Making your own delicious muffaletta bread from scratch is surprisingly simple, and the final loaf tastes fantastic. Even beginning bakers can do this recipe. Follow along with the instructional photos, and have fun baking!
If you're looking for more New Orleans favorites, try our recipes for shrimp and grits, hurricane mocktail, and our 13 Mardi Gras recipes.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's the right shape. Most store-bought loaves aren't even close to the right shape for muffaletta, but making your own ensures that it's flat and round like what you need.
- It has the right texture. This bread is light enough to absorb the flavorsome oils from the olive salad, and strong enough to support the heavy fillings without getting soggy or falling apart.
- The dough passes the windowpane test to ensure that it's properly kneaded. This means you can stretch a piece of the dough thin enough for it to be translucent without tearing.
- Spritzing the loaf with water ensures that the sesame seeds stick to the bread rather than falling off.
Ingredients
Curious what ingredients you need to make a delicious loaf of muffaletta bread? Fortunately, this bread takes only simple ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store. Let's talk about the most important ingredients!
- Bread Flour: It's critical that you use bread flour, and not all-purpose, for making bread. The higher protein content in this type of flour creates more gluten in the dough, giving you a higher rising bread with a fluffier, chewier texture. We recommend using King Arthur.
- Yeast: Either instant (fast-action) or active dry yeast work well. If you're using active dry, be sure to bloom it first by dissolving it in the warm water used in the dough. Add the sugar and let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Olive Oil: This softens the dough, making it more moist, and adds a subtle flavor if you use extra virgin. Use a good quality oil for the health benefits and best flavor.
- Sesame Seeds: It's traditional to top the muffaletta bread with white sesame seeds, which makes it resemble a giant hamburger bun. If you can't eat these, feel free to omit them.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Muffaletta Bread
Start by measuring out the ingredients: bread flour, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and water.
- Add the salt and yeast to the flour on opposite sides of the bowl (the salt can kill the yeast if it touches it), then stir them in with your finger. (image 1)
- Pour in the sugar, oil, and half of the water, and mix until all the flour is picked up and a sticky dough forms. (image 2)
- Knead with the dough hook for 4-6 minutes. The kneaded dough should pass the windowpane test. If you can stretch a piece until it's translucent without breaking, then it's kneaded enough. If not, knead a little longer and test again. (image 3)
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it prove until at least doubled in size (about 1 ½ hours). (image 4)
- Punch down the dough, then shape it into a flat disc about 9 inches in diameter. The loaf will increase in diameter to about 10 inches as it proves and bakes. (image 5)
- Lightly spray the load with water, and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds on top. (This gives the muffaletta its signature look.) Prove until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (image 6)
- Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes. (image 7)
- Let it cool for at least an hour before slicing to give it time to finish cooking and to release the steam inside naturally. (image 8)
Recipe FAQs
A muffaletta sandwich is traditionally made with a flat-topped, round loaf of white Italian bread topped with sesame seeds. The crust is fairly crisp, and the center is soft and fluffy with a somewhat open texture, but still strong enough to support the heavy filling of meat, cheese, and olive salad in the sandwich.
Muffaletta is a famous sandwich that originated in New Orleans at Central Grocery. It was invented in 1906 by Salvatore Lupo, the owner of Central Grocery. A muffaletta sandwich is made from a kind of Italian bread split in half and filled with olive salad, cold cuts, and cheese.
It's important to use the right bread, since it's the base for the entire sandwich. Making your own loaf with this recipe ensures you have the right shape of loaf along with the crisp crust and soft interior that makes this sandwich so great. Of course, once you have a solid foundation for your sandwich, add a good olive salad and layer it with the meat and cheese to create an epic muffaletta sandwich.
Make Ahead: The dough for the muffaletta bread can be made the day in advance and left to rise overnight in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature the following day, then knock it back, shape it, rise again, and bake.
