Bread, the Missing Element

If you do a tour of American Sandwich Shops and Burger Joints, you could easily come to the conclusion that the only reason for bread is so that you do not have to handle the meat and cheese with your fingers.  Rather than being an important part of the sandwich, they seem to have become little more than the delivery system.

Burger Joints were probably the first purveyor of this tragedy.  Of course, that might be because most of the big burger chains got their start in the 1950s, when Wonder Bread was king.  Wonder Bread, and most buns seem to be mostly flour and air.  They have no body, or true texture.  They add nothing to a sandwich, except something to grab it by.  Very occasionally, you will see somebody try putting a burger on better bread, but the big chains never get the message, and so none of them are any different from the rest.

Some get the idea, like Schlotzkys,  Their sourdough roll is a joy, it has bite and flavor.  I sometimes wish that I could just buy the rolls, and it is even better as a pizza dough.  I keep wondering why no one has stolen that idea.

Some don't get the idea, but they try.  Subway offers a selection of breads, but no matter what you order, you are getting Wonder Bread with flavors added.  It tastes good, but there is no body, no bite, nothing to chew.  It's a little sad really.

Even good sandwich shops can suffer from this problem.  They take the time to find the best meats, and good cheeses.  They procure good, flavorful condiments, and then when it comes to bread, they seem to think any old thing will do.  Even when the bread isn't bad, like at Jimmy Johns, it isn't really good either.  I will take Jimmy Johns over Subway any day, because they are a little better at each and ever aspect of the sandwich, but not enough to make me go out of my way.

So, to all you sandwich makers out there, give a little more thought to your bread.  I have some ideas too. 

Pretzel Buns might be nice, but remember to get a really chewy pretzel dough if you are going that direction.

How about a Rye Bun?  I think this would be phenomenal with a good Hot Dog.

Bagels anyone?  They are already round, just like your hamburger buns.  I would suggest a bagel on the lighter end of the spectrum.

Ciabatta's been used, but it would be better than Wonder Bread...much better.

So, be creative, make your sandwich something unique.  Don't follow the present trend of putting meat and cheese between two pieces of cardboard and hoping people don't notice.