Pan Bagnat: the authentic Nice sandwich between bread in oil and Mediterranean flavours
Pour: 4 Sandwiches
Ingredients
Bread for pan bagnat (round bread in olive oil)
- 500 g T55 or T65 flour
- 10 g salt
- 1 Dry baker's yeast packet or 20 g fresh yeast
- 30 cl warm water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
Traditional pan bagnat filling
Essential Ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil a lot
- Ripe tomatoes Cut into rounds
- Sliced radishes
- Green pepper Horn type in thin strips
- Red onion or spring onion finely minced
- Hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters
- Tuna in oil or failing that, with well-drained water
- Anchovies, salted or in oil optional but very traditional
- Olives de Nice small, black, preferably unpitted
- Fresh basil
- Salt black pepper
Optional ingredients, but present in some local variations:
- Raw artichoke hearts very thinly sliced
- Fresh broad beans or chickpeas very lightly cooked
- Small cucumbers or pickles from Niçois rare
- Romaine lettuce leaves Very rarely, some purists exclude it
- Garlic for rubbing bread raw
Préparation
Prepare the bread
- Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water with the sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast, remaining water and olive oil.
- Knead for 10 minutes until you get a soft and homogeneous dough. Cover and let rise for 1h30 in a warm place.
- Punch down the dough, divide it into 4 balls, flatten them slightly into thick patties.
- Place on a floured baking sheet, cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the loaves are golden brown.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
Assembling the pan bagnat
- Cut the bread in half thickness. Lightly rub the inside with garlic (optional).
- Soak both sides with olive oil (generously!).
- Arrange the ingredients harmoniously, in layers, without over-mashing.
- You can start with tomatoes (for their juice), then other vegetables, tuna, eggs, anchovies, olives, etc.
- Season with salt and pepper and add basil.
- Close the bread, wrap it in paper or a clean tea towel, place a weight on it (like a dish) and let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge, so that the flavors blend and the bread soaks in.