Leftovers: You can keep it at room temperature for a day or two, but it will stay much fresher if it's frozen.
Freezing: Freeze the muffaletta loaf before adding the sandwich meat and cheese. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil; then freeze for up to 1 month.
Serve
If you're making this bread, chances are you will be making a muffaletta sandwich soon. Learn how to make your own Central Grocery olive salad with homemade giardiniera, and get the instructions for assembling your own authentic muffaletta sandwich.
If you're looking for other New Orleans favorites to serve with your muffaletta, try our recipes for roux for gumbo, chicken, sausage, and shrimp gumbo, chicken and sausage jambalaya, and bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
Expert Tips
- Sticky dough? Simply add more flour to the dough as it's kneaded; just be careful not to add too much.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place to encourage the yeast's growth.
- Want to make this ahead? Mix and knead the dough, then let it prove in the fridge overnight. Shape it into the loaf, prove, and bake the next day.
- Want to freeze this? Freeze the baked and cooled loaf for up to 1 month if desired.
Other New Orleans Recipes You'll Love
Recipe
Perfect Muffaletta Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ cups bread flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons fast-action yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups room-temperature water
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, untoasted
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir each one in with your finger. Be careful not to let the salt touch the yeast directly, as it can kill or stunt the yeast.
- Add the sugar, oil, and half of the water. Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until the mixture begins to come together. Gradually add more water until all the flour is picked up and a sticky dough forms.
- Switch attachments to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 4-6 minutes, until it's no longer sticky and passes the windowpane test. Check it by stretching a lump of dough between the thumb and forefinger of each hand. If it's translucent in places without breaking, it's been kneaded enough. If it breaks, knead a minute longer and check again.
- Pour about 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and turn it in the oil to coat, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it prove at room temperature until at least doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
Shaping the Loaf
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fists to get rid of the air pockets.
- Place it on a large, lightly floured baking stone or cookie sheet. Shape it into a flat disc about 9 inches in diameter.
- Spritz the top of the loaf with a little water, then sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and gently press them into the dough.
- Loosely cover the loaf with a piece of plastic wrap, and let it prove at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Once it's proved, it should spring back quickly when gently prodded with a fingertip.
- About 10 minutes before the loaf is done proving, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Baking the Bread
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake the proved loaf at 400°F for 20-25 minutes. The loaf should be a rich golden brown and have an internal temperature of 200°F.
- Let the loaf cool for about an hour on a wire rack before slicing to allow it to release the steam inside naturally. Then, the bread can be sliced in half lengthwise and used to make a muffaletta sandwich.
Video
Notes
- If the dough is really sticky when you're kneading, simply add a little more flour; just be careful not to add too much.
- Prove the dough in a warm place to speed up the rise.
- If you're in a hurry, make the dough the night before and let it prove in the fridge overnight. Let it come to room temperature, then shape it into a loaf, prove, and bake the next day.
- Freeze the baked and cooled loaf for up to 1 month if desired.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
JoAnne
Thanks for excellent instructions (I’m from New Orleans) can’t wait to bake one!
Emma
You're welcome, JoAnne! Let us know how your muffaletta bread turns out!
Vicki Dickerson
It came out perfect!! Love this recipe!
Emma
That's fantastic, Vicki! Thank you for making our recipe.
Jeannie Walker-Wright
I have a gorgeous old commercial oven that makes excellent pot breads. I’m a well experienced baker with many loaves of many kinds of bread behind me.
I followed directions precisely including punching down adequately. I normally make a cross or lattice on a large round loaf to prevent cracking but as your loaf was fairly flat in picture without one I did as directed. My loaf rose in the middle and cracked in four places. It smells great but not the best for the muffuletta I’m making. It also took 45 minutes to bake and achieve 200 degrees internationally.
Emma
We're sorry that your loaf cracked, Jeannie! The main reason for breads "exploding" in the oven is that they were under-proved or that there was too much yeast or not enough salt in the dough. Did you happen to bake it in a pot? That would affect the baking time and perhaps the rising as well.
