best bread for muffuletta

since i dont want to make my own muffuletta bread, does anyone have a chicago recommendation for a bakery that has an appropriate loaf. most italian round loaves, which is what i need, are too thick. i'm looking for a flat, round loaf at least 10" across. it's similiar to a foccaccia, but not exactly the same. thanks, justjoan

I agree that foccacia doesn't work - too oily. Call me crazy, but I really like a telera (a mexican bread very similar to a bolillo). Tony's Finer Foods has decent ones in their bakery that works very well. They are smaller, (and oval rather than round) than a good muffaletta, but they are pretty soft (no crustiness to speak of) and of a perfect thickness. Some people scoop out a french or italian loaf to make room for the fillings? I almost asked this question a couple of months ago, so am curious to hear what other people have come up with.

when I have done a muffaletta I bought an Italian round loaf where I bought the capicola, salami, mortadella, provolone, and olive salad... Caputo's Naperville.

I was thinking about this the other day and if it were me, I'd try to get my hands on some of the bread that they use to make cemitas at Cemitas Puebla. I know they are baked especially for the CP by a nearby bakery but maybe the folks at CP would sell you a few of them. These aren't quite as big as the loaves on which typical muffalettas are made but in the way of overall character, I think they're pretty close.

=R=

Cemitas Puebla
3619 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 772-8435

thanks for the suggestion ronnie. i bet i could buy some cemitas, but part of the pleasure of a muffeletta sandwich, at least for me, is the magnificence of the large stuffed loaf when it's presented to a group and cut into wedges. if i cant find anything bigger, though, i'll keep your idea in mind, because those rolls are tasty, and i love the sesame seeds on top, thanks, joan

Hi there

I know you don't want to hear this...but I've always had much better results making my own bread for a muffaletta. http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/08/21/muffuletta-bread-recipe/

enjoy!
dan

The bakery next door to Tony's Italian Deli and Subs supplies them with round loaves for muffalettas.

Conca D'Oro Pastry Shop
6710 North Northwest Highway
Chicago, IL 60631-1317
(773) 631-1962‎

Tony's Italian Deli & Subs
6708 Northwest Hwy
Chicago, IL 60631
(773)631-0055

gonefishin wrote:Hi there :)

I know you don't want to hear this...but I've always had much better results making my own bread for a muffaletta. http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/08/21/muffuletta-bread-recipe/

enjoy!
dan

thanks dan, i've thought about making my own bread. i googled so many muffeletta bread recipes, i didnt know where to start. if i do make one, i'll try the one you recommended. do you also recommend the nolacuisine.com's sandwich? it looks pretty tasty. thanks, justjoan

Nearly five years ago at the Katrina benefit I had a slice of a muffaletta made by Susan Goss (of West Town Tavern) and still remember it as being one of the best I've tried. It was made on a large round loaf of excellent bread. You might try asking her where she got it.

justjoan wrote:

gonefishin wrote:Hi there

I know you don't want to hear this...but I've always had much better results making my own bread for a muffaletta. http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/08/21/muffuletta-bread-recipe/

enjoy!
dan

thanks dan, i've thought about making my own bread. i googled so many muffeletta bread recipes, i didnt know where to start. if i do make one, i'll try the one you recommended. do you also recommend the nolacuisine.com's sandwich? it looks pretty tasty. thanks, justjoan

Hi JustJoan,

Yeah, the sandwich recipe is good too. I usually follow the basic idea...but IMO the two most important parts to a muffuletta sandwich is the bread and the olive salad. Another good place for Louisiana recipes is http://www.jfolse.com/.

I just got back from NOLA a couple of days ago...and I ate so much food I'm still full!

take care,
dan

Yeah, the sandwich recipe is good too. I usually follow the basic idea...but IMO the two most important parts to a muffuletta sandwich is the bread and the olive salad. Another good place for Louisiana recipes is http://www.jfolse.com/.

