The old-fashioned and popular pastrami sandwich gets the star treatment with homemade rye bread, gruyere cheese and mustard. Making it at home allows you to adjust ingredients to your preference and make it your own.
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Twist on a classic
This pastrami gruyere sandwich took me back a long time, to the years I lived in California, where I discovered Wheat Thins and graham crackers and ate pastrami for the first time.
It had melted Gruyère cheese, dark rye bread, and was served warm with chips and pickles. I always had it on my way to San Francisco, and it was so good that I remember it decades later.
Pastrami, in case you're not very familiar with it, is a meat product, usually made from beef brisket, that is brined for several days and then slowly cooked (or braised, really) to achieve a super-tender, pull-apart piece of meat.
It's fantastic. Both the pastrami and the sandwich. And a far cry from my other favorite meat sandwich.
Testing Notes
The type of pastrami and rye bread you use makes the sandwich.
Pastrami: There are thick, homemade versions of the meat, thick and juicy (hot pastrami), and deli-style slices, like the ones in this sandwich. They each have their pros and cons. Homemade pastrami is laborious to make at home and is harder to find, and the second lacks that juiciness and bite, but is more easily available and can have a wonderful flavor, depending on the brand. In the end, the best pastrami is the one you have available.
Type of bread: I love homemade rye bread, as the one in the recipe card, and I am used to making it. I use dark or light rye flours, so the bread can have different colors. You can buy one from a good bakery and call it a day. Or use this oatmeal whole wheat sandwich bread that also makes a great sandwich.
Don't prepare the sandwiches too much in advance. The bread is soft, and it will soften even further with the mustard and juices from the melting cheese and pastrami. So avoid a messy bite.
Mustard variation. Brown or spicy mustards are the best and the ones used in the original sandwich. I made it with purple mustard on occasion, a condiment that appeared years ago, and it was a nice variation.
To make a reuben sandwich: add sauerkraut and use Swiss cheese instead of gruyere.
Rye bread: homemade or store-bought
For today's sandwich, I wanted a simple, straight-dough bread that could be made in a day. It's also great for toast and freezes well.
You can also use store-bought rye bread and make your life easier.
This is a solid rye bread recipe that can be made with medium or dark rye flour, caraway and cumin seeds.
It uses the straight dough method, so you don't need ferments, sponges or overnight stays in the fridge. Just a regular loaf of bread with the slight tang of rye, which is enhanced by buttermilk.
I was apprehensive about the seeds with the pastrami and the rest of the ingredients, but somehow, this bread is perfect for this sandwich.
Other sandwiches you might like:
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Pastrami Gruyere Rye Sandwich
Ingredients
For each sandwich:
- 2 slices rye bread, recipe below or use store-bought
- 5 ounces pastrami
- 3.5 ounces gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon mustard, or more to taste
- potato chips and gherkins, to serve, optional
Make the rye bread or use a good one from the bakery
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 cup light rye flour, finely milled. Medium or dark rye also work, but result in a darker bread.
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, finely milled. Or use regular whole wheat flour for a darker bread.
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons malt syrup, or molasses
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, or other vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed or coarsely ground
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed or coarsely ground
- 1 cup bread flour, or all-purpose flour
Instructions
For each sandwich:
- Lightly toast 2 slices rye bread.
- Spread one side with 1 tablespoon mustard. Top with 3.5 ounces gruyere cheese, sliced and return for a few minutes to the oven until the cheese begins to melt.
- Arrange 5 ounces pastrami slices on top of the other bread slice. Top with the inverted slice with cheese. Serve with potato chips and gherkins, if desired.
For the bread:
- Grease one 9x5 inch (23x13cm) loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon dry yeast and ¼ cup warm water and let foam for a few minutes.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, put 1 cup light rye flour, 1 cup white whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons salt, ¾ cup buttermilk, 2 tablespoons malt syrup, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons sunflower oiland yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until it integrates.
- Attach the dough hook and start mixing on medium-low speed until a shaggy dough is formed.
- Add 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and 1 cup bread flour, a few tablespoons at a time.
- Beat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough is elastic but not too stiff. If it's too sticky add a few more tablespoons of bread flour but don't overdo it. It needs to retain some stickiness.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. It can take more time depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough down, and then roll it tightly, pinching edges to seal.
- Place in the prepared pan, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise again until doubled, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- About 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
Notes
Bread is adapted from an old version of the New Complete Book of Breads.
Jeanette T says
I baked the bread this morning. Went grocery shopping then came home in time to make a sandwich with it. Yummy!!! I converted it to grams. Added 14g more water which made it a 71.67 % hydration. The dough was sticky at the bottom of the bowl but not on the sides and I’d say it’s cookie dough consistency. As you know rye makes the dough sticky but handling it with oiled hands and shaping on an oiled silicone mat makes the process easier. After I greased my pan I sprinkled it with semolina which gave it a nice crust.
I’d love to send you a picture of the loaf. I hope others will try this recipe and follow your instructions for an outstanding treat. Thanks so much :-))
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks so much for the details! I love how you sprinkled it with semolina, which is an ingredient I love. Please send me a picture, I can upload it to Instagram!