“Why is it impossible to starve in a desert?” Such an old joke…such a bad Dad joke…I apologize. This month though, because people with kids have lunches to make and working people need to worry about lunch too, I used my breadmaker to make some sandwiches. I fondly remember making my daughter’s lunches and she told me I was popular with her friends because I would cut the crusts off á la Japanese style, LOL.
Besides the shoku pan style of bread that my breadmaker bakes so excellently, my second favorite bread that it does well is wheat bread. So along those healthy lines, I tried the Multigrain course and baked 7-grain bread. Very simple—the breadmaker can do this one from start to finish and the dry ingredients can be loaded into the auto dispenser. It all works perfectly.
The recipe calls for 7-grain cereal as the only “grain” so I added my own sunflower seeds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds to the mix. One problem I ran into is that it doesn’t say anything about crushing the 7-grain cereal into smaller bits. It might be common sense to some experienced bakers, but not to me. My first attempt was a pathetic, shrunken loaf.
So even though I can’t be sure if that was the problem or just because I used old yeast or something, I tried again with newer yeast and crushed the cereal first. Behold! My 7-grain bread came out much nicer this time.
If any of you have never tried this course, I would recommend it. It’s easy and bakes really well. Check out the wholesomeness of this bread!
This is my deli sandwich on 7-grain bread. Yeah, it’s only Provolone and ham; but it’s the bread that can elevate a sandwich, am I right?
For my Banh Mi I used a French Baguette recipe I found online and let my breadmaker do the dough. Yes, I know an actual Banh Mi loaf is a little different but it’s also a little more complicated so I just wanted to simplify it. It’s not easy to get that crackly crust with homemade baking. These came out OK—not fantastic but I thought good enough. Do I sound like a slacker? That’s because I am, LOL.
Anyway, compared to a run-of-the-mill ham & cheese, a Banh Mi must have great ingredients inside to be a great sandwich. My wife helped me with the barbecued pork and we loaded up with pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and most important of all, sliced jalapeños. The only dressing is regular mayo.
If you go to a Vietnamese sandwich shop you’ll find a bunch of banh mi varieties like chicken or pork paté, grilled or roast pork, pork cold cuts, smashed pork meatballs, even shredded chicken. But the veggies almost always stay consistent. I love the sweet/savory BBQ style pork so that’s what I always get. You can regulate the heat level of the peppers at home, but you’re at the mercy of how they make it at the store; it’s so good tho!
My last one is the classic Egg Sando, Japanese kombini style. For those unfamiliar, kombini is short-cut slang for “convenience” (ie. convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Lawsons and Family Mart that are on every street corner of Japan). I know the kombini has achieved cult status among tourists who visit Japan, but when I lived there they were simple little stores that I stopped at to get a soft drink or some candy. I never thought to buy a bento or food because there were better options elsewhere. Oh, how times have changed!
Again, authentic Japanese white bread, or shoku-pan, is essential for a good Egg Sando and it’s one of the easiest things to bake in a breadmaker.
Then just find a good recipe for the egg salad and you’re on your way. Just remember two things: never add a pickle relish because it isn’t an American egg salad! And always use Japanese mayo because it tastes better, obviously. I used the recipe from a restaurant called Konbi, a local Los Angeles restaurant that became a social media sensation because of their Egg Sando. It uses a touch of rice vinegar and hot mustard, which is really not a great secret because I think all the Japanese egg salad recipes are the same way. If you’re interested, you can find it here.
Oh, and one more thing—for that authentic convenience store Egg Sando feel, be sure to slice off the crusts!
Now it’s your turn. What kind of sandwiches can you make?
Products used in this post:Home Bakery Maestro® Breadmaker BB-SSC10
Please note that these recipes were not tested by Zojirushi America.
All images by Bert Tanimoto ©2024
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