Braided Sandwich Ring

My husband’s been on a major sandwich kick lately. He’s been doing the Paleo thing for most of the year he’s been back from Afghanistan so it was pretty shocking when all of the sudden he started going through a loaf of bread a day again. Not even exciting sandwiches either – PB & honey or his new favorite, bacon bologna. And no, that’s not bacon AND bologna, that’s bacon-flavored bologna.

I know.

I made this Braided Sandwich Ring for him in an effort to wean him off the Oscar Meyer and I’d say it worked pretty well. You start with a homemade braided ring of bread and then fill it with whatever your preferred filling are. I used turkey, ham, cheddar, swiss, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, mayo, and mustard.

The bread is pretty simple to make and it baked up beautifully. I just love how the braided top looks with all the sandwich fixins in! This would be great to take to a holiday party since all you have to do is slice it up and you’ll have plenty to go around!

If you are like me and have trouble with braiding, check out the Red Star Yeast guide to punching down and shaping. There are tons of great tips on their website if you are a bread newbie or just looking to expand your knowledge. Check out their Pinterest board for lots of great baking ideas as well!

One year ago: Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
Two years ago: Potato Chip Tortilla
Four years ago: Snickerdoodles

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Braided Sandwich Ring

from Red Star Yeast

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Red Star active Active Dry Yeast

For the glaze:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoons sesame seeds or poppy seeds

For the filling (suggestions):

• Mayo
• Mustard
• Thinly sliced deli meats
• Cheese
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Olives

Instructions

1. Combine yeast, 2 cups flour, salt and sugar. Heat buttermilk to 120-130F.

Hand-Held Mixer Method

1. Combine flour mixture, buttermilk, 2 eggs and oil in mixing bowl on low speed. Beat 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed. By hand, stir in enough remaining flour to make a firm dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in lightly oiled bowl; turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.

Stand Mixer Method:

1. Combine flour mixture, buttermilk, 2 eggs and oil in mixer bowl with paddle or beater 4 minutes on medium speed with paddle or beaters. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook(s) 5 to 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Use additional flour if necessary. Place in lightly oiled bowl; turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.

Shaping, Rising, and Baking:

1. Punch down dough. Divide into three parts. On lightly floured surface, roll each third to a 24-inch rope. On greased cookie sheet lightly sprinkled with cornmeal, loosely braid ropes from center to ends. Shape into a circle; fasten ends by pinching dough together. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after touching. Make Egg Wash/Topping while dough is rising - combine egg and milk. Gently brush risen dough with wash. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake in preheated 375F oven for 25 to 35 minutes until golden brown; cool.
2. To make sandwich ring: Using a serrated knife, slice ring crosswise to create a large sandwich. Spread bottom section with mayonnaise; arrange filling ingredients on top of mayonnaise. Spread top section with Dijon mustard; place on top of Filling. Slice into serving portions. Makes 1 ring.