I just got back from NOLA a couple of days ago...and I ate so much food I'm still full!

dan-i've looked at pix from central grocery and i believe that their olive salad has black olives and roasted red peppers in it as well as the more common green olives. this would be the way i'd make it. i recently sampled olive salad from 'the pickle guy' (costco now is carrying it), and that got me craving a muffuletta. most olive salads i've seen are all green olives, but i suspect that is partly because it's cheaper to make it that way. did you have any muffuletta's with red peppers and black olives on your recent visit? thanks for the other link. justjoan

justjoan wrote: i recently sampled olive salad from 'the pickle guy' (costco now is carrying it), and that got me craving a muffuletta.

Which Costco? Thanks

Artie wrote:

justjoan wrote: i recently sampled olive salad from 'the pickle guy' (costco now is carrying it), and that got me craving a muffuletta.

Which Costco? Thanks

I saw Pickle Guy Olive Salad at the Nile's Costco yesterday, it look pretty good. Didn't buy any, but may now that I see it has JustJoan's seal of approval.

G Wiv wrote:

Artie wrote:

justjoan wrote: i recently sampled olive salad from 'the pickle guy' (costco now is carrying it), and that got me craving a muffuletta.

Which Costco? Thanks

I saw Pickle Guy Olive Salad at the Nile's Costco yesterday, it look pretty good. Didn't buy any, but may now that I see it has JustJoan's seal of approval.

artie: i shop at the costco on clybourn, near division. i believe it is a new item for the store.
gwiv: i'm no expert on olive salad. i tried both the mild and spicy (not incendiary) from 'the pickle guy' and they were fine - but lacking red pepper and black olives, which i think could easily be added. i dont believe i've ever seen a jarred olive salad that wasnt all green olives. justjoan

this brand was pretty chock full of green olives, all inredients and bread on this beauty were acquired @ Caputos

Hi JustJoan,

I'm sure you can doctor up an already made olive salad. The one at Nola seems close but doesn't quite hit the mark of the Central grocery muffaletta. There are certainly many people more knowledgeable than myself in knowing the olive salad at the Central Grocery. Some things that stand out to me in the Central Grocery olive salad are the oregano and the capers. I'm not saying they have a prominent role...but they seem more pronounced than many other prepared olive salads.

I usually start with one of the mixes they sell at Caputo's and go from there.

good luck!
dan

jim: that sandwich is, indeed, a thing of beauty. thanks for sharing. justjoan

justjoan wrote:jim: that sandwich is, indeed, a thing of beauty. thanks for sharing. justjoan

thank you,

all this talk of muffaletta's really has me craving one.

When my buddy Danny gave me a tub of olive salad his wife made for the muffaletta's he did for his crawfish boil yesterday, I knew what my dinner tonight was going to be.

Had to make due with whatever bread I could find @ the Morris, IL. Jewel, no round loafs, but a nice fat Italian loaf.

Pulled out some of the bread from the inside of each half, topped each half with a healthy dose of the olive salad and the oil. Sandwich consists of layers of:

Krakus Ham
provolone
genoa salami
provolone
capicola
provolone.

Its been in the fridge for a few hours, Ill probably break it out for the Hawks game(no White Sox today so i guess Ill make due).

having trouble with my camera/downloading pics today, but I got one pic before I wrapped it:



Ill try to snap some pics of the sandwich of the slices when I do the unwrap.

really nice muffaletta, gonna be better tomorrow for lunch fo' sure.

wrapped:



damn:

I know you don't want to hear this...but I've always had much better results making my own bread for a muffaletta. [url]http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/08/21/muffuletta-bread-recipe/

i just realized after reading jim's latest post that i never reported back about my muffaletta experience, which started with me asking the board for help finding appropriate bread. i ended up using the nolacuisine bread recipe gonefishin' kindly provided. it's a very easy recipe. it's quite flat, and not heavily crusted; both of which make it ideal for a large sandwich. what was also a plus, is that the bread dough is coated with olive oil when it rises, and the oil provides a slight greasy crispness to the finished loaf which was delicious.
i bought my meats and cheese from graziano's on randolph and made my own olive salad. the pickleguy's olive salad, which i had tasted at costco, is made with vegetable oil. this was disappointing to discover, so i made one that included black olives, green olives and roasted red pepper and olive oil. i was very happy with the sandwiches i made. i brought some olive salad and a loaf of muffaletta bread back to graziano's grocery for jimmy, deanna, and their mother, maryellen to have for lunch. as they pointed out, they seldom get to see, much less eat, anything made from their products, so they were thrilled that i shared bread and salad with them.
the bread is so easy to make, i'd definitely do it again, and i think it could have many uses besides muffalettas. justjoan