Dave
This recipe really saved my bacon. I tried another (multi-day) muffaletta bread recipe that failed miserably. So at 4:45 that afternoon, I combed the Internet for another option and settled on this one; three-and-a-half hours later, my family was munching on muffaletta sandwiches. The results were excellent: an even, well-risen loaf with a nice crust and good crumb. I should note that the doubling in first rise happened far sooner than anticipated, so next time I make this, I may reduce the sugar by a teaspoon.
Emma
I'm so happy that you had success with this recipe, Dave! If you had a faster rise, I'd recommend placing the bread in a cooler place to slow it down rather than decreasing the sugar, as reducing the sugar will affect the texture. Happy baking!
Margaret
Absolutely perfect. Everyone loved it!
Emma
That's great to hear, Margaret! We're so happy that everyone enjoyed the bread!
Robert Fulton
The hydration, according to the metric conversion of this recipe, seems really high, like 74%, which is just a gooey mess rather than dough-like. I think the metric equivalents/ratios are wrong. The imperial measurements work out to about 65%, which is more workable.
Emma
Whether you use ounces (imperial) or metric (grams), the hydration does work out to 74% for this recipe, and that's correct; it's not super gooey when I make it. Keep in mind that the amount of water the flour absorbs varies depending upon the humidity and the brand of the flour; sometimes, you'll need less or more than the recipe states. Hydration is done by eye as well, not simply by measurement.
Lene
I'm 53 and just started learning how to cook about 6 years ago. I've never made bread and so this being my first bread recipe to try I was extremely nervous. Wow I love this bread. It's firm but flaky & crunchy. I put an homemade olive salad with 3 different types of olives with Salami, Ham & turkey slices with red onion, feta cheese & extra virgin olive oil topped with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. This is the perfect bread to pair with these ingredients. I did not use sesame seeds, I brushed my bread with melted garlic butter when it came out of the air fryer and ground sea salt. Thank you for the recipe! My husband has been on a meal replacement diet for 4 days and he had a bite of mine and insisted I make him one. He broke his diet 🙂
Emma
Thanks for sharing your story, Lene! Congratulations on making your first loaf of bread. I'm so glad that it turned out well and that you and your husband enjoyed it! 🙂
Libby
First time bread maker...Was a bit anxious but I conquered my fears. Nothing could be easier and more delicious.
Emma
That's lovely, Libby! Congratulations on making your first loaf of bread, and I'm so glad that you found it easy and tasty!
Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic
I absolutely love this recipe. It was so easy to make although I've never tried or made muffuletta bread before. Thank you!
Emma
Thank you so much, Mateja! We are glad that you found this recipe easy to make and enjoyed the bread.
Kim
Hello. Can this recipe make individual rounds? I’m hosting a party and the sandwich is for cocktail hour. 12 guests. Huge menu to follow. Making two 10” founds would be crazy. Would you provide some input? Many thanks!
Emma
Yes, Kim, you can definitely make them into smaller rounds. Try 6-inch rounds or even dinner rolls if you like. The second proving time may be a little shorter since the loaves are smaller, and the baking time will also be shorter. This bread is baked when it's golden brown and has an internal temperature of 190°-200°F. Enjoy!
Kim
Thank you SO MUCH!
Emma
You're very welcome!
LMFG
Really good and simple bread
Emma
Thank you so much!
MaryLou
I have black sesame seeds I need to use. Can I use them in this recipe?
Emma
You can. The result will taste the same, but just look a little different.
txbisquit
A+++
Wow, this turned out PERFECT! My husband is very familiar with muffaletta sandwiches (this was my first) and he could not stop raving about your bread. Thank you for the recipe and easy to follow instructions!
Emma
Thank you so much--comments like yours make my day! I'm thrilled that you and your husband enjoyed the bread so much.