English Bacon Sandwich Recipes

ULTIMATE BACON SARNIES

Steps:

• Me and my dear friend Pete Begg have two very different approaches to the institution that is the perfect bacon sarnie. The only thing we agree on is that bacon ain't bacon unless it's smoked, but that's pretty much where the similarities end.
• We do both use two 1½cm-thick slices of simple standard white crusty loaf, but I favour a bloomer and Pete tends to go for a tin loaf. Pete's a 3 rashers of streaky-bacon boy; I'm a back-bacon boy. He cooks it in a frying pan, starting out from cold with a little drizzle of olive oil and gradually bringing the temperature up to medium-high so the fat renders out, placing something flat and heavy on top to ensure super-even crispy bacon. I, on the other hand, put the grill on full whack, rub a tray and 3 rashers of back bacon with olive oil, then blast it until golden and crisp, which encourages the fat end of the bacon to curl up, creating a little pond of delicious bacon juice in the middle.
• Pete butters his bread, then lays the bacon on side-by-side, like floorboards. I skip the butter, but push the bacon to the side of my tray and lay the bread in the fat for a few seconds before assembling, letting the bacon rashers sit on the bed of bread like spooning lovers. At this point, Pete goes into another gear and displays a little trick his dad taught him as a boy, sandwiching his creation together and placing it back in the pan of smoky bacon fat to lightly toast on both sides, again with a little weight on top. And it doesn't finish there - Pete stipulates that if the bacon runs north to south it must be cut east to west into 3 thin sandwiches, so you get 3 bacon soldiers in each, from which he gets 3 perfect bites. Genius. I simply cut mine diagonally from corner to corner and get it in my gob as quickly as possible .
• Having been brought up in Essex I have a loyal commitment to HP sauce, but Pete pulls yet another trick out of the bag, treating his plate like an artist's palette with 60% ketchup, 30% English mustard and 10% green chilli sauce, feathered together with a knife, to ensure 9 erratic, beautiful-tasting mouthfuls. Wow.
• These two sandwiches are both delicious, but most importantly, this is how I like mine and Pete likes his. How do you like yours?

BACON & CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and mustard; spread over four bread slices. Layer with cheeses, tomato, onion and bacon. Top with remaining bread. Butter outsides of sandwiches., On a griddle, toast sandwiches over medium heat until golden brown and cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes on each side.

THE GREAT BRITISH BACON BUTTY - BACON SANDWICH

Steps:

• Cook the bacon under a preheated oven grill for seven minutes at about 240C/475F - turning half way through the cooking time.
• Cook until crispy, but not burnt or too dry.
• (You can also fry the bacon in a pan if you wish).
• Butter the two slices of bread and place the grilled or fried bacon inside the two slices of bread to make a sandwich.
• Add sauces to taste.
• Enjoy!
• The bread can also be toasted if you wish! And, you can make this sandwich with a crusty bread roll.
• The Scientist's Formula:.
• Four researchers at the Department of Food Science at Leeds University in the UK spent more than 1,000 hours testing 700 variations on the traditional bacon sandwich.
• They tried different types and cuts of bacon, cooking techniques, types of oil and a range of cooking times at different temperatures.
• A shortlist was then tested with computers to measure the texture of each sandwich.
• Fifty volunteers also judged each sandwich according to its taste, texture and flavour.
• The formula is: N = C + {fb (cm) . fb (tc)} + fb (Ts) + fc . ta, where N=force in Newtons required to break the cooked bacon, fb=function of the bacon type, fc=function of the condiment/filling effect, Ts=serving temperature, tc=cooking time, ta=time or duration of application of condiment/filling, cm=cooking method, C=Newtons required to break uncooked bacon.

EGG-IN-THE-HOLE BACON SANDWICH

Steps:

• Heat a splash of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Fry the bacon until crispy, then put on a plate covered with foil to keep warm.
• Using a cookie cutter, cut a hole in 1 slice of bread, then spread mayonnaise on one side of both slices. Fry the bread in the same pan. When browned on one side, flip both over and crack the egg into the hole. Fry for 2-3 mins, then turn down the heat and cover the pan until the white of the egg is set but the yolk is still runny. Remove everything from the pan.
• Spread the non-egg slice with the sauce, add the bacon, then top with the egg slice. Halve and tuck in.

POSH BLT

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Put the bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with the maple syrup. Grill for 7-10 mins until crisp. Mix the mayo with the sundried tomato paste, then spread over two of the sourdough slices. Top with the bacon, sundried tomatoes and Little Gem. Season with black pepper, top with the remaining bread and halve.

BACON, EGG AND CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Bring a large piece of parchment paper or foil to the stove. Heat a medium (10-inch) nonstick skillet over medium. Grease the skillet generously with butter. Place one side of the roll in the skillet, cut-side down, and toast until golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the toasted half to the parchment, cut-side up. Repeat with more butter and the other half of the roll. (The second side will take less time, as the pan gets hotter.)
• If you're using beef or turkey bacon, add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Add the bacon and cook over medium until browned and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes per side. As the bacon cooks, press it down with a spatula. (This helps the fat render, producing crunchier bacon.) Turn off the heat and transfer the bacon to the bottom roll. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
• Pour the eggs into the skillet, season with salt and pepper and set over medium-low. Using a spatula, pull the egg toward the center and tilt the skillet so the egg runs to the empty part of the skillet. Repeat this all around until the surface of the egg is no longer runny but still shiny. Add the cheese on the top, tearing into smaller pieces for even coverage. Cook, undisturbed, until the top of the egg is matte, just a minute. Remove from heat, fold the egg in half, and then in half again. Transfer to the bottom roll.
• Add ketchup and hot sauce as desired, then add the top roll and press down. Wrap in the parchment, smush again, and let sit for a couple minutes for all the elements to steam together. Cut in half and eat.

BACON GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread 3 tablespoons butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place bread, butter side down, in a large skillet or electric griddle over medium-low heat until golden brown, 2-3 minutes; remove. In a small bowl, combine cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gruyere. In another bowl, mix together remaining 3 tablespoons butter, mayonnaise, Manchego cheese and onion powder., To assemble sandwiches, top toasted side of 4 bread slices with sliced brie. Sprinkle cheddar cheese mixture evenly over brie; add bacon. Top with remaining bread slices, toasted side facing inwards. Spread the butter-mayonnaise mixture on the outsides of each sandwich. Place in same skillet and cook until golden brown and cheese is melted, 5-6 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

BRITISH BACON BUTTY/ SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven grill to medium-high and cook the bacon until done- crisp but not dry. This should take 5-10 minutes.
• Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over one side of each slice of bread.
• Top the mayonnaise with a thin layer of ketchup.
• Place the bacon on one slice of bread and top with the other slice of bread.
• Cut in half diagonally and serve hot!
• NB Best served with a hot cup of tea!