Muffaletta Bread is a simple bread made in a large round loaf and stuffed with a variety of meats and condiments then cut into wedges. It’s absolutely perfect for a gathering when the host wants to actually enjoy being with the guests and not stuck in the kitchen getting food ready. This bread is used for the famous New Orleans sandwich of the same name that uses an olive salad, Italian cold cuts and cheeses.
The bread by itself is marvelous and so easy you won’t believe it. It takes 5 ingredients and can be made in the processor in a matter of minutes after which it rises, is shaped (I have an easy way to get it into the traditional round shape), and rises again before baking.
While the bread can be baked the same day, I strongly suggest you refrigerate it up to three days to develop even more flavor. It can also be baked and frozen so it’s ready when you are.
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This bread is so easy, it’s perfect for a beginning baker or anyone who is hesitant about bread baking.
Other great sandwich breads include: Outback Steakhouse Bread, Sweet and Hot Red Pepper Bread, and The Story of No-Knead Bread and Me.
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Why You’ll Love this Bread
- It’s so easy to make a beginner can make it in a matter of minutes.
- Since the bread should be round, I’m going to show you a really easy way to shape it.
- There are only a few ingredients that may be in your pantry already.
- There is no need to knead it as the processor or mixer does it for you.
- Bakes into a beautiful golden loaf.
- It has a thin, crispy crust with a soft interior that is perfect for holding a stack of meats, cheeses and condiment.
- It will lets you be a guest at your own gathering.
Recipe Ingredients
Muffaletta Bread
FRONT ROW: Olive oil, sugar, insant yeast, salt
BACK ROW: Bread Flour, Water
My Sandwich Ingredients
These were the ingredients I used for my sandwich. However, anything you like can be substituted. Just have a variety of meats, cheeses, condiments and dressing. This sandwich can also be made vegetarian.
The meats and cheeses included are or a 9″ round of bread: 4 slices each of Swiss, American and pepperjack cheeses, 4 large slices of hickory smoked ham, roast beef and smoked turkey except and 8 slices of hard salami. 3 or 4 Roma tomatoes were used and hot banana peppers covered the bottom slice of bread. Roma tomatoes were used because the juice less. Mustards, flavored or plain mayonnaise, sandwich spreads, durkee, etc, can be used as the dressing.
FRONT ROW: Swiss Cheese, ham, hard salami, smoked turkey, roast beef
MIDDLE ROW: American cheese
BACK ROW: Pepperjack cheese, hot banana pepper, sandwich dressing, plum tomatoes
Key Ingredients
- Bread Flour will ensure you get the highest rise and best texture out of this bread. All purpose 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 see the recipe card below for the full ingredients & instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Add the bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast to the processor bowl. Step 2. Pulse several times to mix the ingredients. Step 3. Combine the water and olive oil and pour over the dry ingredients. Step 4. Process until it mostly forms a ball. The dough should be soft but not sticky. NOTE: Follow these same steps if using a mixer.
Step 5. Pour the dough onto a work surface. Step 6. Shape it into a ball. Step 7. Place it in a container or bowl that has been sprayed with a non-stick baking release, turn it over so both sides are coated, cover with plastic wrap and mark the time on it. It will rise in about 2 hours with sugar, 2 ½ to 3 hours without sugar.Step 8. After it has risen, flatten it into a 9″ circle and place it in a 9″ cake pan that has also been sprayed with the releasing agent.
Step 9. Cover the dough directly and either let it rise again to bake it immediately or place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking. Step 10. If the dough has been refrigerated, remove it from the fridge and cover it with a tea towel. Allow it to rise until doubled. Step 11. Preheat the oven and in the meantime, brush the top of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, sesame seeds or leave it plain. Step 12. Bake as directed and cool on a rack before releasing. It can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.
Assembly of a Sandwich
Step 13. Juice the Roma tomatoes by cutting off the top and squeezing the liquid from them. Slice about ¼” thick. Set aside. Step 14. Slice the bread horizontally in half. Spread a thick layer of whatever dressing you are using on the bottom slice of the bread to within ½” of the edge of the bread. Cover with the banana pepper rings. Step 15. I layered the meats and cheeses as follows: Ham, Swiss cheese, salami, American cheese and smoked turkey. Step 15. The layering continued with pepperjack cheese, and roast beef.
Step 17. Cover the beef with the sliced tomatoes. Step 18. Spread the underside of the top of the bread with another layer of dressing to within ½” of the edge of the bread and place the top on the tomatoes, dressing side down. Step 19. Cover the sandwich with parchment. Step 20. Place a tray on top of the paper and in that tray place a 10# bag of flour. I used two 10# weight to compress the sandwich in the refrigerator overnight. To serve, let the sandwich come to room temperature, cutting it into as many wedges as desired.
Recipe FAQS
In 1906, a Sicilian, Lupe Salvadore, opened the Central Grocery in French Quarter of New Orleans. The story goes he saw fellow Sicilians buying ingredients for such a sandwich from the French Market and was put off by the mess they were making. So he created the signature olive salad, the key ingredient to a Muffaletta, layered Italian cold cuts and cheeses on the round loaf and a sandwich for the ages was born.
The bread is round and flat, has a lightly crisp crust and is soft inside sort of like focaccia or ciabatta bread.
It is in the same category as a sub, hero, hoagie or grinder.
Expert Tips
- 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 sandwiches 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.
Other Amazing Breads
Love this Muffaletta Bread? It would be hugely helpful and so appreciated it if you would take a moment to leave a rating. Thank you.
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’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.
Instructions
Muffaletta Bread
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The instructions for the processor and the mixer are the same unless otherwise noted.
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Spray a 9×2″ round cake pan with a non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
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Place the flour, sugar, salt and instant yeast in the bowl of a processor. Pulse several times to mix.
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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.
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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.
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Deflate the dough and press it into a 9″ round. Place it in the prepared 9″ pan.
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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.
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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.
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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
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These ingredients are the ones I used. Feel free to use any meats, cheeses, condiments, and sandwich spreads you like.
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Juice the roma tomatoes by cutting off the top and squeezing the liquid from the tomato. Slice them about ¼” thick and set aside.
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Slice the bread in half horizontally.
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Spread a thick layer of the sandwich spread on the bread to within ½” of the edge. Cover it with the hot banana peppers.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Refrigerate overnight to compress the sandwich.
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To serve: Bring to room temperature and cut as desired.
Notes
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
Serving: 6servingsCalories: 262kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 8gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 685mgPotassium: 179mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 345IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
