Holiday Sandwich Loaf Recipes

PARTY SANDWICH LOAF

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix all shrimp salad spread ingredients until well blended. In second medium bowl, mix all olive-nut spread ingredients until well blended. In third medium bowl, mix all deviled ham spread ingredients until well blended.
• Trim crusts from bread loaves. Cut each loaf horizontally into 4 equal slices. Lightly spread butter over 3 slices. Place 1 buttered slice on each of 2 serving plates or trays; spread each evenly with half of the shrimp salad spread. Top with second buttered slices; spread each evenly with half of the olive-nut spread. Top with third buttered slices; spread each evenly with half of the deviled ham spread. Top with unbuttered slices. Lightly press each loaf together.
• In medium bowl, mix 4 packages cream cheese, half-and-half and food color. Spread half of mixture over sides and top of each loaf. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until cream cheese mixture has set. Cover tightly; refrigerate at least 2 1/2 hours but no longer than 24 hours. To serve, remove from refrigerator, cut into slices. Store covered in refrigerator.

FROSTED SANDWICH LOAF

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the ground ham, 1/2 cup of salad dressing, 3 tablespoons of relish, and onion. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• In another bowl, mix together the ground bologna, 3 tablespoons of relish, and 1/2 cup of salad dressing. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• In a third bowl, stir together 1 package of cream cheese, walnuts, green olives, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• In a fourth bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, 1 package of cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of salad dressing, onion salt, garlic salt, and celery salt. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• Spread the ham spread onto the bottom slice of bread, then top with another slice. Cover the next slice with bologna spread, and top with another slice. Spread the next slice with the nut spread, and then top with another slice of bread. Top this slice with the Cheddar cheese spread. Top with one more slice of the bread. Smooth the sides with a large spatula or knife, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before 'frosting' to make it easier.
• Mix together the 2 remaining packages of cream cheese, and enough milk to make it spreadable. Frost the sides of the loaf first, then the top. Decorate with sweet pickles and pimentos to your liking.

RETRO PARTY SANDWICH LOAF

Steps:

• Trim the bread into a cylinder with a large serrated bread knife, flattening out the top and evening out the sides so that you are left with a tall cake-like shape. (For neat edges, use a 6-inch cake pan or a small plate on top of the loaf as a guide to cut around.) Cut the bread horizontally into 4 layers, using a sawing motion.
• Place the bottom bread layer on a serving plate or cake stand and cover with half of the mayonnaise. Layer on one container of the Black Forest ham. Place the second bread layer on top, cover with half of the mustard and top with the smoked turkey. Place the third bread layer on top, cover with the remaining mayonnaise and top with the remaining ham. Spread the cut side of the fourth bread layer with the remaining mustard and close the sandwich. Press down to adhere the layers together.
• Frost the loaf with the cream cheese using an offset spatula. Press the scallions along the bottom edge of the loaf. Sprinkle the chives on the outer top edge of the loaf. Sprinkle the spring mix greens in the center of the cake. Arrange the cherry tomatoes cut-side down at regular intervals around the top of the cake. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

SPECIAL SANDWICH LOAVES

Steps:

• Cut each loaf into 22 slices, leaving slices attached at the bottom (cut off and discard end pieces). Between every other slice of bread, place a piece of turkey and beef, a lettuce leaf, a piece of each kind of cheese, red peppers and pepper rings., In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, garlic and chili powder. To serve, cut completely through the bread between the plain slices. Serve with mayonnaise mixture and submarine dressing.

NOT-YOUR-GRANDMA'S SANDWICH LOAF

Steps:

• Cut rolls in half horizontally.
• Spread 1/2 cup salad on bottom half of 1 roll. Top with remaining bottom half of second roll. Spread with remaining 1/2 cup salad. Cover with 1 top of roll. (Save remaining top half for another use.)
• Using butter knife or icing spatula, spread hummus on top and sides of loaf. Garnish with nuts from hummus.
• To serve, cut into 4 slices.

SANDWICH LOAF

Steps:

• Remove the bread crusts and slice the loaf lengthwise into 4 slices.
• Butter 2 slices on 1 side for the top and bottom, butter the 2 remaining slices on both sides.
• Spread a layer of salad (you can use the same or different salads) on the bottom slice, add another slice then salad, repeat and top with the last slice butter side down.
• Press down on the loaf just enough to compact the layers.
• Combine cream cheese with enough mayonnaise or cream to make it spreadable, add food coloring.
• "Frost"the top and sides of the loaf, garnish and chill.
• To serve, cut into 1/2 inch slices.

