Italian Sandwich Loaf Recipes

ITALIAN MEAT LOAF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place six slices on a griddle, buttered side down. Layer with the cheese, pizza sauce, giardiniera, meat loaf and remaining bread, buttered side up. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, turning once.

ITALIAN MEATBALL MEATLOAF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the meat in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Trim the crusts off the bread and place in a small bowl, cover with milk and soak to soften. Squeeze the milk from the bread and crumble as you add it to the meat. Then add the eggs, cheese, parsley, grated onion and garlic, and mix to combine. Form into a loaf about 4 inches high and put on the baking sheet. Spray with olive oil.
• Mix the ketchup with the balsamic drizzle and Worcestershire. Season with pepper. Spread about 1/3 cup of the ketchup mixture over the top of the meatloaf. Bake until cooked through, about 1 hour.
• To reheat, slice the meatloaf 1 1/2 inches thick and put in a pot of warmed chicken stock. Serve the meatloaf hot or cold on thick-sliced Italian white bread with the remaining ketchup mixture and the lettuce, tomato, onions, mozzarella and basil.

ITALIAN-STYLE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• For the meatloaf: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper and crushed red pepper if using and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, kosher salt, pepper, basil, eggs, 1/2 cup of the marinara and the cooled vegetables. Use your hands to mix everything together. Transfer the mixture to the center of the prepared baking sheet and form into a loaf. Coat the meat loaf with the remaining 1/2 cup marinara.
• Bake until the meat loaf is firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on the shape of your loaf). Let set for about 5 minutes before slicing.
• For the sandwiches: Butter the rolls and then sprinkle with garlic salt. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until light golden and toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Add a slice of meatloaf to each toasted roll and top with some of the marinara and 3 slices mozzarella. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

FABULOUS CRUSTY ITALIAN LOAF

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast with a quarter cup of the lukewarm water. Pour yeast into a large bowl. Mix in flour, sugar, salt, and remaining lukewarm water and mix in until dough starts to form. If too sticky, add a bit more flour.
• Turn out onto flat surface and knead for 6-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Put dough into an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with a thick towel, and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in size, or about 1.5-2 hours.
• For bread machine, just use to mix and do the first rising of the dough, then remove to shape into loaves and do second rise, following instructions below.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Remove dough onto a floured surface. Punch down and shape into 2 oblong loaves about a foot long each. If you own a baking stone or unglazed ceramic tiles, dust lightly with cornmeal and put into preheated oven. Put loaves on a peel (large wooden spatula), also lightly dusted with cornmeal, or on a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise again for 40 minutes. Loaves will about double in width.
• In a small dish, add egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water. Slit tops of risen bread 3 or 4 times, making slits that are a quarter of an inch deep. With a brush, paint tops with egg wash. If on a peel, slide loaves onto stone or tile; otherwise put cookie sheet in oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F Then lower heat to 400F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, until golden and baked through. To check if it's done, thump the bottom of each loaf; if it sounds hollow, it's done.
• Note: Although the original recipe has you bake it at a higher temperature for the first 10 minutes and then lower the temperature, I was able to bake it continuously at 400F for 40 minutes total and mine turned out perfectly. I am including both here so that you can decide, depending on your oven.
• Don't wait to let it cool; eat it when it's hot! Delicious!
• Tip: For crustier bread, put a shallow baking pan filled with boiling hot water on bottom shelf of oven.
• Variation: To make rolls, preheat oven to 400°F After dough rises, remove to a floured surface. Punch down dough and shape into 12-14 rolls. Place on cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise for 20 minutes. Slit each roll once and paint tops with egg wash. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden and baked through.

MOM'S ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place each loaf seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

ITALIAN DELI SUBMARINE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise,.
• Spread both sides with mayo or salad dressing.
• Layer the bottom half of bread starting with sliced tomatoes, then prosciutto, then salami, then cheddar slices, then ham, then provolone cheese slices, then sliced dill pickles.
• Top with shredded lettuce then sprinkle with black pepper.
• Top with the pickled peppers.
• Spoon the Italian vinaigrette over the filling.
• Cover with the other top half of bread.
• Press down firmly with your hand.
• Slice as desired.

ITALIAN MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).