Muffaletta Bread Recipes

MUFFULETTA BREAD

Steps:

• In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, combine water and sugar.
• Stir in yeast. Let stand until foamy, 5-10 minutes.
• In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine 3 cups flour, salt and shortening.
• Add yeast mixture.
• Process until dough forms a ball, about 5 seconds. Stop machine, and check consistency of dough. It should be smooth and satiny.
• If dough is too dry, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing just until blended.
• If dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, processing just until blended. Process 20 seconds to knead.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, swirling to coat bottom and sides.
• Place dough in the oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat all sides.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk,.
• about 1 1/2 hours.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• When dough has doubled in bulk, punch down dough, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Form dough into a round loaf about 10" in diameter, and place on a greased baking sheet.
• Sprinkle top of loaf with sesame seeds.
• Press seeds gently into surface of loaf.
• Cover very loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 1 hour.
• Place rack in center of oven.
• Preheat oven to 425.
• Remove plastic wrap.
• Bake loaf in center of preheated oven, for 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 375, and bake 25 minutes.
• The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.
• Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• Combine the kalamata olives, green olives, basil, garlic and oil in a food processor or blender and process until coarsely chopped.
• Cut the top from the bread loaf and hollow out the center so that about 1/2 inch of crust remains. Spread olive mixture evenly over the inside of the loaf. Layer the salami, cheese, tomatoes and onion until the loaf is full.
• Replace top of bread, lightly press down and wrap tightly in plastic wrapping. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. Slice crosswise in about 1 1/2 inch pieces, and serve.

MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 14 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours. , Cut bread in half horizontally; carefully hollow out top and bottom, leaving a 1-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Spoon half the olive mixture over bottom half of bread. Layer with salami, ham, mortadella, Swiss and provolone; top with remaining olive mixture. Replace bread top. Wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into 8 wedges.

REAL N'AWLINS MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• To Make Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. Mix together and transfer mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Cover jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight.
• To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts olive salad, including oil. Layer 'bottom half' of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella and Provolone. Replace 'top half' on each loaf and cut sandwich into quarters.
• Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours; this will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.

MUFFALETTA BREAD

Steps:

• Using the dough hook on your stand mixer*, combine all-purpose flour , 2 cups bread flour, water, salt, sugar, olive oil, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer - scraping down sides as needed - at low speed until blended. Add additional flour if needed, but note that dough should be a bit sticky.
• Increase speed to medium and knead for eight minutes.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured board* and form into a ball.
• Clean and dry mixing bowl and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, seam-side down, and spray top lightly with oil.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn dough out onto the floured board and knead for 2 minutes. Divide in two, and form into balls.
• Let dough rest for 15 minutes then flatten out into discs 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
• Place each disc on a baking sheet, and poke all over with a fork.
• Cover with plastic sprayed with oil and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• If you have a baking stone* place it on a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
• Bake each loaf for 20 to 25 minutes until well-browned. Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing. Note 1 : You can use only all-purpose flour if you wish, but the bread flour adds a bit more chewiness. Note 2 : This bread freezes well if wrapped in a couple of sheets of plastic and stored in a zip-lock freezer bag.

LOW COUNTRY MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• Knead the dough to form a uniform ball. Place in a lightly greased Dutch oven. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush the top of the bread with the egg and sprinkle with the everything bagel seasoning. Bake the bread, uncovered, until golden brown and cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the Dutch oven and let cool completely.
• Heat the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Remove from the skillet.
• Cut the bread in half crosswise. To assemble the sandwich, spread the spicy mustard, pimientos and chow chow on the cut sides of the bread halves. Top the bottom half with half of the sausage and onions, half of the sliced meats and half of the cheese slices. Repeat the layers. Top with the bread top. Wrap the sandwich tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve. (The sandwich is best after it's rested for about an hour.)

MUFFULETTA SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine green and black olives, olive oil, capers, red wine vinegar, shallot, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
• Cut salami and deli ham so they fit onto the crackers. Spread cream cheese on the crackers, top with a piece of salami, a piece of ham, and a spoonful of the olive salad.

MUFFALETTA SANDWICH (AND OLIVE SALAD)

Steps:

• 1. Cut the top of the bread off so that the bottom half is a little thicker than the top. Remove a little of the bread from the center to hollow the bottom piece out some and make plenty of room.2. Spread about 1/3 cup of olive salad on the bottom piece.3. Layer the cheese and meats on top.4. Spread the remaining olive salad on top. Drizzle any oil from the olive salad on the underside of the top piece of bread.5. Place the top piece of bread on top and press down gently. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 to 4 hours before serving.OLIVE SALAD DIRECTIONS:1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. Flavor will get better with time.Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.