BASIC SOFT WHITE SANDWICH LOAF

Steps:

• 1. Make the sponge. In a mixer bowl or other large bowl, combine the flour, water, honey, and instant yeast. Whisk until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a thick batter, Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
• 2. Make the flour mixture and add to the sponge. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour (reserve 1/4 cup if mixing by hand), dry milk, and instant yeast. Sprinkle this on top of the sponge and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow it to ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour blanket in places: this is fine.)
• 3. Mix the dough.
• Mixer Method Add the butter to the bowl and mix with the dough hook on low speed (#2 if using a KitchenAid) for 1 minute or until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough. Scrape down any bits of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle on the salt and knead the dough on medium speed (#4 KitchenAid) for 7 to 10 minutes. It will not come away from the bowl until the last minute or so of kneading; it will be smooth and shiny and stick to your fingers. With an oiled spatula, scrape down any dough clinging to the sides of the bowl. If the dough is not stiff, knead in a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray it with a little water and knead it in. (The dough will weigh about 44.25 ounces/1258 grams.)
• Hand Method Add the salt and butter to the bowl and, with a wooden spoon or your hand, stir until all the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, adding as little of the reserved flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. (This resting time will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with.)
• Knead the dough for another 5 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic. It should still be tacky (sticky) enough to cling slightly to your fingers a little. If the dough is still very sticky, however, add some of the remaining reserved flour, or a little extra. (The dough will weigh about 44.25 ounces/1258 grams.)
• Both Methods 4. Let the dough rise. Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 4-quart dough-rising container or bowl, lightly oiled with cooking spray or oil. Push down the dough and lightly spray or oil the surface. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height of the dough would be. Allow the dough to rise (ideally at 75°to 80°F) until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough onto a floured counter and press down on it gently to form a rectangle. It will be full of air and resilient. Try to maintain as many of the air bubbles as possible. Pull out and fold the dough over from all four sides into a tight package, or give it 2 business letter turns and set it back in the container. Again oil the surface, cover, and mark where double the height would now be. (It will fill the container fuller than before because it is puffier with air.) Allow the dough to rise for 1 to 2 hours or until it reaches the mark.
• 5. Shape the dough and let it rise. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and cut it in half. Shape each piece into a loaf: begin by gently pressing the dough (or lightly rolling it with a rolling pin) into a wide rectangle; the exact size is not important at this point. (A long side of the dough should be facing toward you.) Dimple the dough with your fingertips to deflate any large bubbles. Fold over the right side of the dough to a little past the center. Fold over the left side of the dough to overlap it slightly. Press the center overlap section with the side of your hand to seal the dough. (If you have a lot of experience shaping, you may prefer at this point to rotate the dough 90 degrees-a quarter turn.) Starting at the top edge of the dough, roll it over three or four times, until it reaches the bottom edge of the dough: with each roll, press with your thumbs to seal it and at the same time push it away from you slightly to tighten the outer skin. As you roll and press, the dough will become wider. If it is not as long as the pan, place both hands close together on top of the dough and, rolling back and forth, gradually work your way toward the ends, gently stretching the dough. For the most even shape, it is important to keep a tight skin on the surface of the dough and not to tear it. If you want the edges of the loaf to be smooth, tuck the sides under.
• Place the loaves in the prepared loaf pans; the dough will be about 1/2 inch from the top of the pans. Cover them with a large container, or cover them loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and allow to rise until the center is about 1 inch above the sides of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When the dough is pressed with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill in.
• 6. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F 45 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it, and a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven, before preheating.
• 7. Bake the bread. Quickly but gently set the pans on the hot baking stone or hot baking sheet. Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the door. Bake for 50 minutes or until medium golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 210°F). Halfway through baking, turn the pans around for even baking.
• 8. Glaze and cool the bread. Remove the bread from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Brush the top of the bread with the optional melted butter. Unmold and cool top side up on a wire rack until barely warm, about 1 hour.
• ULTIMATE FULL FLAVOR VARIATION
• For the best flavor development, in Step 2, allow the sponge to ferment for 1 hour at room temperature and then refrigerate it for 8 to 24 hours. If using the hand mixing method, remove it from the refrigerator about 1 hour before mixing the dough.
• POINTERS FOR SUCCESS
• • If not using the dry milk, you can replace 1 cup of the water with 1 cup milk, preferably nonfat, scalded (brought to the boiling point) and cooled to lukewarm.
• UNDERSTANDING
• A greater amount of sponge dough starter (pre-ferment) offers a fuller flavor in this "plain" bread, so almost 50 percent of total amount of flour is used in the sponge, compared to the usual 30 percent of hearth breads.
• If using liquid milk, it is scalded to deactivate the enzyme in it that could make the dough sticky.
• Baking the bread at too high a temperature, would result in too thin a crust, which would cause keyholing, or caving in at the sides of the loaf. Therefore, this bread is baked at 350°F. It is also important for the bread to be thoroughly baked so that the crust is firm enough to prevent it from compressing. The loaves should not be cut until completely cool for the same reason.
• THE DOUGH PERCENTAGE
• Flour: 100% Water: 66.3% (includes the water in the butter and honey) Yeast: 0.74% Salt: 2.3% Butterfat: 15.9%