Ten sandwiches worth making properly — Italian ciabatta piled with cured meats, baguettes built the French way, and the British classics on soft white bread. Every one of them starts with a loaf you baked yourself.
All 10 sourdough sandwich recipes
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Ciabatta
Mortadella & Pistachio Ciabatta -
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Ciabatta · Vegetarian
Grilled Courgette & Pesto Ciabatta -
Baguette
Jambon-Beurre Baguette -
Baguette
Coppa, Artichoke & Rocket Baguette -
Baguette · Vegetarian
Brie, Fig & Walnut Baguette -
White bread
Ham & English Mustard Sandwich -
White bread · Vegetarian
Egg Mayonnaise & Cress Sandwich -
White bread · Vegetarian
Mature Cheddar & Pickle Sandwich
Start with the right bread
The bread is not the background here, it is most of the sandwich. Three loaves cover everything on this page:
- Sourdough ciabatta — open crumb, drinks up olive oil, right for anything Italian.
- Sourdough baguette — crisp crust and a tight enough crumb to hold a filling laid along its length.
- Sourdough sandwich loaf — soft, square and close-textured, for the classics.
Three rules that decide whether a sandwich works
Butter to the edges. Butter is a moisture barrier before it is a flavour. Under-buttered corners are the most common failing in a plain sandwich.
Dry everything that is wet. Drain oil-packed artichokes, pat mozzarella, cook the water out of vegetables. Soggy bread is almost always an ingredient that went on damp.
Fold, do not flatten. Cured meat laid in loose folds eats lighter and smells better than the same meat pressed flat. It costs nothing and changes everything.
Bake the bread first
All of this rests on a good loaf, and a good loaf rests on a live culture. Buy a live sourdough starter — ready to bake with in about two hours, and it posts worldwide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best sourdough bread for sandwiches?
It depends entirely on the filling. Ciabatta suits oily Italian fillings because its open crumb absorbs olive oil without collapsing. A baguette suits simple fillings laid along its length. A soft white sandwich loaf with a tight crumb is right for anything wet, like egg mayonnaise, because the filling cannot fall through.
How do I stop a sandwich going soggy?
Butter the bread to the edges — butter is a moisture barrier and does more than any other single step. Keep wet ingredients away from the crumb by layering cheese or leaves against the bread, drain anything packed in oil or brine, and add salad leaves at the last moment if you are making it ahead.
Which sandwiches travel best?
Pressed sandwiches are the clear winners. The salami, provolone and roasted pepper ciabatta is genuinely better several hours after it is made. Jambon-beurre also holds up well because butter protects the crumb. Anything with tomato or undrained mozzarella is best eaten within the hour.
Can I make these with shop-bought bread?
Yes, though the difference is considerable. Sourdough has a firmer crumb structure and a faint acidity that cuts through fat, which matters a great deal with cured meats and soft cheese. If you are buying, look for a proper bakery loaf rather than a supermarket sourdough-style bread.
What are the best vegetarian sandwich fillings?
The ones that are not wet. Chargrilled courgette with pesto, brie with figs and walnuts, egg mayonnaise, and mature cheddar with pickle all have enough richness and texture to stand up next to a cured meat sandwich. Cook the water out of any vegetable before it goes near bread.
How thin should cured meat be sliced?
As thin as the machine will manage, then laid in loose folds rather than flat sheets. Air between the folds keeps the meat feeling light, and the warmth of your hands releases more of its aroma. Thick slices of prosciutto or mortadella turn rubbery and taste of much less.
Keep going: browse the full sourdough recipe library, or the sourdough pasta recipes.
