• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Unpeeled logo

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Soup, Salad, Snacks
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert + Baking
    • Vegetarian + Vegan
    • Beverages
    • Easy
    • Recipe Collections
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Profiles
    • Taste Tests
    • Food Writing Roundups
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellness
    • Food Travel Guides
    • Book Club
  • Cooking School
    • Cooking Technique
    • Baking + Pastry Technique
    • Wine Class
    • Better Know a Food
  • The Food + Grief Project
    • Food That Heals
    • Food That Remembers
    • F+G Articles, Interviews, Essays
  • About
Home / Recipes / 3 Classic French Baguette Sandwiches

Jump to Recipe

3 Classic French Baguette Sandwiches

Share
Pin65
Tweet
Email
Print

Say bonjour to better lunch.

3 baguette sandwiches jambon beurre goat cheese pan bagnant on paper mat

France may be known as the cradle of haute cuisine, but nothing says good French food like classic French baguette sandwiches. These are the simple baguette sandwiches sold in boulangeries, food stands, and cafés throughout France, each wrapped snugly in brown paper — pointy bread ends peeking out — stacked high for customers to grab and go.

You’ll also like: French Ham and Cheese Galette Complète and Pan-Roasted Buttered Radishes

In a perfect world, I would enjoy these baguette sandwiches on a sunny bench in the Jardin de Luxembourg, or perhaps while strolling along the Seine, sandwich in one hand and book in the other. (In both of these scenarios, an accordion would be playing “La Vie en Rose” in the distance, and I would look like Audrey Hepburn.)

Alas. With international travel at a virtual standstill, the best we can do for now is bring a little bit of France to us. And there is no better, or easier, way to do that than with a simple, honest French baguette sandwich. Here are three of the most classic French baguette sandwiches, and how to make them.

ingredients for classic baguette sandwiches

3 Classic Baguette Sandwiches: Basic Principles

The French are snobs about quality, so you should be, too. As a general rule, the fewer ingredients a recipe has, the better those ingredients need to be. So seek out the best, most crusty baguette you can find, good salted grass-fed or cultured butter, and the best-quality ingredients for the fillings. (A good tip: If your baguette has lost some of its crustiness and gone a little stale or soft, you can easily refresh it in the oven.)

Each of these recipes makes enough to fill one whole baguette, which can then be cut into several sandwiches.

jambon beurre french baguette sandwich on wooden board

Baguette Sandwich #1: Jambon Beurre

The most quintessential and ubiquitous sandwich of all, this is the classic ham sandwich on a generously-buttered baguette, sometimes accompanied with triangular slices of Emmental or Gruyère cheese.

To make this, generously spread the baguette with best-quality softened butter, then layer slices of French-style ham. What is French-style ham? Basically, you are fine using any simple, plain ham, preferably uncured. No black forest, no maple glazed, no smoked, no tavern, no pepper. (That said, who’s stopping you? Have fun!)

A butter non-sequitur: The best butter in the world, hands-down, is salted Beurre de Bordier, made using old-world techniques from grass-fed Normandy cows and large-flake French sea salt. As far as I know, you cannot buy it outside of France. But consider this as an F.Y.I. for the next time you go there. (I’m not telling you to wrap it tightly in plastic and smuggle it home, of course. But I’m not not telling you do do that, either.)

If you’re adding cheese, buy a block of Emmental or Gruyère and slice it into thin slices, then cut into triangles. Try to avoid deli Swiss slices.

goat cheese tomato baguette sandwich

Baguette Sandwich #2: Chèvre Tomate Avec Herbes de Provence

I frequently encountered this sandwich in the South of France, often in panini form, and absolutely love it. This is simply a tomato goat cheese sandwich sprinkled with olive oil, dried French herbs, and maybe some arugula.

