Muffuletta

Course: Lunch / Dinner

Cuisine: New Orleans

Keyword: how to make a muffuletta sandwich, how to make muffuletta bread, New Orleans cuisine

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Bread proofing: 3

Total Time: 3 50

Servings:

Calories: 824kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Here is an authentic recipe for the New Orleans classic sandwich. You can make the bread and the olive salad up to a day in advance. You can find the Italian cured meats at Italian markets and many well-stocked supermarkets.

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Ingredients

For the Muffuletta Bread

1 cup water warmed to 110° - 120°F
2¼ tsp instant yeast or active dry
1 tbsp sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt fine, not coarse
2 tbsp shortening or lard, or butter (chilled)
2 tbsp olive oil for greasing the bowl
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 large egg

For the Olive Salad

1 cup olives stuffed with pimentos, roughly chopped
¼ cup brine from the olives jar
1 cup Kalamata olives roughly chopped
3 stalks celery finely chopped
¼ cup banana peppers chopped
¼ cup capers drained
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
1 tbsp oregano dried
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
⅓ cup olive oil
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper

For the Sandwich

¼ cup olive oil
¼ lb coppa Italian ham, thinly sliced
¼ lb mortadella Italian bologna, thinly sliced
¼ lb provolone cheese thinly sliced
¼ lb mozzarella cheese thinly sliced, or Swiss cheese
¼ lb genoa salami thinly sliced

Instructions

Make the Muffuletta Bread

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the warm water and gently whisk in the sugar and yeast. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, until foamy.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt. Use your fingers to work the shortening into the flour.
With the dough attachment in place, turn the mixer on medium-low. Slowly add the flour mixture, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. After a minute or two, the dough should start to come together. A ball of dough won't form, but it will start to form a rough (or shaggy) dough.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a rough ball in the palms of your hands. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use the palms of your hands to knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it becomes soft and pliable. Alternatively, knead the bread with the dough attachment in your mixer for 7 to 8 minutes.
Take the dough and use your fingers to smooth it into a ball. Add 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil to a bowl. Add the ball of dough to the bowl and turn to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, non-drafty area for 90 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and use your hands to form a 9-inch disc. (The dough will expand to 10 inches as it rises and then bakes).
Spray a little water with a spray bottle (or your fingers) over the top of the dough. Sprinkle the sesame seeds all over the top. Transfer the dough to a baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Cover with a kitchen towel, and place in a warm, non-drafty area for 60 to 90 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Make an egg wash by mixing together the lightly beaten egg with two tbsp of water. Brush all over the surface of the bread dough.
Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Once the bread is golden on top and hollow-sounding when tapped, it's done. Let cool on a rack. Use a serrated knife to cut the bread in half, starting just above where the loaf is beginning to dome.

Make the Olive Salad

Use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Build The Muffuletta

Brush olive oil all over the cut side of the top and bottom portion of the sliced bread.
Add half of the olive salad on the top portion of the bread, and then the remaining olive salad on the bottom. Don't add too much of the liquid to the bottom half (it will get soggy if you do).
Next, add a layer of the coppa, then a layer of the mortadella.
Top with layers of sliced provolone and mozzarella. Next, add the salomi layer.
Very carefully flip the bottom half of the sandwich onto the top. Then flip the sandwich over. (It's okay if some of the olive salad falls out of the sandwich, this is almost impossible to prevent).
Wrap the sandwich with plastic wrap. Place a heavy object on top of the sandwich (such as a cast-iron skillet). Let is rest for 1 hour, or up to 12 hours.
Remove the plastic wrap and use a large sharp knife to cut the sandwich into 4 equal portions. Serve at once, or wrap in foil, and heat in a 325°F oven for 15 minutes.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you like the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

The bread and the olive salad can be made up to 2 days in advance. Place the bread in a paper sack and leave on the counter. Transfer the salad to a jar or container with a lid and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Wrap leftovers in foil and they will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition