Bakery -- Muffuletta Bread
Submitted by dvdlee on August 27, 2004 at 9:59 am

DESCRIPTION
Bakery -- Muffuletta Bread

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Yeast Bread/Rolls (not sourdough)

INSTRUCTIONS
Here is a good bread recipe that is "authentic" New Orleans. A critical ingredient for making a delicious Muffuletta. (A large sandwich of Creole-Italian background with Italian meats, marinated olive salad, cheese, lots of olive oil on this bread.)

The bread is actually better when baked the day before because you want the crust to lose a little bit of its 'crunch' and have a soft edge to the crust -- kind of a 1/2 crunch!

A muffuletta sandwich is actually a HUGE thing -- usually 8-9 inches in diameter and is cut into quarter or 6ths to serve.

1 cup water*
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 & 1/2 teaspoons SAF yeast
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
3 cups bread flour
White Sesame seeds

*I usually wind up adding 1 additional Tablespoon of water to this dough, but I wait until the dough is mixed to add this adjustment....

I usually make this in a bread machine.

Add all of the ingredients to your machine in the order specified by your manufacturer. Set the machine to "Dough". After the cycle has completed the bread is ready to shape.

I like to make this as one muffuletta bread roll -- but you can make 2.

Gently deflate the dough. Shape into a ball. After you have a nice well-sealed dough ball, put it on a a large sheet of parchment paper and then gently pat it into a 9" round -- just like you were making a pizza (a THICK pizza, but its the same technique). Heavily sprinkle the top of the dough with the sesame seeds and gently press them into the dough with your hands.

Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425F. After the dough has risen, bake it for 10 minutes at 425F -- then lower the temperature to 375F and continue to bake for around 22-25 minutes. Remove when done and cool on a rack. (Do not add steam when baking the loaf --- just dry heat.)

TO MAKE THE SANDWICH:

When the bread is cool (or the next day), split the loaf in half like you would a hamburger bun. Heavily brush the bottom of the loaf with extra virgin olive oil (the best you have in the house).

Add the following thinly sliced meats and cheese (the higher the quality of the meat and cheese, the better the sandwich):
1/4 lb. of Genoa salami
1/4 lb. of ham
1/4 lb. mortadella
1.4 lb. sopresesa (or another Italian-style sausage - or just more of the 3 meats above)
1/3 lb. provolone
1 pt. of olive salad (I really like the Boscoli brand premade Olive salad. But if anyone needs a recipe for making their own, I have one -- haven't made it, but will be glad to post.)

Lightly brush the top of the loaf with olive oil and put on top of the sandwich. Lightly press the sandwich down.

How I like to finish the sandwich:

Double wrap the muffuletta in foil. Take a cutting board and place on top of the sandwich. Put two 28 oz. cans (I use tomato cans) on top of the board. Let this press down on the sandwich for 10-15 minutes. Remove weights, turn the sandwich over, and add the board & weights on top of the sandwich again for the same amount of time.

I like to have my sandwich warm, so I place it in a 250F oven for 15 minutes until the cheese has just begun to soften. Cut muffuletta into wedges and serve. (Will serve 2 - 4 people).

Wrap leftovers in waxed paper, then foil. Put in fridge. Eat slightly chilled the next day -- it will be just as good -- if not better!