The key here is to use the right goat cheese. For the most authentic version, choose a bloomy rind goat cheese like Bucheron or Bucherondin. These have a more assertive, nutty flavor than fresh goat cheese, which holds up to the mild bread and tomato’s sweetness. A slice of ham or two is not amiss.

ingredients for pan bagnant tuna egg vegetables dijon greens

Baguette Sandwich #3: Pan Bagnant

This sandwich requires a little more effort, but it 100 percent worth it. Think of pan bagnant as Niçoise salad in sandwich form. “Pan bagnant” means “bathed bread,” an accurate name called because the baguette soaks up olive oil and moisture from the filling until the entire thing becomes one delicious — and impressive — baguette sandwich of  marinated tuna, anchovies, vegetables, sliced hard-boiled egg, and black olives, all dressed with a light vinaigrette.

You’ll also like: How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs and How to Refresh Stale Bread

Pan bagnant is a make-ahead sandwich. It will still be fine fresh, but you’ll get maximum effect from letting the sandwich sit for two to 24 hours in the fridge. You want this to be room-temperature to serve, though. Plus, the baguette could lose its crustiness overnight in the fridge. I have found that very lightly brushing the bread with water and warming the whole thing in a 200-degree Fahrenheit oven until room temperature is the best, and most food-safe, way to go.

Finally, don’t worry about the exact ingredients for pan bagnant. Play around with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Even the tuna is not necessary. The main idea is a Mediterranean-style sandwich with juicy baguette and lots of flavor.

3 Classic French Baguette Sandwiches - UnpeeledJournal

What’s your favorite sandwich or French food? Share below.

3 baguette sandwiches jambon beurre goat cheese pan bagnant on paper mat
Print Recipe

3 Classic French Baguette Sandwiches

Bring a little "oh la la" to lunch with these easy, essential French sandwiches.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time0 mins
Course: lunch
Cuisine: French
Keywords:: baguette, cheese, french radishes, ham, lunch, no-cook, pan bagnant, sandiwch, tuna

Ingredients

Jambon Beurre (Ham and Butter)

  • 1 fresh, crusty baguette
  • 3 tablespoons best-quality softened butter (salted cultured butter or grass fed would be good options)
  • 1/2 pound French-style ham, sliced
  • 1/2 pound Emmental or Gruyère cheese, sliced by hand into thin triangles

Chèvre Tomate (Tomato and Goat Cheese)

  • 1 fresh, crusty baguette
  • 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/3 pound bloomy rind goat cheese, such as Bucheron
  • 1/3 pound French-style ham, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
  • 1 small handful of fresh arugula, optional
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, optional

Pan Bagnant: For the Vinaigrette

  • 1 tablespoons minced parsley
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (just eyeball it)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 turns fresh black pepper
  • 2 anchovies
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallot (about 1/2 of one shallot clove)
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Pan Bagnant: For the Sandwich

  • 1 fresh, crusty baguette
  • 1 6.7 ounce jar of Italian oil-packed tuna, drained
  • 1/2 bell pepper, red or green, sliced very thin
  • 1 small handful raw haricots verts or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces.
  • 1 large handful arugula (about 1 ounce)
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
  • 10 to 12 pitted black olives, preferably Niçoise, chopped
  • 1 tomato, sliced

Instructions

For the Jambon Beurre

  • Slice the baguette in half lengthwise, almost all the way through, and open.
  • Slather both sides with the butter. Layer with the ham and cheese. Close, press, and divide into two or three sandwiches.

For the Tomato Goat Cheese

  • Slice the baguette in half lengthwise, almost all the way through, and open. Drizzle the top and bottom baguette halves with olive oil.
  • Slice the tomato slices in half, so they are in half moons. Slice the goat cheese into thin rounds, then slice them in half into half moons.
  • If using, layer arugula, then ham onto the bottom of the sandwich. Then add alternating slices of tomato and goat cheese along the length of the sandwich.
  • Sprinkle with herbes de Provence. Close the baguette, press, and divide into halves or thirds.

