap in foil and heat in a 350°F oven until the cheese melts (about 20-30 mins).

Make the perfect loaf of light and soft muffaletta bread with this super easy recipe.  Stuff this bread with olive salad, sliced deli meat, and cheese to make an authentic New Orleans sandwich.  It will be a real crowd pleaser for get togethers or events!

Perfect Muffaletta Bread

bread flour

fast-action yeast

salt

sugar

room-temperature water

white sesame seeds (untoasted)

Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl.  Stir each one in with your finger.  Be careful not to let the salt touch the yeast directly, as it can kill or stunt the yeast.

Add the sugar, oil, and half of the water.  Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until the mixture begins to come together.  Gradually add more water until all the flour is picked up and a sticky dough forms.

Switch attachments to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 4-6 minutes, until it&#39;s no longer sticky and passes the windowpane test.  Check it by stretching a lump of dough between the thumb and forefinger of each hand.  If it&#39;s translucent in places without breaking, it&#39;s been kneaded enough.  If it breaks, knead a minute longer and check again.

Pour about 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a large mixing bowl.  Shape the dough into a ball and turn it in the oil to coat, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it prove at room temperature until at least doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Making the Dough

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fists to get rid of the air pockets.

Place it on a large, lightly floured baking stone or cookie sheet.  Shape it into a flat disc about 9 inches in diameter.

Spritz the top of the loaf with a little water, then sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and gently press them into the dough.

Loosely cover the loaf with a piece of plastic wrap, and let it prove at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Once it&#39;s proved, it should spring back quickly when gently prodded with a fingertip.

About 10 minutes before the loaf is done proving, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Shaping the Loaf

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the proved loaf at 400°F for 20-25 minutes.  The loaf should be a rich golden brown and have an internal temperature of 200°F.

Let the loaf cool for about an hour on a wire rack before slicing to allow it to release the steam inside naturally. Then, the bread can be sliced in half lengthwise and used to make a muffaletta sandwich.

Baking the Bread

I was craving a muffaletta sandwich and wanted to try my hand at making the bread as well. I also adapted their recipe for the sandwich with the ingredients I had, and the results were fantastic! I am a hobby baker, so I am pretty familiar with different dough types, and I found this recipe and dough to be very easy to work with. 

I can understand why some reviewers found the dough to be a little too wet. Step 2 advises you to add enough water to pick up the flour and get a sticky dough, but I can totally see how you may not know exactly what that texture is. I did not add the full amount of water (maybe 1/4 less?), and did not have to add any extra flour.

All in all, this is a definite keeper. I have a feeling this would make wonderful individual sandwich rolls or buns. Great flavor, perfect texture (I baked for 20 min), and my muffaletta craving was absolutely satisfied.

Love this recipe!  I have two loaves rising for Christmas Eve muffalettas.  They're always a hit at our house.

Thank you.

My muffuletta bun came put perfectly after some tweaks. The dough was waaayyy too sticky. I ended up adding nearly another 1/2 cup flour. Is everyone scooping/packing their cups of flour, rather than spooning/measuring it? That could explain why mine was so slack. I weighed it using the 1 cup = 125g formula. Aside from needing to be significantly adjusted, the flavor, crumb, and crust are perfect, just like I remember from Napoleon House in New Orleans!

It was a bit of an unfair recipe rating on my behalf. I had some of the bread by itself the next day and it definitely doesn't taste like biscuits. it was my first bread baking excursion and I followed the recipe exactly. I didn't however use King Arthur bread flour that everyone raves about because it wasn't in store. I'll have to give it another go using the King bread flour.

I followed recipe and my muffaletta tastes more like a bisquick biscuit than bread. Maybe it was because I used Pillsbury bread flour? Ive never had a muffaletta so maybe a real muffaletta tastes like a biscuit? Pressing questions

great recipe.  I am a professional chef and this is my go to for muffelatta bread!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7-FNkYNqpE

Make the perfect loaf of light and soft muffaletta bread with this super easy recipe.  Stuff this bread with olive salad, sliced deli meat, and cheese to make an authentic New Orleans sandwich.  It will be a real crowd pleaser for get togethers or events!

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