Muffaletta Bread

4.42 from 36 votes

If you live outside New Orleans, it can be tricky to source authentic muffaletta bread. Here's how to make your own. Adapted from Terry Thompson-Anderson's Cajun-Creole Cooking.

Course: Sandwiches

Cuisine: American

Keyword: muffaletta bread, muffaletta loaf, muffuletta bread, muffuletta loaf

Servings: loaf

Calories: 238kcal

Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

For the dough

1 cup (235 ml) warm water (105°-110°F)
1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon (9 grams) active dry yeast
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (120 grams) bread flour
1 teaspoon (5 grams) fine sea salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, plus more for the bowl
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

For the egg wash

1 egg
1 tablespoon (15 ml) water

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the water, sugar, and yeast.
Set aside at warm room temperature for about 15 minutes, until very foamy.
A little at a time, stir in the all-purpose flour and the bread flour.
Stir in the salt and the two tablespoons of olive oil.
Using the dough hook on speed 2 or by hand, knead the dough until smooth and elastic. In the stand mixer, this takes eight minutes. By hand it may take a bit longer.
Clean the bowl and pour in about a teaspoon of additional olive oil. Shape the dough into a rough ball, place in the bowl, and turn to coat with the oil.
Place a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap over the bowl and set aside at warm room temperature until the dough doubles in size — about 90 minutes.
Turn the risen dough out onto a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet. Punch it down to remove air and then shape into an 8-inch disc.
Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and pat gently to help them adhere.
Cover with the towel or plastic wrap and let rise for another hour, until about doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 425°F with a rack in the center.
In a small bowl, beat together the egg and the tablespoon of water with a fork.
Brush the egg wash lightly over the surface of the loaf.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F. Then turn down the oven to 350°F and bake for about 20 minutes more, until crust is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when you hold it up and rap on it with your knuckles.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before using.

Notes

A combination of all-purpose flour and bread flour gives this bread just the right texture. That said, if you don't have bread flour and are really craving a muffuletta, it's okay to use all-purpose for the whole quantity.
Active dry yeast begins working when combined with liquid (and a bit of sugar to feed on). If you're buying it in packets, you'll use more than one but less than two. You can substitute instant yeast in this recipe without making any further changes.
Make sure your water is warm enough to activate the yeast but not so hot as to ruin it. Aim for 105°F-110°F.
Terry Thompson-Anderson's recipe calls for vegetable shortening, but I don't keep that in my kitchen. You need two tablespoons of a good-tasting fat that will coat the flour molecules. Since muffuletta is Sicilian-American, I like to use olive oil. You can use butter, bacon fat, or even lard if you prefer.
Muffaletta bread is at its best for about 24 hours after baking. You can bake it the night before or on the day you plan to assemble the sandwich.
If you really need to get ahead of the game, you can freeze the unbaked dough after the first rise. Shape the loaf and add the sesame seeds. Wrap it in plastic wrap, followed by foil, followed by a zip-top freezer bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge and then let the defrosted dough perform its second rise at room temperature before baking.

Nutrition