Ditch White Bread: Fried Bologna Sandwiches Are Restaurant-Worthy With This Loaf

A fried bologna sandwich is a classic lunch staple that's been around for ages, but it's commonly served on white bread or Texas toast. This spongy, semi-sweet bread has always been a good flavor contrast to hearty, rich, perfectly-crisp fried bologna, but there's one thing that white bread is missing: the heartiness to stand up to the bologna's texture. Upgrading your bread is one of the best ways to make a bologna sandwich that your grown-up taste buds will love, and that's where ciabatta comes in. It's a white bread, but it has a thick crust on both sides, so it not only holds up well to bologna but also to any other toppings you might fancy on your sandwich. 

Ciabatta is a more hydrated, chewier kind of bread that doesn't melt in your mouth quite the same way white bread does. If you smear a layer of mayonnaise on that bologna sandwich, the ciabatta's texture and crust can stand up to the extra moisture better than white bread. Plus, if you prefer a few pieces of fried bologna on your sandwich, the ratio of bread to meat is better with ciabatta, whereas white bread tends to get overpowered by that stack of bologna slices.

There is no right answer as far as whether homemade or store-bought ciabatta is better for the bologna sandwich; both are fine. If you're in a pinch, store-bought ciabatta from a bakery tends to be the best kind to use, since it's typically well-made and keeps the sandwich process easy. With that said, you can also make it at home, but keep in mind it's not often regarded as the best bread for beginner bakers. Since ciabatta has a very sticky dough due to its hydration level, it can be a little more complicated to work with. Still, with time, you can learn to make it at home.

Ciabatta bread also freezes well, so if you're craving a fried bologna sandwich but won't eat the whole loaf, you can just tightly wrap it to seal it as best as possible, then store it in the freezer for up to three months. Slice it before you freeze it, though, so you can defrost only as much bread as you need when that bologna sandwich craving hits. Ciabatta has so many creative uses, but sometimes it's just best on a classic sandwich.