Fall

Toasted Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich on Rosemary Chocolate Bread

by:
September  6, 2014
5
3 Ratings
Toasted Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich on Rosemary Chocolate Bread
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Makes 1 loaf of bread, with directions for making 1 sandwich
Author Notes

I came up with the recipe for the bread in this sandwich as a riff on Ferran Adrià's classic, simple snack of bread topped with grated dark chocolate, olive oil, and sea salt, then toasted in the oven. I incorporated rosemary to add an herbal note to complement the fruitiness of the chocolate and olive oil.

Any life-changing sandwich must necessarily be enclosed in an amazing bread, and building this Toasted Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich with this bread will turn it into something transformative. First, brush the rosemary chocolate bread with peppery olive oil and allow it to crisp up in the oven a little, then add a rich layer of creamy peanut butter and a hearty drizzle of honey before returning the slice to the oven to warm and soften the toppings. Finally, combine the slices and enjoy your first savory, sweet, and entirely surprising bite. —indieculinary

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Indieculinary is the author of the blog of the same name and lives in Santa Cruz, California.
WHAT: An oven-toasted peanut butter sandwich with rich rosemary and dark chocolate bread.
HOW: Add minced rosemary, olive oil, and chocolate to bread dough, allow to rise, then bake in a Dutch oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Slice the bread, then toast each slice in the oven with olive oil for an additional 5 to 10 minutes before adding peanut butter and honey.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Just when we thought the peanut butter sandwich couldn't get any more perfect this sandwich came along and unraveled everything we thought we knew about the lunchbox classic. The combination of honey and rosemary hits the perfect balance between sweet and savory. Consider enjoying it open-faced with a cup of English breakfast tea for the perfect cold weather breakfast. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the rosemary chocolate bread:
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 12 ounces lukewarm water
  • 10 ounces whole wheat flour (such as hard red winter wheat)
  • 10 ounces bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 4 ounces ground almonds (almond meal)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to oil the bowl
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
  • 4 ounces finely diced dark chocolate
  • For the toasted peanut butter and honey sandwich on rosemary chocolate bread:
  • 2 thin, even slices of Rosemary and Chocolate Bread (see recipe above)
  • 1 tablespoon good, peppery olive oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, or to taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
Directions
  1. For the rosemary chocolate bread:
  2. Add the yeast to the lukewarm water and set aside.
  3. Combine the flours, salt, ground almonds, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of a standing mixer.
  4. Pour the water/yeast mixture over.
  5. Use the standing mixer to knead the bread until it reaches "windowpane" stage. (When you take a small piece and spread it between your fingers, you get a thin, stretchy, nearly transparent result from the dough.) You will likely need to stop the mixer a few times to scrape the bottom of the bowl, and gather up and knead in any dry crumbs by hand.
  6. Knead in the minced rosemary and chocolate by hand.
  7. Place your dough in a bowl rubbed lightly with olive oil, cover with a towel, and leave it to rise at room temperature until it's about doubled.
  8. Punch it down and leave it alone for another 15 minutes to rise again.
  9. Preheat your oven to 450° F and leave a covered, lightly-oiled Dutch oven within to preheat as well.
  10. Shape your dough into a round loaf.
  11. Bake the dough inside the preheated Dutch oven, covered, for about 30 minutes.
  12. Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until a firm brown crust is achieved, and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom.
  1. For the toasted peanut butter and honey sandwich on rosemary chocolate bread:
  2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  3. Brush the slices of bread with olive oil.
  4. Toast in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they become golden and crispy.
  5. Remove from oven, spread peanut butter evenly on each slice of bread, then drizzle slices with honey.
  6. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes to finish warming through.
  7. Remove from oven and press together into a sandwich.
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Hannah
    Hannah
  • Christy Luong
    Christy Luong
  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • indieculinary
    indieculinary

Popular on Food52

11 Reviews

Hannah
Hannah August 13, 2020
Currently experiencing a meat free week and relying heavily on peanuts for fat and protein. Made the bread tonight and ripped a chunk off to go with ratatouille - excellent stuff. Will warm up more bread tomorrow for a proper PB & H sandie!
 
Christy L.
Christy L. February 4, 2015
This recipe sounds great! I just got a dutch oven and I really want to try making bread. About how long will the dough take to rise? I want to try to schedule my day so that hopefully I can bake it by noon.
 
Maggie S.
Maggie S. February 13, 2015
I baked this today - I let it rise for about an hour, and that seemed to be enough time for it to double!
 
Christy L.
Christy L. February 13, 2015
thanks!
 
Jessica
Jessica January 14, 2015
What if you do not have a dutch oven?
 
indieculinary
indieculinary February 3, 2015
Hi Jessica- It's worth investing in one if you want to make nice, crispy bread in your oven at home... the lid allows you to capture the steam as the bread begins to heat up, which keeps the crust from hardening too soon. (If it hardens too soon, your loaf won't spring as high as it could.) And the bottom of the dutch oven, pre-heated, helps keep the bottom of the loaf crisp.
 
beejay45
beejay45 October 21, 2015
It doesn't have to be a Dutch oven. Any covered casserole of a reasonable depth, with a lid, that can stand the heat, will work. If you don't have that either, you can use a regular loaf pan or form the dough on a sheet pan. You won't get the same rise and crust, but it's the bread that counts most, IMO. Not, of course, speaking for indieculinary.
 
miriam
miriam February 25, 2024
Indieculinary, it's a question worth asking. It's not worth investing in a Dutch oven if you're too weak to lift one, even when it's empty.
So again, what can one use instead of a Dutch oven?
 
indieculinary
indieculinary February 25, 2024
Oh hi, this is a blast from the past. Looks like there are some suggestions from others above. The purpose of the Dutch oven is to capture steam. Try a lighter-weight ceramic rather than cast-iron Dutch oven, perhaps?
 
aargersi
aargersi September 11, 2014
As soon as temps drop below 100 (in Sept! Hello Texas!) I intend to try this. Sounds wonderful!
 
indieculinary
indieculinary September 12, 2014
Let me know what you think once the season shifts! I grew up in CA's central valley and I know your 100-degree temperature in September pain. :)