Medianoche Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix yeast and three tablespoons sugar in one cup warm water. Place in a warm place and wait for the yeast to begin bubbling. (If it doesn't bubble and foam, you have some bad yeast or something else went wrong and you'll need to start over.)
• Beat the eggs until foamy. Mix the eggs with the rest of the water and the melted lard.
• Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Turn on and add the liquids all at once. Process until it forms a ball (you may need to add a little more water.) Knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough gets stiff and pliable.
• Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it, then turn the dough so that the greased side is up. Cover with a slightly damp, clean towel. Let rise in a warm place for about one hour or until the dough ball doubles in volume.
• Place the dough on your work surface and punch it down. Divide the dough into good-sized handfuls. Roll each handful on a lightly floured surface to make cylinders about five inches long and about 2 1/4 inches in diameter. Arrange rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a slightly damp, clean towel. Let rise in a warm place for about one hour or until the rolls double in volume.
• Preheat oven to 350º F.
• Brush the tops of the rolls liberally with the egg glaze. Bake until golden brown -- about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove the rolls from the oven, take them off the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. While they are still warm, brush the tops with a little melted butter. Use for medianoche sandwiches, or serve warm as a side dish.

Steps:

• Spread both sides of each roll with mustard. Layer the bottom half with ham, pork, and cheese to cover the bread from end to end. Top with sliced pickles to taste. Brush the outside of the bread, both top and bottom, with butter.
• Heat a sandwich press over medium heat. Lightly brush the inside of the press with additional butter. Press the sandwich until the cheese is melted and the meats are warm, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Alternately, heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Create a press by wrapping a brick, heavy skillet, or can of soup in aluminum foil. Place the sandwich in the skillet and press down on the sandwich, turning once, until it is warmed through and the outside crust is golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Slice on the diagonal and serve.

Steps:

• Split the sandwich rolls in half, and spread mustard and mayonnaise liberally onto the cut sides. On each sandwich, place and equal amount of Swiss cheese, ham and pork in exactly that order. Place a few pickles onto each one, and put the top of the roll onto the sandwich. Brush the tops with melted butter.
• Press each sandwich in a sandwich press heated to medium-high heat. If a sandwich press is not available, use a large skillet over medium-high heat, and press the sandwiches down using a sturdy plate or skillet. Some indoor grills may be good for this also. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, keeping sandwiches pressed. If using a skillet, you may want to flip them once for even browning. Slice diagonally and serve hot.

Steps:

• Slice or split the bread roll in half to fill as a sandwich. Spread a 1/3-inch-thick layer of cream cheese on the bottom half. Lay turkey neatly on top of the cream cheese. Do not overfill the sandwich. Evenly spread jam on the top half of the bread and sandwich with the bottom.
• In a pan over medium-low heat, melt butter, swirling to evenly coat the pan. Place the sandwich bottom side down in the pan and press it with a spatula or a cast-iron skillet. Heat to warm the sandwich, until the bottom is lightly toasted but not burned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip the sandwich and repeat with the other side. Remove from the heat, cut the sandwich in half at an angle and serve immediately.