Generally, you can recognize an Italian-style Panini sandwich by the unique grill marks on slices of bread housing some melty deliciousness. This classic sandwich is prepared by pressing the bread and all the other deliciousness between some hot grill plates. Fortunately, you can use many tasty ingredient combinations to create this delicious sandwich.
There are several types of bread that you can use to make your favorite Panini, with the most common one being ciabatta. You can also make the sandwich using baguettes, focaccia, and flatbread.
The type of bread you use to prepare your Panini greatly matters. So in this article, we’ll show you what we think are the best bread to use. We’ll even show you the types of bread to avoid when preparing your delicious Panini sandwich, and why you should avoid them.
What Is The Best Bread For A Panini Sandwich?
When it’s cold outside, cold sandwiches won’t do the trick; you need to upgrade your snack selections to warm Panini sandwiches. Originating from Italy, the Panini are grilled sandwiches made with a wide range of loaves of bread and a variety of filling. The type of bread you pick is what makes the difference and not the cheese or the other ingredients, so you should stay away from sliced bread.
The best bread to use for your Panini is artisan bread, and some that will stand out are ciabatta, baguettes, focaccia, and flatbread.
Consider Your Taste Preferences
The choice of bread depends on your taste preferences and what you want to fill your Panini with. There is nothing short of what you can add, it really depends on your taste buds. The more classical Panini is filled with cheese and ham, but there is no right or wrong to what you can add as a filling.
What matters the most is the type of bread you pick. The bread should be thick enough to hold the fillings and still withstand the heat and pressure applied by the grilling plates without getting damaged.
If you prefer ingredients with flavors like salami or strong-flavored cheese, you might want to choose a bread type with a more neutral taste, like the baguette. If you want to spice up your Panini, then Foccacia is a great choice.
For any type of bread you select, you should avoid using too many fillings that will leave the bread lifted like a club. After all, the Panini should be thin enough that the upper and lower slices of bread touch each other. Also be mindful that if you use wetter ingredients, like olive oil, cheese, and tomatoes, you want bread that can hold moisture and not end up soggy.
With this in mind, you may already be ruling out some types of bread. Let us go into further details on the best loaves of bread for Panini sandwiches that you should try.
The Best Types Of Bread For Panini
The best bread for Panini should be hearty and dense to provide a great foundation. Therefore, instead of sliced bread, you should try Ciabatta bread.
Ciabatta Bread
Created in 1982, ciabatta bread is a unique Italian white bread made using olive oil, yeast, salt, water, and wheat flour. The ciabatta was created in Adria, Rovigo, Italy by a baker known as Arnaldo Cavallari. It is an elongated, flatbread baked in several variations but known for some alveolar holes. This bread has strong flour, and the bakers use wetter dough than most traditional French loaves of bread. (more details)
Generally, Arnaldo and some Italian bakers were concerned about the sandwiches from France that were made from baguettes. Therefore, they decided to create this unique white bread. The Ciabatta recipe is the outcome of several variations, and it’s made of wet, soft dough with gluten flour.
This white bread is mainly used outside Italy to prepare a Panini sandwich. After all, you require a hearty bread that can easily withstand the pressure from the Panini grill or press while it is melting the ingredients together to create a Panini sandwich.
The ciabatta is big enough to create unique grill marks while melting the cheese and some ingredients that can give you a delicious taste. Remember, it has strong flour, which gives a delicate and sweeter taste. Plus, the fact that this denser bread comes with a tough and harder crust is a bonus.
Other Types Of Bread That Can Make Panini
Apart from the classic ciabatta bread, other bread types perfectly fit a tasty Panini. Some of the other options include:
Focaccia
Another bread that can make delicious Panini sandwiches is the focaccia. Focaccia bread is delicious oven-baked bread that resembles pizza in texture and style created in Italy; is often referred to as a white pizza. (more details) Focaccia is a hearty bread that can withstand the pressure and heat from the grill and Panini press.
After being baked, this bread appears as a flat-looking option with a hole-like and dense texture inside. Unlike some sandwich loaves of bread, focaccia can be rectangular, square, or even round in shape; therefore, you can pick the desired shape and size for your sandwich.
Fortunately, you can get it from the store or farmer’s market. You can prepare this bread at home and add rosemary and lemon to create a delicious Panini. The lemon and rosemary can give your sandwich a distinctive flavor that will activate your taste buds even before taking your first bite.
Baguettes
If you can’t get a ciabatta or focaccia bread, you can use a traditional baguette for your Panini. Baguettes are thin, long loaves of bread of French origin. Bakers use the lean dough for the baguettes, and this type of bread stands out with its crisp crust and length. (more details)
The fact that they have a crispy outer crust makes them a great option for pressing and grilling while making Panini sandwiches. It gives you a nice crunch to your meal. Some baguette types can be thin, so you should get wider and longer bread for your Panini that can hold the ingredients.
