The Best Type Of Bread To Use For A Sandwich With The Perfect Texture

It doesn't matter who you are and what kind of foods you tend to gravitate toward, there's a sandwich out there for you. The simple sandwich's versatility might just make it the perfect food, whether you're a fan of something like a classic club sandwich, or something a little more obscure, like a chip butty. No matter what your sandwich preferences are, we can all agree that the bread is just as important as what goes on it. With that in mind, The Daily Meal reached out to Rodger Bowser, the managing partner at Zingerman's Deli, in order to get an expert's thoughts on exactly what makes for the perfect sandwich bread.

He confirmed that the bread was just as important as the rest of the sandwich, and stressed: "Make sure you use good quality bread." How do you choose good quality sandwich bread? What should you look for? Bowser explained: "It has the right crumb structure and moisture and it just doesn't get dry. It has a good amount of salt and flavor."

That's true no matter what kind of sandwich you're going to be making, and a good, straightforward guideline to keep in mind. Gone are the days when the only readily-available choices meant white bread or wheat, and with most grocery stores offering a myriad of options, it can get a little overwhelming. Keep a few tips in mind, though, and it doesn't have to be.

Along with the ever-popular breakfast sandwiches, there's an infinite number of lunchtime favorites as well as sandwiches that are worthy of the dinner table. Plenty of these fill-you-up-right sandwiches have a mix of ingredients and textures — which makes sense, because combining textures is one of the best ways to make a great sandwich. Giving your bread a light toast before building your sandwich is a great way to make this happen, but Rodger Bowser told us that there are a few other things to keep in mind, too.

"Make sure to pick sturdy breads, like baguettes or a hearty and dense whole grain loaf like Zingerman's Bakehouse True North, or a Pain de Montagne. My best advice is to start with good bread! Cut nice, big slices, and then fill it up with great ingredients."

For those not in-the-know, Pain de Montagne is an artisanal bread that traces its history back to the mountainous regions of France and Switzerland. It's a heartier bread that isn't just great for cutting thick slices, but that will yield the kind of long, wide slices that are perfect for a variety of sandwiches, from adding a twist to something like a traditional corned beef sandwich with black pepper mayo to something like a chicken parmesan sandwich. Other types of bread that you can't go wrong with include rye, ciabatta, and Italian. Bowser added, "Good bread is good bread, regardless of what you put inside it."

A dry sandwich is just as bad as a soggy one, but fortunately Rodger Bowser of Zingerman's Deli gave us some tips on how to avoid unpleasantly dry sandwich bread as well. "Explore different kinds of mustards," he advises. "It's a good condiment that isn't loose and soggy and adds good flavor to your sandwich."

And there are plenty of options, as there's a surprising number of mustard varieties that you should definitely get to know. They'll all add something different to your sandwiches, from the smooth, mild tang of a traditional yellow mustard to a spicy brown mustard that might just be the upgrade that your ham sandwiches are asking for.

Bowser also advises that no matter what you're making, if you're taking the time to pick out a really good bread, take the time to invest in great ingredients, too. "You can keep it simple, but the better your ingredients, the better your sandwich will taste." While one of the brilliant things about sandwiches is that there's an endless number of ways to mix-and-match bread to ingredients, there is one final bit of wisdom that he gave us regarding sweet sandwiches. That's something like a grilled brie, apple, and cranberry sandwich, or one made with Thanksgiving leftovers like turkey, stuffing, and cranberry. "Don't use a sweet bread with sweet ingredients," he advises, and that's advice that can take your sandwich game to the next level.