You absolutely can’t go wrong when choosing the best bread for sandwiches. I mean, any delicious loaf can be used to make the most delicious sandwiches.
Even so, it’s still my absolute pleasure to talk about our choices in breads for sandwiches. It also gives me a chance to cover some of my favorites.
It’s a bit hard to know where to start because there are a lot of options to choose from. There is no single bread that can be universally called the best bread for sandwiches.
Our mind might automatically go to the classic sandwich bread that we can also bake at home in a loaf pan but there are so many other options out there.
I love buying sandwiches but I love them more when I make them at home. Well, the same goes for baking bread, making pizzas, experimenting with different pasta dishes, and all sorts of savory dishes and, from time to time, desserts.
We might think of a sandwich as 2 slices of bread holding some ingredients between them but they are so much more than that.
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Best Bread for Sandwiches: 12 Personal Favorites
Talking about the best breads for sandwiches is like talking about our favorite flatbreads. There are so many types that you don’t even know where to start.
Plus, writing this article is actually going to be excruciating. I’ll end up writing all day because I’ll have to take many breaks to make a few sandwiches for myself. Well, it’s in the name of research so it doesn’t count.
However, what I absolutely love about writing articles like this one is that we get to experience so many different cuisines.
By talking about the best bread for sandwiches, we’re going to take a short trip around the world. We’ll visit the US, Italy, France, and Vietnam.
I also love that you can try making sandwich recipes with different types of bread because not everyone will have access to the same breads. There are plenty substitutions to be made. Don’t worry if you can’t find a particular loaf. Use whatever you have.
1. Classic American Sandwich Bread
Since I’ve mentioned sandwich bread, the type that we can make at home in a loaf pan or we can more easily buy sliced, let’s start with this one. For many of us, this is the type we grew up with.
This is the classic, after all it even bears the name sandwich bread.
The recipe for a classic sandwich bread calls for: all purpose flour, milk, water, melted butter, sugar, salt, and active dry yeast.
The result is a soft crumb and a soft crust, a light texture that still holds and supports fillings, reducing drips and messiness.
It’s especially convenient if you buy it sliced because you will be able to assemble a quick sandwich in a few minutes.
It depends what type of ingredients you want to throw between the slices. If the rest of the ingredients are easily available, you’ll be able to assemble everything in a minute or less. That’s one very quick meal that we get to make wherever we’re tired but we want some delicious, filling food. I love this simplicity.
If you want more bread to your sandwich, I recommend using a Texas toast. The slices are thicker, not cut as thin as the classic white sandwich bread.
Which are the best sandwiches that we can make with this bread?
First of all, there is the classic peanut butter and jelly. The whole planet knows about peanut butter and jelly from countless movies and TV shows. This is also the fastest to make.
What I love more than a PB&J is a BLT. This is one of my favorite sandwiches because it combines fresh ingredients with one of the best meats on the planet. You need bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a bit of mayonnaise. You can also totally skip the mayonnaise and it will taste delicious.
Ham and cheese and turkey sandwiches are two other classics for this type of bread. But you can also make them with sourdough bread and multigrain. The same goes for BLT.
Grilled cheese can also be made with the classic American sandwich bread. However, many love to make it with sourdough and I totally agree.
Besides those recipes, I love this bread for toast. If I have toast, butter, and marmalade, I feel like I don’t need anything for the most delightful breakfast. Well, maybe a strong coffee, a cup of tea, and a small fruit salad.
French toast is another favorite for many and this is the bread to make it with.
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2. Whole-Grain Bread
The above American Sandwich Bread is a white bread made with all purpose flour, butter, and milk. Some of you might not like that for different reasons.
The alternative is to buy or make whole-grain bread.
The classic whole grain recipe calls for: whole wheat flour, water, yeast, salt.
Other recipes will be a bit more complex, requiring: whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, water, sugar, active dry yeast, salt, vegetable oil.
However, there are many other variations to this recipe. You can combine different whole grain flours or you can add seeds to the mix (flax seeds, sunflowers seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats, etc.) and make multigrain bread.
If you want to make a hearty sandwich, whole-grain is one of the best breads for the job.
You can also use it for any of the above sandwich recipes that I mentioned when talking about the classic loaf (PB&J, BLT, ham and cheese, turkey, grilled cheese, toast, French toast, etc.).
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3. Sourdough
Another alternative to the classic white sandwich bread is sourdough bread.
The loaf has a similar taste to yeasted breads but it also carries a hint of tanginess that makes it so delicious and loved around the world.
However, sourdough is definitely an acquired taste. Many will prefer it on its own but will find it a bit too sour for sandwiches.
There are quite many people who believe that the tartness in sourdough clashes with any ingredients you might want to add to make a sandwich.
For those I recommend whole-grain, multigrain, and rye breads.