Flatbread
Flatbread is the oldest type of bread, originally prepared over 11,000 years ago, and the origin of this bread is still debatable. Today flatbread has become an integral piece in the dishes of many cultures. This bread can be prepared with several grains, including oats, rye, wheat, and even legumes like potatoes.
Even though flatbread is what the name implies, flat, they make a great option for Panini. The reason is that this type of bread beautifully holds up wet ingredients. The main ingredients used to make this bread are yogurt, milk, water, salt, and flour.
Pita Bread
Pita also referred to as pitta, is a Middle Eastern family of yeast-leavened bread prepared using wheat flour. There are several variations of pita bread, with a common version being Arabic bread, known for having an interior pocket.
This yeast-leavened bread is a roundish flatbread with lower sodium levels than most loaves of bread, much similar to the Flatbread.
They are loaves of bread that remind most folks of denser and thicker tortillas, which makes them a great option for Panini sandwiches. Plus, they can stand up to the pressure and heat associated with the grilling process of this sandwich.
Fortunately, they are more pliable than most bread types, making them a better choice for anyone who wants to add more ingredients to their sandwich.
Multigrain Bread
Another healthier option for Panini lovers that you can use to prepare this delicious sandwich is the multigrain bread. In most cases, it is considered the best and healthiest option for bread lovers. But you must pick thicker bread to sustain the pressing and heat of preparing the Panini sandwich. Thicker and wider multigram bread can house all the fillings and produce a delicious sandwich.
Rye Bread
Rye was a staple food among the folks living in the Middle Ages in some parts of Europe. And several types of this bread have come from different parts of Europe over the last few centuries. This bread has a wide range of proportions of rye flour; in fact, it can be dark or light.
Fortunately, it can be denser than normal bread prepared from wheat. Unlike white bread, it does have stronger flavors, high fiber content, and is darker in color. Another thing on the plus side is its nutrition level, it’s rich in potassium, zinc, calcium, and iron. The fact that it is denser means that it will perfectly grill when it comes to Panini making.
What Bread Should You Avoid When Preparing Your Panini Sandwiches?
As mentioned above, not every bread is suitable for preparing Panini sandwiches. After all, some loaves of bread are very thin and don’t have everything it takes to sustain the heat and pressure applied by the Panini grill. Some can’t hold up well when being heated or grilled to prepare your favorite sandwich. So here are some of the types of bread that we think you should avoid.
White Bread
White bread is made using wheat flour from which germ and bran have been removed during milling. The milling process gives this flour a longer lifespan, making it an excellent option for baking bread but not the best for Panini sandwiches.
It is no surprise to see this bread on our list of loaves of bread to avoid; after all, it has some thin slices. White bread can’t house all the ingredients needed to prepare this sandwich. And when pressed, it doesn’t produce a nice crisp outer shell, and it can burn faster in some cases.
Therefore, you may have a hard time producing the outer shell needed to hold the ingredients together and create your favorite sandwich.
Bagel
Another bread type you should avoid for preparing Panini is the bagel. They are shaped into rings using a dough that has been boiled for a few minutes before being baked, creating a delicious bread with a crisp exterior.
Despite being delicious, bagels are not the best options for preparing Panini sandwiches. The hole at the center will make it impossible for this bread to house all the ingredients needed for this sandwich. Even though it’s denser, this bread doesn’t press well like some of the best loaves of bread for the Panini sandwich.
Brioche
Despite having a crispy shell, brioche is a soft bread prepared with enriched dough that gives it a sweet taste. You should avoid this bread because it will lose its unique flavor and texture when used to press the ingredients needed for Panini sandwiches. You may not end up with the delicious sandwich you crave.
Challah Bread
Just like brioche, challah bread is an enriched bread with a softer texture and sweet flavor. But the main difference between the two is that you’ll prepare challah using oil while brioche has butter. Its soft texture makes it less ideal for making Panini sandwiches.
Final Verdict
Panini is one of the most delicious sandwiches on the planet, with a wide range of fillings. And while the type of fillings you pick can play a vital role in the final taste of your sandwich, what matters the most is the bread you decide to use. After all, not every type of bread can withstand the pressure and heat associated with the grilling process. Some softer slices of bread can’t support all the needed ingredients to make a panini.
When you select your next bread for making a Panini, go for the denser types of bread. The ciabatta, baguettes, focaccia, and flatbread are some great options that will maintain their thickness even after it has been filled with goodness!
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