Bread from Bread
The Art of the Sandwich
With the fresh aroma of baked bread and delicious ingredients creatively stacked high to maximize flavor, bakery cafés and artisan sandwich shops have put the culinary world of subs and delis on high alert; they are now some of the busiest restaurants around! Fast-casual sandwich concepts in general—and bakery cafés in particular—have been a big success story in foodservice over the last few years.
What’s more, research confirms that diners seek out artisan sandwiches based on food quality and are not nearly as price sensitive, so these concepts enjoy healthy bottom lines along with steady traffic. The diverse yet simple menus of bakery cafés can help other restaurants develop their own signature concepts in hopes of borrowing some of the success too! If your concept offers sandwiches for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or oven-fresh baked goods, a glance into artisan sandwiches may provide inspiration for menu development.
Approximately 50-75 percent of bakery cafés offer breakfast. Sandwiches are the mainstay, but consumers show interest in seeing more variety on the morning menu. Artisan bakery cafés have been obliging them with a fresh lineup of new items. The number of breakfast breads and baked goods on bakery café breakfast menus has nearly doubled since 2008. Some of the top options are created by turning the traditional into novel sandwiches and wraps. Easy to make and quick to serve, the art of the breakfast sandwich is still in its infancy. Here are a few examples of breakfast items that bakery cafés have added in the past year or so:
• Sausage & Red Pepper Scramble Wrap—scrambled eggs, sausage and roasted red pepper, shredded cheese rolled in a flour tortilla (or try a rustic flat bread as an option)
• Smoked Salmon Wasabi Sandwich served on an onion-dill bagel
• Baked French Toast and Eggs—brioche bread baked in vanilla custard, served with scrambled eggs and apple wood-smoked bacon
Sandwiches are the core entrée for which bakery cafés and artisan sandwich shops are best known. The basic idea is to blend your flavors in layers - starting with your artisan bread – and then using a tasty array of meats, cheeses, toppings and spreads. Sandwiches and wraps increasingly highlight bold and spicy ethnic flavor profiles; chicken, turkey and veggie versions in particular are prepared with Asian, Latin or Southwestern flair.
So, how do you get a start if kneading bread is not your thing? For restaurants big and small, there are plenty of tasty bread options (raw, frozen, par-baked) available from your local distributors to get you started.
According to the folks at Sysco Portland the following stocked items are all growing in popularity: Artisan Ciabatta with Asiago, Thick Cut Egg Texas Toast, Rustic French Baguette, Marble & Caraway Rye, Oven-Fired Thin Bread, 9 Grain Loaf Bread, Olive Oil & Rosemary Rustique Flat Bread, Brioche and Cuban Loaf, and Mini Boule Loaf. Now, let’s make the most of them:
THE GREAT 8
Customer Favorites in the NW:
Smoked Salmon Melt
Prepare smoked salmon salad using mayo, capers, red onion, horseradish and chives - then grill on dark rye with Tillamook aged white cheddar. (Options: use rustique rosemary flat bread from Sysco #3655743 or black Russian rye Sysco #7616253)
‘Plancha’ Pressed Cuban Sandwich
Slow roasted sliced pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and a slathering of mustard and mayo (optional) on Cuban style bread, brushed with olive oil (or butter) and then grilled & pressed. Traditionally this is done on a Plancha, which is similar to a Panini press, however it is smooth rather than grooved. The sandwich should remain in the press until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted. Cut into diagonal halves before serving.
Cowboy Cheese Steak Sandwich
Start out with some thinly sliced, smoked Brisket - add onions and peppers, and grill. Add some sliced Pepper Jack cheese and place on a warm, toasted potato roll or a whole grain ciabatta. Finally, drizzle with a smoked chipotle aioli.
Midwest Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Prepare with thinly sliced pork tenderloin, pork loin or pork flat iron steak, hammered thin. Next, dip the pork in eggs, flour and bread crumbs and then deep fry in oil. Once cooked, serve the sandwich on your choice of bread or wrap with mustard, lettuce, onions, pickles, mayo and BBQ sauce on the side. (Options: for big appetites use thick sliced Texas toast or for a lighter touch use a whole grain pita).
The Croque Monsieur Sandwich
A French bistro classic with grilled ham and cheese, usually topped with Gruyere cheese and Dijon Béchamel sauce, and then browned in a hot oven (or under a broiler). Option: top it with a fried egg and now you have a ‘Croque Madame’.
Poblano Chicken Wrap
Grilled chicken breast and jasmine rice, wrapped in a honey-wheat tortilla; filled with black beans, red onions, grilled peppers, chives, spinach leaves, roasted poblano dressing and a signature Daredevil BBQ sauce.
Tuscan Chicken Sandwich
All-natural grilled chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, pesto mayonnaise, green olive and pepperoncini relish, fresh basil, lettuce and tomato on ciabatta (or try olive oil & rosemary loaf from Sysco #9186131).
Seasonal Turkey Berry & Brie
With French Brie cheese and huckleberry jam on Italian Asiago focaccia bread, served with lettuce and tomato.
3 FOR THE ROAD – Sandwiches that will keep ‘em coming back:
• NW Grilled Pastrami on Caraway Rye
• Dungeness Crab Cake on Brioche Bun
with Remoulade sauce
• Razor Clam Po’ Boy Sandwich
For more great sandwich ideas and plenty of local, sustainable options, contact your Sysco Marketing Associate or the Sysco Portland Business Resources department at syscoportland.com | GARETT SMIITH, MARKETING MANAGER, SYSCO PORTLAND
About
Sandwich recipes submitted and prepared by Chef Mark Bernetich, Sysco Executive Chef. Article written and edited by Garett Smith, Marketing Manager, Sysco Portland. Source information published in the November-December 2011 TrendSpotter newsletter from Sysco.