Italian sandwiches

Hello food lovers!

This week, load up on flavour and treat your taste buds with homemade Italian-style sandwiches.

If you have a picnic planned and want to mix up your sandwiches, this recipe is perfect!

Get ready to enjoy delicious little savoury brioche rolls served with a homemade ratatouille.

To make 8 sandwiches, you will need:

Savoury brioche dough

- 450gr of flour

- 100gr of milk

- 20gr of fresh yeast

- 2 tsp of sugar

- 150gr of butter

- 2 eggs

- 2 tsp of salt

- 50gr of grated Gruyère

- 10 basil leaves

- 1 egg yolk

Ratatouille

- 25gr of onion

- 1 clove of garlic

- 45gr of eggplant

- 45gr of zucchini

- 25gr of red bell pepper

- 25gr of yellow bell pepper

- 60gr of tomato

- 4 basil leaves

- 20gr of water

- Salt and pepper

Assembly

- Red pesto

- Rocket

- 8 slices of cured ham

- 250gr of mozzarella

To start, we will make the savoury brioche dough, as it will need to rise for 1h30.

Savoury brioche dough

First, heat 100gr of milk in the microwave for 30 seconds at 600Watt.

Be careful not to overheat it (maximum 35°C) — if the milk is too hot, the yeast will lose its effect and the brioche won't rise.

Crumble 20gr of fresh yeast into the milk and mix until dissolved.

In a large bowl, pour 450gr of flour, the milk/yeast mixture and 150gr of butter cut into pieces.

Add 2 eggs and 2 tsp of sugar. Use measuring spoons to add the sugar precisely.

Using the dough hook of your stand mixer, knead the dough for 5 minutes at speed 1.

After the first 5 minutes, add 2 tsp of salt and 50gr of grated Gruyère.

Finally, finely chop 10 basil leaves.

Knead again for 5 minutes at speed 1 then 5 minutes at speed 2.

The brioche dough is ready. Shape it into a nice ball and let it rise for 1h30 at room temperature under a damp cloth.

To get evenly shaped brioche rolls, we will bake them in the mini cake mould.

Once the dough has risen well, divide it into 8 equal portions (approximately 110gr each).

Preheat your oven to 180°C fan-assisted.

Start shaping by rolling each portion into a ball then elongate it slightly. Use the mould as a guide to get the right length. :-)

Place the shaped dough portions in the mould and let them rise again for 30 minutes under a damp cloth.

Using a pastry brush, glaze the little brioche rolls with an egg yolk.

Score the centre of each brioche with a lame or scoring knife.

Bake the brioche rolls for 25 minutes in the middle of the preheated oven.

Once baked, leave them to cool for 10 minutes in the mould.

Turn them out onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

We can now move on to the ratatouille — this step can be done while the brioche is rising, or even the day before. :-)

Ratatouille

Start by cutting the vegetables into small cubes of approximately 5 mm.

I used a vegetable cutter to get evenly sized pieces. However, this step can easily be done with a knife. ;-)

Cut 45gr of eggplant and 45gr of zucchini.

Continue with 25gr of yellow bell pepper, 25gr of red bell pepper and 60gr of tomato.

Finish by cutting 25gr of onion into small pieces.

Once the vegetables are cut, time to cook! :-)

In a frying pan, pour a drizzle of olive oil and press 1 clove of garlic. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil.

Add the onion and let it cook for 2 minutes with the garlic.

Add the bell pepper and eggplant cubes. Stir and add 20gr of water, reduce the heat then cook for approximately 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the tomato and zucchini pieces then simmer for 10 minutes. Stir from time to time.

Finish the ratatouille by finely chopping 10 basil leaves.

Season the ratatouille with salt and pepper, taste and adjust if necessary.

Pour the ratatouille into a bowl then cover with cling film. Store in the fridge.

All the components are ready and cooled. It's time to assemble the sandwiches.

Assembly

Slice the brioche rolls in half lengthwise. Spread the slices with red pesto.

Add some rocket and 1 slice of cured ham then spread over 1 tbsp of ratatouille.

Finish the sandwich with 2 slices of mozzarella and close it.

And there you have it — utterly delicious little sandwiches!

They can be filled according to your tastes and preferences. ;-P

The sandwiches will keep in a well-sealed box for 2 days in the fridge.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday, food lovers!

Sophie

P.S.: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.