August 10, 2008 - 12:24pm
Muffaletta recipe?
A few weeks ago a student asked if I'd ever made muffaletta. I hadn't.
Last week, for the first time in ages, I went to a Schlotzky's. I re-discovered how much I really like their sandwiches and their bread.
Which brings me to the question.
Does anyone have a recipe for a muffaletta that they have tried and know works that they can share? I've seen a number of recipes on-line, and what they are making doesn't look like what I'm looking for. And, as usual, lots of the recipes are the same one traded between web sites with just a few new typos added.
Thanks,
Mike
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I haven't made either of these two links, but just wanted to post them in case you hadn't encountered them in your searches. I have made the red beans and rice recipe from gumbopages.com, but not the sandwiches. The NOLA cuisine link also has a recipe for the bread; gumbo pages does not.
NOLA cuisine muffuleta
Gumbo pages
Sue
Actually, I'm just looking for a recipe for the bread. I can make sandwiches once I have bread....
Mike
Mike,
A while back I spent some time trying to find a way to make a great N.O. style Po-Boy sandwich. The basis for this popular specialty sandwich is a crusty and airy sub style loaf. For some reason the recipe is a guarded secret and the process has some unusual twists in it as well. As far as I know the Po-Boy and Muffaletta use the same bread. The Italian Muffaletta distinguishes itself with a very nice collection of meats/olives and such. The Po-Boy is a more general name that can find braised beef, rabbit, shrimp or other seafood inside.
Anyway, after much experimenting I settled on Bernard Clayton's Blue Ribbon French bread for Po-Boy Sandwiches with a few changes. I lower the water temp just a little to 110F and it's been fine. Also I bake on parchment with heavy steam or spritz. The picture I have used as my guide is attached also. If you look at the thin very crispy crust, I interpret this as being the result of heavy steam or water on the surface early and for longer than normal. This is a work in progress for me but, these are good and worth the effort.
Good luck and let me know if you try it.
Eric
PS: The image and recipe are not from the same source. The image loaf is my goal from having eaten a few of these in N.O. over the years.
French Bread-Blue Ribbon for Po Boy Sandwiches
By Bernard Clayton
Ingredients:
2-1/4 t dry yeast
2 T Nonfat Dry Milk
1 T-Sugar, Salt
4-5 Cups AP Flour
2 C Hot water (120-130 F) (I use 110F)
1 T Butter
1 T cold water
In a large mixing or mixer bowl, stir together yeast, dry milk, sugar, salt, and 2 cups flour. Pour in the hot water and add the butter. Blend for 2 minutes with the flat beater of the mixer. Stir in the balance of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to the dough hook after about 1 additional cup of flour has been added. The dough will be a shaggy mass, elastic, but not sticky; it will clean the sides of the bowl. If it continues to be moist, sprinkle on additional flour. Place a kitchen towel over the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Turn the mixer to Speed 2 and knead for 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap to retain moisture, and leave at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1-1/4 hours. Punch down the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 30 seconds to press out the bubbles, cut into two pieces, and form each into a ball. For a round loaf, place the dough on a corner of a greased or Teflon baking sheet or in a small basket, lined loosely with a cloth and sprinkled with flour. For a long loaf, roll the ball into a rectangle, about 10" x 16". Roll the dough until your palms into a long loaf which can be placed directly on a greased or Teflon baking sheet or in a long cloth-lined basket. Later, after it has risen, it will be turned from the basket directly onto the baking sheet. Cover the loaves carefully with waxed paper and place in a warm place. Leave until doubled in volume, about 45 to 50 minutes (I've found its usually longer). Prepare the oven by placing a large, shallow roasting pan under the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. about 20 minutes before baking. Three minutes before placing the loaves in the oven, pour 1 pint hot water in the pan . Be careful of the steam that will suddenly erupt. If the loaves have raised in baskets, simply tip the raised loaf into your hand and quickly turn the loaf right side up and onto the baking sheet. Brush with cold water and sprinkle with the coarse salt (or sesame seeds or poppy seeds). With a razor blade or a sharp knife, slash the round loaves with a tic-tac-toe design, the long loaves with diagonal cuts. Bake the loaves until they are golden brown, 45 minutes. Turn over one loaf and tap the bottom crust; a hard hollow sound means the bread is baked. If not, return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Midway during baking and again near the end of t, shift the loaves on the baking sheets so they are exposed equally to the temperature variations of the oven. Remove the loaves from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool. NOTES : This is a smooth, creamy, crusty bread. Recipe by: Bernard Clayton
Wow, for a very long time I have been making a Muffaltta, or so I thought was Muffaletta.
I just use my regular bread dough, either w/w or white, shape it into round fairly flat
loaf and bake.
When cold I slice through and remove quite a bit of the inner crumb, then butter both sides, then proceed to fill with what ever, but basically, sliced Tyrolean ham, sliced very thin skinned tomato, some cheese, either pickled or fresh peppers, more ham or smoked turkey, tomato, some times even a little sauteed onion and so on till I think it's OK . close the loaf wrap tight in Saran wrap place in fridge till required. to serve cut as one would cut a round cake.
Some times I change the filling to fish, canned salmon, lettuce, shrimps, mayo, more lettuce, Swiss cheese, tomato, peppers etc . some times I add hard boiled egg that I mash with soft butter.
Maybe I have been doing it wrong, but I know my family love it for lunch when they visit, just buy a large bag of potato chips and that's it, lunch. qahtan
I
There are more threads talking about this kind of bread, try checking any of them out. This for instance is a link to a thread concerning po-boy bread.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/5107/po-boysfinally
I've also been searching for the recipe for the bread that Schlotsky's uses on their original muffaletta, all I can find is the deli bread. I think their original sandwich is made on a sourdough roll, somewhat like an english muffin. I found this recipe on KA's site and plan to give a try . . . soon as I locate some english muffin rings!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=R368
Galley Wench
Just found this . . . http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/eatingout/eating_s/sourdough-buns.htm
guess their recipes a secret!
Just took the Sourdough Buns out of the oven . . .they look right, taste wonderful, now will have to make the olive salad and make the whole sandwich before I'm sure!
Galley Wench
That looks great!
A point a few people have missed is that po boys are made on French like bread, long and fairly skinny. Po boys are like a New Orleans spin on a sub sandwich.
Muffalettas - in my limited experience and from what I read - are made with an open crumbed round flattish (2 inches tall or so) bread. It has to have a strong crust to not get too soggy from the oil that is put on it from the olive salad, and the crumb has to absorb a lot of oil.
Again, looks like you nailed it.
Mike
It's been awhile since I've had their sandwich (don't have one up here in the mountains) but I'm wondering if they don't lightly grill before loading on the meat, cheese and olive salad. Like you said, don't want it getting soggy!
Diana
aka Galley Wench
http://www.wingandsail.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much . . . I used my own starter and the recipe from KA flour's site. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=R368
Galley Wench
http://www.wingandsail.blogspot.com/