The humble (and not so humble) toasted sandwich

They originated in the UK as a “toastie”, in Italy they call them paninis, the French have the famous croque monsieur and here in Australia, we invented the jaffle iron to perfect them. They can be press-toasted, pan-toasted or open grilled. Whatever the name or method, the toasted sandwich is the perfect comfort meal any time of the year, but they’re especially good when it’s cold and a fresh sandwich just doesn’t hit the spot! 

When we had our café in James St, Geelong, toasted sandwiches were loved all year round. Whether it was our Prosciutto, Olive and Fontina toastie, or the Tuna Panini with Sirena tuna, Provolone cheese and capers, our customers kept coming back for more.

Our handcrafted sourdough is the perfect base for your favourite toasted sandwich. The Irrewarra Casalinga sourdough loaf is a popular choice with its thick crust and open, holey inside, always ready to soak in all the juicy, delicious fillings. 

The Breakfast Seed Loaf is full of the goodness of sunflower seeds, linseeds, pumpkin seeds, LSA and rolled in sesame seeds, which crackle and brown when toasted, adding an earthy umami flavour to your sandwich. All our breads are authentic fermented and low GI to fuel you throughout the day, you can read about some of the significant health benefits of sourdough bread on our recent blog.

Here are a few favourite toasted sandwich recipes, and one from our friends at Meredith Dairy, for you to enjoy at home. 

Three Cheese Toastie

This is the ultimate grilled cheese toasted sandwich! Use either our White Sandwich Loaf or Breakfast Seed Loaf (pictured) for the base, or even melted over our crusty Baguette à L'Ancienne. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 slices of Irrewarra Breakfast Seed Loaf (or Irrewarra loaf of your choice)

250g mozzarella cheese

250g vintage cheddar (we love Mainland or Pyengana)

150g Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 brown onion (medium), finely chopped

Half a cup of flat leaf parsley and chives, finely chopped

Method:

1. Grate all your cheeses and mix with the chopped onion and herbs. 

2. Cut two slices of Breakfast Seed Loaf, sprinkle the cheese mix over the top of the bread and put under the grill for 3-4 minutes until golden and bubbly. Enjoy hot with a crisp craft beer to wash it all down. 

Prosciutto & Olive Toastie

This delicious toasted sandwich was a definite winner on our café menu. Fontina is well known for its ability to melt–it’s the cheese of choice for fondue– so it’s perfect for a toastie.  The saltiness of the prosciutto and olives paired with the sweet, creamy flavour of Fontina is the ultimate taste sensation. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 slices of Irrewarra Casalinga Loaf

2 heaped teaspoons of sliced olives–we recommend using organic pitted kalamata olives from Mount Zero Olives

2-3 slices of prosciutto

3-4 slices of Fontina cheese

Method: 

1. Cut two slices of Irrewarra Casalinga Loaf, not too thick! Brush the outside slices of bread with olive oil.

2. Spread the sliced olives on the inside of one slice of bread.

3. Top with prosciutto, followed by the slices of Fontina cheese.

4. To cook, you can either grill in a sandwich press until it’s browned on top and sizzling inside, or you can fry in a non-stick fry pan for 5-7 minutes each side until golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. For a hearty winter meal, you could serve this with a mug of creamy pumpkin soup on the side.

Mushroom and Meredith Dairy Marinated Goat Cheese 

A vegetarian’s delight! Our friends over at Meredith Dairy posted a recipe for this delicious open toasted sandwich in celebration of International Sourdough Day back in April, and they’ve kindly let us share it with you.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 slices of Irrewarra Casalinga loaf

2 cubes of Meredith Dairy Marinated Goat Cheese

100g of button mushrooms, halved

1 clove of garlic

3 sprigs of thyme

Handful of rocket

Butter for frying

Method: 

1. Cut two slices of Irrewarra Casalinga loaf (we like ours lightly pre-toasted for this recipe). 

2. Meanwhile, fry the mushrooms with a little butter with the garlic and thyme until soft and warmed through. 

3. Crumble the Meredith Dairy Marinated Goat Cheese over both slices of bread, top with the mushrooms and then rocket. 

4. Don’t forget to drizzle some oil from the Meredith Dairy Marinated Goat Cheese jar over the top before you take a bite. Great for breakfast–enjoy with your coffee of choice!