Personally, I love it but I don’t make it often at home. When I use it for sandwiches, I make roast beef, BLT, tuna, turkey, steak, and salami sandwiches.
I also love eating sourdough toast.
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4. Ciabatta
Who hasn’t eaten a ciabatta without falling in love for life? Definitely not me.
I do love it for sandwiches, especially for those made with Italian cheeses and Italian salami and hams and arugula but my favorite use for ciabatta it to make bruschetta with it.
Ciabatta is also the best bread for panini.
Well, you can also use baguettes for bruschetta, that definitely works.
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5. Focaccia
Making a focaccia can be considered a meat all by itself, especially if you top it off with olives, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.
But you can use a classic focaccia for sandwiches. For making them, you can use the same ingredients that you would use for making ciabatta sandwiches.
You don’t need to stuff the ingredients between 2 big pieces of focaccia.
Just top a slice of focaccia, like you would do for bruschetta. Use the ingredients as toppings. That way, you’ll end up eating less bread, too.
It also works nicely for parties as the focaccia can be cut into small squares topped with all kinds of ingredients.
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6. Baguette
You can cut a whole baguette lengthwise and stuff it with layers upon layers of ingredients and then cut it into smaller pieces.
That way, you can easily feed 2-3 people in a very short amount of time. Or just leave it as a sub and enjoy it all by yourself.
If you want a warmer option, you can also toast the baguette.
The perfect combinations are between hams, butter, different types of cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, vinaigrettes, roasted peppers, etc.
Tuna salads also work nicely in baguettes.
Check out my reviews for the best baguette pans if you want to bake your own at home.
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7. Rye Bread
Rye bread can be a perfect alternative to sourdough. For those who find sourdough loaves too sour for sandwiches, there’s rye bread. But you can also use multigrain or whole-grain loaves.
Rye has a touch of sourness but it has a really deep flavor. It’s a flavor of the earth with a chewy, wonderful texture.
If you’re into soft crumbs, this is not the choice for you. This crumb is chewy but so deeply flavorful, bold and full of character.
Because rye has less gluten, the texture is really dense. I would describe it as an acquired taste. It’s perfect for those who can’t stand white flour at all. If you want something different, this is it.
As one of the best breads for sandwiches, rye loaves can be used for all kinds of recipes, it can replace any other sliced bread in recipes.
I use rye for making Reuben, that’s a classic for me that works so well with rye bread.
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8. Boule
This is one of the best bread for sandwiches if you want to make a picnic loaf.
A boule is the name for artisan breads that have a round shape. They are usually baked in a Dutch oven or a bread cloche.
Another awesome bread for a picnic loaf is a bloomer. I discovered that when I read a book about bread from Paul Hollywood.
Most of the crumb of the loaf is removed and the interior is filled with layers upon layers of different ingredients, like: grilled vegetables (peppers, zucchini, eggplants), olive oil, crushed garlic, mozzarella, pesto, fresh basil leaves, salt, and pepper.
9. Vietnamese Baguette (Banh Mi)
Banh mi is one of my favorite sandwiches. Vietnamese baguettes have a crisp crust and a soft airy crumb.
However, when it comes to banh mi, the ingredients are the ones that shine: the pate that smears the baguette, meat, pickled vegetables, chilies, and cilantro. Of course, there are other ingredients that are added but that’s the basis.
I don’t know how to describe how good a banh mi is. I guess you have to taste one to really understand.
You can also make a vegetarian banh mi with pickled vegetables (carrot, Daikon radish), mushrooms (cooked with ginger and soy sauce), and toppings like mayonnaise, Sriracha, cucumber, sliced jalapeno, and cilantro.
If you don’t have a Vietnamese baguette, just use a classic French one.
10. Bagels
If you haven’t used bagels for making fish sandwiches, you don’t know what you’re missing out on.
I guess the classic remains smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel sandwiches.
But I also dare you to try adding mackerel, horseradish and beetroot to your bagels.
Or load the bagels with white fish salad and green onions/scallions.
11. Burger buns
If you have leftover burger buns but don’t have any more meat for the burgers, then you can use those buns to make awesome sandwiches.
You can use them fresh or you can grill them.
My favorite use for burger buns is to make pulled pork sandwiches.
12. Slider buns
Slider buns are another baked product that can be used for burgers but just as well you can use slider rolls for making awesome sandwiches.
Plus, they’re so small and adorable. If you want to impress a crowd with sandwiches, use slider buns and you’ll have a happy, well-fed crowd.
I love them for making sandwiches with different meats: chicken, turkey, beef, different hams and salami. The combinations are endless and you can use slider buns for so many different recipes.
I love that light, soft texture that allows the filling flavors to stand out, whether you use 2 or 3 or 12 ingredients to stuff them.
Slider buns are at the top of the list for me, especially when feeding a crowd. They’re also the perfect ending for this long article on the best bread for sandwiches.