For the Pan Bagnant

  • Make the Vinaigrette: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the parsley, vinegar, Dijon, salt, pepper, anchovies, shallot, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Whisk until emulsified.
  • Slice the baguette in half lengthwise, almost all the way through, and open. Drizzle the top and bottom baguette halves with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  • To the vinaigrette, add the tuna, bell pepper, haricots verts, and arugula. Stir to mix well. The tuna will break apart somewhat.
  • Spread the tuna mixture along the bottom half of the baguette. Layer the sliced hard-boiled egg and olives atop the tuna mixture.
  • Sprinkle with herbes de Provence. Close the baguette, press hard, and let rest for 2 to 24 hours, preferably weighted down.
    Tip: Suggestions for weighing down the pan bagnant: the bottom of a cast-iron skillet, or sheet pan with heavy cookbooks on it. Slice into halves or thirds, and serve.
    Note: If the sandwich will rest for more than two hours, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before serving, allow to return to near room temperature.

Filed Under: Dinner, Easy, Recipes, Soup, Salad, Snacks Tagged With: baguette, bread, chese, easy, french, ham, lunch, no cook, pan bagnant, sandwich, sandwiches, tuna

Sign Up for the Weekly Newsletter

Never miss a recipe.

More from Unpeeled

May’s Best Food Writing From Around the Web

May’s Best Food Writing From Around the Web

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote With Fresh Ginger

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote With Fresh Ginger

Melted Grape Tomato Bruschetta With Ricotta

Melted Grape Tomato Bruschetta With Ricotta

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ursula P. says

    September 23, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    5 stars
    Jambon beurre is the BEST! One of those perfect, simple meals. I enjoy this along with a croissant far too often in France. I am excited to make one here in Atlanta.

    Reply
  2. Roger says

    September 23, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    5 stars
    I made the pan bagnant and let it rest for 2 hours and thought it was perfect. It was a little bit of effort for a sandwich, but tasted delicious. This would be a good thing to cut into smaller pieces and serve on a tray in a group. I look forward to trying the other sandwiches as well..

    Reply
  3. ines a. says

    September 23, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    one more vote for jambon beurre 🙂 I use salted cultured butter, always.

    Reply
  4. Isabella says

    January 5, 2021 at 2:56 pm

    5 stars
    Jambon Beurre is now my new favorite sandwich. Definitely an upgrade from old-fashioned American ham and cheese, but just as easy to make. The pan bagnant is up next.

    Reply
  5. PK says

    January 5, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    5 stars
    one vote for the goat cheese and tomato sandwich! Excellent flavors. Everything is better on a baguette 🙂

    Reply
  6. Alana Dean says

    January 5, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    5 stars
    pan bagnant is outstanding. worth the effort.

    Reply

Share your comment here: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Unpeeled

The journal of cooking, baking, and the bonds we share through food. Learn More

Popular Posts

plate of cranberry sauce with roast turkey and salad
kale salad with corn and tomatoes and croutons
turkey cranberry brie melt on plate with green beans
glasses of best pineapple kale green smoothie on tablecloth with straw
stinging nettles in bag
baked deep-dish chicken pot pie with piece on place

Your inbox is hungry! Get the weekly newsletter.

Footer

About Unpeeled

Unpeeled offers trusted recipes, cooking and baking techniques, travel guides, profiles of women in food -- plus articles, essays, and more.

Features

  • Articles
  • Profiles
  • Taste Tests
  • Food Writing Roundups

Cooking School

  • Cooking Technique
  • Baking + Pastry Technique
  • Wine Class

Information

  • About & Contact
  • F.A.Q.s
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2020 Unpeeled Journal. All rights reserved.

  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Soup, Salad, Snacks
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert + Baking
    • Vegetarian + Vegan
    • Beverages
    • Easy
    • Recipe Collections
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Profiles
    • Taste Tests
    • Food Writing Roundups
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellness
    • Food Travel Guides
    • Book Club
  • Cooking School
    • Cooking Technique
    • Baking + Pastry Technique
    • Wine Class
    • Better Know a Food
  • The Food + Grief Project
    • Food That Heal
    • Food That Remember
    • F+G Articles, Interviews, Essays
  • About
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter