WE OWE THE PLEASURE OF BITING INTO A SANDWICH TO THE 4TH EARL OF SANDWICH, JOHN MONTAGU, ADMIRAL OF THE ENGLISH FLEET UNDER GEORGE III, WHO HAD A PASSION FOR THEM. .
Text by Valérie Donchez (Featured in the May 2025 issue of Pastry1 Magazine)
During a card game in a pub, he asks for a snack and is served bread, a cold turkey fillet, some salad... He then puts it all together and, so as not to get his fingers dirty, asks for another slice of bread to cover his composition and hold it better. The king of sandwiches, the Club Sandwich, was born in New York in the nineteenth century, in a gambling hall, and was strongly inspired by our dear admiral's sandwich.
Anatomy of a club sandwich
To make it, you need three slices of sandwich bread. The slices are toasted on one side only. A spoonful of mayonnaise is spread on the first slice. Next comes a sliced turkey breast, a lettuce leaf, a slice of tomato and a slice of grilled bacon. Another slice of bread is placed in between, and the same ingredients are used again until the gourmet sandwich is closed with a final slice of toasted bread. It is then cut into quarters and a skewer is inserted to hold the layers together. With an egg, without an egg? That's the question for today's purists. Timothy Breton, of the Bara bakery in Paris, has his say on the matter. "The egg appeared later. Despite there being none in the original recipe, today when you ask for a club sandwich, you very often find hard-boiled egg inside."
Beware of packaging!
From Alain Ducasse to Thierry Marx to chef Juan Arbelaez, this famous snack is a classic in luxury hotels and accommodation around the world. “I worked at the Dorchester in London for three years," says Timothy Breton. The room service kitchen made a lot of them, always pierced through the middle by the famous British Flag that served as a toothpick." Generous but impractical, the club sandwich requires a suitable base, whether you're in a restaurant or a boutique. "In luxury hotels, club sandwiches are prepared and served at the customer's request. The biggest constraint on it being offered in bakeries is transport. We mainly sell take-away. Customers don’t want to risk staining their clothes if they’re consuming it on the go. The idea is having something that's easier to handle and eat, and to find packaging that catches any crumbs or bits of salad that might fall out. This remains to be found, and that's why I'm in contact with packaging engineers who will help me to introduce a box designed for products that are hard to transport."
Authentic or reimagined?
Timothy Breton plans to open a new boutique in Paris with a more developed savory range. Among them, the Club Sandwich. “It is now a must-have for the bakery.” This classic can be revisited by playing on textures, fine ingredients and original combinations. Candied ginger in the seasoning? Why not? Chef Stéphane Barnier reinvents this classic with smoked salmon, apple, candied ginger, lemon and mascarpone. However, many customers prefer the authentic recipe. "Since I've been in the business, I've noticed some twists to the recipes, but it's a product that has always retained its base and identity," explains Timothy Breton. The Club Sandwich itself is enough. We mustn't try to distort it.
Bread Selection
"Personally, I'd go for a sandwich loaf that I already make, with no animal matter in it, so that it's less loaded with butter or fat. It has to be very uniform, in square slices, a little thick so that, once toasted, a certain softness is preserved inside, which is much sought-after for the composition of the Club Sandwich. Otherwise, you could use a classic loaf. If you slice too thinly, it won't work. In restaurants, it is usually passed through a salamander grill. This will toast the top without affecting the middle. In the bakery, you can just put it in the bread oven. This also works very well."
Choice of Meat
"You need a high quality product. You can choose any meat you like, in theory, but you have to be careful not to go for a "Caesar salad" version if you use chicken. The most important thing is where the meat comes from." Turkey, or no turkey? "It's a baker’s prerogative to put whatever meat they want in their club sandwich. Without distorting its roots, we can afford to be a little fanciful. I'd use the same ingredients, but in a different way. I'd stick with turkey. You can rework it by making a homemade marinade, and have real fillets cut with a knife. You need to give a little taste and texture to a meat that, in the original recipe, doesn't necessarily always have any."
Today, the bakery version of this luxury sandwich is attracting a new clientele, and for artisan bakers the challenge remains making it accessible without breaking its codes. "A Club Sandwich that sells well visually is a product that brings together the three professions of cooking, baking and pastry-making," concludes Timothy Breton.