Sandwiches were meant for summers.
While everyone has their favorite, the recipe for a perfect sandwich isn’t complicated. You just don’t need to have tons of ingredients or complicated processes…unless you want to.
What it really comes down to make the perfect summer sandwiches is the breads, the spreads and whatever stuff you want in between!
Breads
I love sandwiches because they give bread the opportunity to show off. But not all breads are made the same and choosing the right bread for your sandwich is imperative to create the perfect summer sandwich. If you have a sandwich with lots of heavy ingredients or ones with lots of produce (and moisture), you need a bread that is very crusty, meaty and can stand up to a BIG sandwich like a sourdough. However, sometimes you need more of bun than a loaf to handle the job, so you’ll want a kaiser roll. But sometimes it’s not the bread at all, but actually a wrap or flatbread that makes the best way to get that mass of goodness between your fingers into your mouth. I’m a huge fan of the bagel things, English muffins and even tortillas roll it up all the best.
Best breads for sandwiches:
- Ciabatta
- Sourdough
- Foccacia
- Baguettes
- Whole Grains
- Flatbreads
Spreads
My grandpa (Lord bless him) made the best sandwiches ever. What made them so amazing? I will never know especially since his ingredients weren’t anything different than turkey, wheat bread, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. However, what he did do was to make sure the mayonnaise or mustard always made it to the edges of the bread. This technique ensured each was as good as the rest.
And that’s what you want to do for your sandwich. Whether it’s a condiment out of a squeezable bottle or something a little fancier, you want to use just the right amount for the perfect summer sandwich and spread it just right. For me and for many, pesto makes everything better. Using a few fresh ingredients including the very seasonal basil, you can make a sandwich go from whoa to WOW with a small slather. While there are all kinds of different pesto varieties you can make (I’m a huge fan of cilantro pesto), all you really need is a little food processor to make a spread to use on your sandwich and later to spread on anything from poultry to produce (and everything in between.)
My go-to-recipe for pesto can be prepared in just a few minutes!
Perfect Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil, packed
- 4 cups pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 cups grated parmesan
- 1/8 cup
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the EVOO in a blender, mixer, etc. and blend on low until combined.
- Slowly add the EVOO and blend until fully mixed.
- Pesto will last one week in the fridge or 4-5 months in the fridge (use in ice cube trays for easy and quick use!)
- Also great as gifts!
Here are some of the best pesto-perfect recipes!
Follow Autumn {mamachallenge.com}’s board Perfect Pesto Recipes on Pinterest.
The Stuff in Between
Anything can go into a sandwich. The summer provides ideal sandwich ingredients like tomatoes, several varieties of lettuce, and cherries? Well you probably haven’t had too many cherries in your sandwich, but the idea is that you need to rethink your sandwich ingredients. While I love a turkey sandwich, sometimes thinking outside of the bread for some really great ways to enjoy some of the season’s best bounty in a whole new way. For me a dessert sandwich was an innovative pairing especially with tart cherries, thinly sliced ham, creamy muenster cheese and the crunch of this rosemary garlic bread crusty bread. Sometimes I’ve even added a little-grilled romaine for another layer of crunch and earthy greens.
While I love simmering cherries with bourbon for a sweet (and southern-like) treat, sometimes you just don’t have the time. So use preserves from the fridge or in my case, I put those gifted jams to work that didn’t seem like the right fit for toast, but uniquely curated with the right bread, cheese and other goodies, make a sandwich that’s out of this world. I used this sour cherry jam (affiliate) from Stonewall Kitchen and it tasted good on this sandwich as well as these gluten-free black forest brownies.
So what do you think makes the best sandwich?
Corner Bakery Cafe is rolling out new breakfast, lunch, and dinner flatbread sandwiches, bursting with fresh ingredients and available nationwide. Designed to power guests through the morning, Breakfast Power Flats include options such as the Avocado & Spinach, Applewood Smoked Bacon and the new Ham & Spinach. New to the lunch and dinner menu are Grilled Flats: Southwest Chicken, Chicken Caesar, Caprese with fresh mozzarella and BBQ Pork – all under 330 calories.
Get excited! Corner Bakery Cafe unveils new flatbreads under 350 calories! #unflatevent
Posted by Mama Challenge on Thursday, June 18, 2015
More sandwich ideas? Check out what Chef Tim Love and I made with bagels!
The bread makes a sandwich for me. If the bread isn’t soft, the rest doesn’t matter.
I am going to come to your house for lunch every day this summer! YUM.
Yum! I am always ready for a good sandwich! I love these ideas and can’t wait to give them a try myself.
After a school year of making sandwiches, it’s the last thing i crave right now. But these are great bread and topping ideas – way to freshen things up!
Mmm I’d love to make some sandwiches with this pesto. I’ve never tried making my own before!
Mmm, these look mouth watering good! There’s nothing better than a refreshing sandwich in the summer!
That sandwich looks pretty darn good! I actually make a lot of sandwiches in the summer due to my kids summer camp! I have to get creative with the sandwiches so they don’t get bored so I love your ideas.
Yum! I agree that sandwiches are perfect for lunches, dinner or snacks in the summer. Summer is about the fun and not work. I love to have sprouts and avocado on my sammies… then some cheese, meat and maybe a crunchy pickle!
Thank you for the pesto recipe! i am going to make that recipe as I love pesto and never thought of putting it in my sandwiches.
Yummy! Sandwiches are a staple at our house. I love Corner Bakery’s snickerdoodles!
your photos are simply amazing. wow! that food looks great.
Yum. I think I might be having something like this for lunch today. It’s making me so hungry!
Oh yum, I’ve always wanted to make my own pesto! In the Summer we eat a LOT of sandwiches so I’ll be trying these for sure!
I love a good sandwich! Soft bread, turkey, avocado, spinach, tomatoes and a pesto mayo sounds perfect!
I love putting pesto on sandwiches! Especially if they are going to stay at room temperature for a while instead of using mayo. These sandwiches look great!
Pesto is my absolute favorite!
I love tuna sandwiches with pickles.
I love grilled cheese sandwich dipped in tomato soup
ham and swiss cheese sandwiches
I am a fan of roast beef and mozzarella 🙂
Chicken pesto and uptown turkey are great. All of their breads are amazing.
I love a crusty french bread or ciabatta sandwich topped with fresh mozzarella, pesto, tomato, and maybe a slice of bacon.
I love turkey and havarti with cranberry sauce on a sourdough baguette.
That looks so good right now. Maybe have to make something similar.
i love chicken salad sandwiches
Extra ingredients like tomato, pickles, bacon.
My favorite sandwich is a chicken salad sandwich! That was an easy answer for me.
I love salami, monterey jack, lettuce, avocado, tomato, oil, and vinegar on toasted sour dough. Yum!
I would love to try their Caprese sandhwich
I love any and all paninis! Corner Bakery makes a meatball panini that’s so yummy, I’m basically drooling just thinking about it…