In this article, New Orleans food writer Tom Fitzmorris provides his recipe for a muffuletta and olive salad. In this article, Fitzmorris ranks his favorite muffulettas in New Orleans and describes what he seeks in a great muffuletta. I agree with Fitzmorris in several respects: first, top quality meats and cheeses; second, a good olive salad featuring plenty of fresh garlic; third, a crispy loaf of fresh bread.

I've eaten at a number of the places on his list and my favorite muffaletta was at Stein's. What made it so good was the crusty, toasted sesame seed bread and the outstanding quality of the meats and cheeses. Personally, I would add as a requirement that muffuletta bread have sesame seeds. It just seems so right . . . but I don't think the bread can be too dense because the sandwich is so thick without the bread and you need to bite through it. Stein's olive salad may have featured less fresh garlic than I prefer, but it was still the best muffuletta I've ever had. I have a horrible picture of it in this New Orleans dining thread.

I recently had one at Johnny's Po Boys in the French Quarter and it was very good, not great. It featured the right kind of sesame bread, but the bread would have been much better toasted. The olive salad was excellent with plenty of fresh garlic. Where it left a bit to be desired was in the meat and cheese quality which were decent but nothing special. Here's a picture:

Johnny's Po Boys' Muffuletta

By the way Jim, your muffuletta looks just great, even without the sesame seeds.

FYI, Central Grocery ships their olive salad. I've made my own, I've bought theirs. Theirs is better.

Geo

BR wrote:
By the way Jim, your muffuletta looks just great, even without the sesame seeds.

thanks,

for an imprompteau sandwich it was pretty good, I would have preferred a differnte bread, and to have had some mortadellla on there, but a trip to Caputos wasnt in the cards. The star was the olive salad that Danny from Toon's gave me.

The owner of Stein's is a good friend of mine, and when I went to visit him last weekend, I worked behind the counter slicing meats all day for his sandwiches, including for the muffuletta. I feel like a rock star!

chitrader wrote:The owner of Stein's is a good friend of mine, and when I went to visit him last weekend, I worked behind the counter slicing meats all day for his sandwiches, including for the muffuletta. I feel like a rock star!

Any intel he can share concerning his bread, meats, cheeses, olive salad

BR wrote:

chitrader wrote:The owner of Stein's is a good friend of mine, and when I went to visit him last weekend, I worked behind the counter slicing meats all day for his sandwiches, including for the muffuletta. I feel like a rock star!

Any intel he can share concerning his bread, meats, cheeses, olive salad

They make their own bread and olive salad, they use their version of a ciabatta for the bread IIRC.

I finally made a couple of muffuletta sandwhiches at work the other day. I made it generally traditional except I used half mild capicola and half hot. The olive salad was homemade and so was the bread. I still say...a muffuletta starts and ends with the bread. Not too much air, dense yet not too tight and a present crust without being too hard.

The sandwich was served with a couple of melrose peppers on the side and some homemade gumbo with Jacob's andouille.

(I should have gotten a picture with the muffuletta cut...next time )




dan

a friend brought me back a jar of olive salad from central grocery in new orleans, at my request. it has all the usual ingredients, plus some olive oil along with either cottonseed(ugh) or canola oil. the difference between CG's brand and most others seems to be that the olives are left whole(but pitted). it also has capers. and the other stuff(celery, carrots, cauliflower, sweet peppers, onions, pepperoncini) are cut in large pieces, rather than all of them diced. i don't see any great advantage to that, it just makes it harder to eat a muffuletta with whole olives rolling around between the breads. the predominant taste is green olives- there are more of them than anything else. the other interesting thing of note, is that it suggests on top of the jar that it be refrigerated even before openiing-always a good idea so the oil doesn't deteriorate. it tastes good, but a 32oz. jar is going to take me some time to use up! justjoan

Excellent bread for muffulettas...
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=29289


... can be ordered from Italian Superior Bakery: 312.733.5092

Antonius