Croque or Baguette Sandwiches

Croque or Baguette Sandwiches. Oh so yummy! Anybody can go and get croques from the shop. But how about making them yourself? Next time you bake some breakfast rolls (or Brötchen in German) use the dough and make some baguettes as well. Or otherwise buy them at your bakery.

The original French croque is basically a fried sandwich. The German version is made with baguette and looks like a subway sandwich, but the bread is crunchy (= croque).

Making your own baguette you normally use all-purpose-flour (Mehl 550), sometimes even pastry flour (Mehl 405). But in the end it is a matter of taste. After many trips to France, we experienced what everybody experiences after a while, except it is much worse when you are used to German bread. Baguette becomes cardboard-y and yucky. One longs for decent bread that actually makes you full and has some taste. Don’t get me wrong. For a BBQ or a party with a buffet baguette is great. But over all we like our bread to be a little more nutricious.

So I use the dough that I make for my breakfast rolls. You can find the recipe here: https://spoonsandscissors.com/breakfast-rolls-brotchen/. If you like it to be more original French, use only white flour (see above) for the bread recipe.

Making the croque or baguette sandwiches is pretty easy. You cut the bread open and put a little sauce on the bottom half (optional, but for sauce lovers a must). Then you put your meat or cold cut on top and some cheese. It can be ham, salami, chicken or anything else you like and or fried onions. And the type of cheese is also up to you. I like gouda slices, but cheddar is great, too. Anything fresh goes on afterwards.

Then you bake the bottom half for 10-12min in the oven. Add the top half for the last 3-5min. Make sure not to let the bread get too crunchy, especially if you have teeth problems.

Take both halfs out of the oven. Put the sauce, remulade or the like, on the top half, add lettuce and fresh tomatoes (optional) and close the sandwich. Now your croque is finished.

Our version of croque is actually open-faced. We put sauce on both halfs, then add the meats, fried onions and cheese and bake them. Lettuce or salad we serve on the side.

Try out both ways to see what you like best. It is defenitely more food, if you choose the open-faced version.

If you choose breakfast rolls as you bread, then this recipe turns into Panini al Forno. You can find the directions here: https://spoonsandscissors.com/panini-al-forno/

Print Recipe

Croque or Baguette Sandwiches

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 baguette from the bakery or home made
• ham cold cut
• salami
• chicken breast cold cut
• cheese slices e.g. gouda, cheddar
• sauce e.g. remulade, garlic, bechamel
• 1 head lettuce e.g. iceberg, arugula, romana
• 4 tomatoes
• 1-2 onions

Instructions

• If you like fried onions on your croque, start with cutting the onions onto rings and fry them up and set aside. Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F
• Cut the bread open and put a little sauce on the bottom half. Then put your meat or cold cut on top and some cheese. It can be ham, salami, chicken or anything else you like and/or fried onions. Then add the sliced cheeses like gouda or cheddar. Anything fresh goes on afterwards.
• Then you bake the bottom half for 10min in the oven. Add the top half for the last 3-5min. Make sure not to let the bread get too crunchy, especially if you have teeth problems.
• Take both halfs out of the oven. Put the sauce, remulade or the like, on the top half, add lettuce and fresh tomatoes (optional) and close the sandwich. Now your croque is finished.
• For open-faced croque, put sauce on both halfs, then add the meats, fried onions and cheese and bake them. Lettuce or salad we serve on the side. Tomatoes are possible to add before baking. Bake for 10-15min.