Jambon-Beurre — Ham and Butter Baguette
The French buy something like a billion of these a year, and they contain three things. No leaves, no mustard, no mayonnaise. It sounds austere until you make one with a proper baguette and good butter, at which point it becomes obvious why nobody has improved on it.
Ingredients
Sandwich
- 1 sourdough baguette (wheat)
- 80g cold salted butter
- 6 slices good cooked ham, off the bone if possible
Method
- Split, do not halve. Cut the baguette along one side only, leaving a hinge. It holds together far better and stops the filling escaping.
- Butter properly. Spread cold butter thickly across the whole cut surface, right to the ends. This is not a scraping — you should be able to see it. It is a third of the sandwich.
- Lay the ham. Fold each slice loosely and lay it along the length so there is ham in every bite, including the last one. Do not overfill.
- Press and cut. Close, press along the length, and cut into two lengths on the diagonal.
Every sandwich here is only as good as the bread. Ours starts with a live culture — buy a live sourdough starter and bake your own.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there nothing else in a jambon-beurre?
Because with three ingredients each one has to be good, and adding a fourth hides the fact that one of them is not. It is a test of your bread, your butter and your ham, which is why it remains the benchmark sandwich in France.
What ham should I use?
Jambon de Paris traditionally — a mild, lightly brined cooked ham. Any good ham off the bone works. Avoid heavily smoked or honey-glazed ham, which overwhelms the butter.
Should the butter be salted?
Yes. Salted butter is standard for this sandwich and does the seasoning work. If you only have unsalted, add a very small pinch of flaky salt over the butter.
Can I make it the night before?
It is best within a couple of hours, but it survives overnight better than most sandwiches because butter is a moisture barrier. Wrap it tightly in paper rather than plastic so the crust does not sweat.
More sandwich recipes
Ready to bake this?
Our live San Francisco sourdough starter is never dehydrated, and it's usually bubbling and ready to bake with about two hours after you wake it up. Free next-day UK delivery when you order by 2pm.