Chef-Approved Tips For Building The Best Club Sandwich

Said to have originated in a New York gambler's club during the late 1800s, the club sandwich remains a favorite meal more than a century later. Despite the simple recipe, this triangular sandwich is capable of satisfying even the hungriest of appetites, whether enjoyed at brunch, lunch, or dinner. Its popularity stems from its ingredients and chef John Politte believes that a classic approach is best when constructing a club sandwich.

Chef John Politte is the main person behind It's Only Food, a seasoning shop and cooking-based web series. He stated that club sandwiches are tastiest when consisting of "Turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo on toasted bread," in keeping with the sandwich's original recipe when it was first created. However, Politte remains open-minded when it comes to ingredient combinations that veer away from this "traditional style." In this case, the chef recommends adding meats and veggies with powerful flavors such as prosciutto and onions. These added elements not only create a more dynamic flavor but also offer some nice texture variation to make for a highly enjoyable meal.

No club sandwich would be complete without the triangular-cut toasted bread that holds the whole thing together. In this case, chef John Politte recommends taking white bread slices from a Pullman loaf. As Politte explains, Pullman loaves are "squared up so you can get nice even triangle cuts for the sandwich." This bread gets its signature shape from Pullman loaf pans which have perfectly square sides. These pans also come with a lid that prevents the top of the loaf from bubbling over and ruining the uniformly square shape.

The Pullman name comes from the pan's association with the dining cars on trains. Because space was in such short supply, Pullman loaves were considered ideal for their flat sides, which allowed kitchen staff to store more bread than would be possible using the regular rounded loaves. These days, most people love the pans for the dense texture they create and every sandwich fan should have a Pullman loaf recipe in their arsenal when it comes to fresh baked bread. 

John Politte has some strong opinions when it comes to the order of ingredients in a club sandwich. The chef recommends starting with a slice of toasted Pullman bread as the foundation, then adding mayonnaise to the bread, a lettuce leaf, turkey (sliced thin), toasted bread, more mayonnaise, another lettuce leaf, four tomato slices, four pieces of bacon, and a final slice of toasted bread with a layer of mayonnaise. Politte refers to this construction as "the classic club sandwich build."

Along with adding a satisfying mouthfeel to club sandwiches, mayonnaise also plays an important role when it comes to structural integrity. Mayo is a great binding agent as its slightly tacky texture will work wonders at keeping the different layers of the sandwich intact. However, be mindful of overdoing it with mayo, as too much can cause the ingredients to slide around a bit. While chef Politte doesn't recommend an exact portion of mayonnaise, one tablespoon should serve you well.