WHETHER IT’S FOR a picnic in
the park, a hike in the hills, or a day
at the beach, summer provides a lot
of opportunities to pack a lunch.
Sandwiches are a common choice,
but every time I make a sandwich to
enjoy later, I’m disappointed when I
fi nally sit down to eat it. It either falls
apart or has turned to mush. I wanted
to create a fl avorful sandwich that I
could make several hours in advance
and that could survive some travel and
jostling without falling apart.
I found a ton of recipes promising
“make-ahead” or “picnic” sandwiches. I
made six that called for diff erent breads,
spreads, meats, and cheeses and let
them sit overnight in the refrigerator to
really push their limits. The next day, I
called in my coworkers and we dug in.
We know that bread stales in the
refrigerator, so it was no surprise that
most of these sandwiches were really
dry. Those made with mayo, aioli, or
similar spreads were fused together with
soggy layers. None of these sandwiches
was great, but one was constructed in a
way that intrigued us; it was built using
a whole loaf of bread and then cut into
portions. The sandwich’s consider-
able heft helped it hold up better than
smaller sammies; the big shield of bread
on either side protected the contents
from getting squished. Plus, a huge
sandwich is really fun!
I started to work on my version
from the outside in by testing diff erent
breads. Soft breads such as Italian or
brioche fell apart or got soggy shortly
after assembly. The crusts of other
breads such as baguettes and boules were
too tough to easily bite through. Plus,
it’s hard to know when supermarket
breads have been baked; many straddle
the line between fresh and stale.
Instead I decided to use (semi)
homemade bread. I baked store-bought
pizza dough into a puff y bread square,
which I split horizontally once it had
cooled. This pleasantly chewy bread
was sturdy enough to hold up to fi ll-
ings, and by baking it myself, I could
control its freshness and size.
Mayonnaise doesn’t travel well (it
turns bread gummy), so instead I chose
a spread inspired by red pesto, which
uses sun-dried tomatoes instead of
basil. I processed drained sun-dried
tomatoes with briny capers, toasted
almonds, parsley, garlic, lemon, and
extra-virgin olive oil. This potent con-
diment not only added fl avor but also
helped glue the sandwich together.
From there, I let my tasters direct
my choices. Deli turkey got the team’s
thumbs-up. Mild Muenster cheese
added pleasant creaminess. Sweet jarred
roasted red peppers provided color and
fl avor; patting them dry kept the bread
from going soggy. Rather than lettuce
(which can go limp during a walk in
the woods), I opted for fl avorful par sley
leaves, which stayed fresh and bright.
With the basic setup settled, I
wrapped a sandwich in plastic wrap and
carried it a mile in a reusable grocery
bag. When I unwrapped it and went
in for a slice, the layers shifted off each
other like tectonic plates. For the next
round, I pressed the wrapped party-size
sandwich under a heavy Dutch oven foran hour. Doing so not only helped fuse
the layers together but also compacted
the sandwich, making it much easier to
bite through.
I plan on spending a lot of time
outdoors this summer, so I created
two more versions: a spicy sandwich
using artichokes, hot cherry peppers,
capicola, and provolone cheese and
another using an olive spread with ham
and creamy mozzarella.TURKEY PICNIC SANDWICH
WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD
Serves 4
Letting the pizza dough sit at room
temperature for 1 hour makes it easier
to shape. Toast the almonds in a dry
skillet over medium heat for 5 min-
utes, until fragrant and golden brown.
If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you
can use a baking sheet or skillet loaded
with hefty canned goods to press
the sandwich.SANDWICH
1 pound store-bought pizza dough
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces sliced Muenster cheese
8 ounces thinly sliced deli turkey
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
11⁄4 cups jarred roasted red peppers,
drained and patted drySPREAD
¾ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes,
drained and patted dry
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
¼ cup capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper fl akes
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil10 COOK’S COUNTRY • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019
Pressing the sandwich makes it easier to eat and helps the flavors meld.Picnic
Sandwich
We wanted equal parts delicious and portable.
by Morgan Bolling
Making Better Bread
- Press store-bought pizza dough into
7-inch square, then bake and let cool. - Using serrated knife, slice baked bread
horizontally into 2 even halves.
Finish by Pressing
After assembling the sandwich, wrap it
tightly in plastic wrap and use a Dutch
oven (the one shown above is about
14 pounds) to weigh it down for 1 hour.
This compresses the sandwich to help
it hold together.