The Best Type Of Bread For Roast Beef Sandwiches

Maybe your nearest Arby's closed, or you want to honor the late musician Steve Albini, who once advised people to buy "fresh bread and some good cheese or roast beef" for the price of a Big Mac. Maybe you just have a hankering. Whatever the case, you're about to make a quality sandwich — you have good cold cut roast beef (perhaps using the round primal like Arby's), and some mustard or horseradish. It's all coming together. But what kind of bread should you use? We asked Stephanie Powell, the recipe developer for the Chicago-based institutions Alpha Baking Company and S. Rosen's, and she suggested using something bold and hardy.

"Robust flavor is key for balancing a delicious roast beef sandwich," Powell said. "This is not the time for a bread or bun that fades into the background." If you'd like to use a bun, Powell suggests opting for an onion-flavored variety. "Onion buns have been the go-to roll in delis for a long time for good reason! That onion flavor complements the roast beef perfectly, and it's a durable roll to boot." Not only that, but it goes beautifully with various roast beef sandwich accoutrements. "The onion marries well with traditional roast beef condiments, such as horseradish, mustard, and cream cheese," she said.

What if you'd rather use a nice thick slice of bread from a loaf? Stephanie Powell strongly advises against using soft, spongy white bread, which is about as useful with roast beef as an umbrella in a hurricane. "Both the flavor and texture of the roast beef will completely overwhelm that kind of bread." If you're using a loaf-style bread, stick with rye, as it's a much better fit in terms of structure and flavor.

"Rye bread has the punchy flavor that roast beef needs," Powell said. "The caraway in the bread gives the beef even more depth and is reminiscent of a European-style roast dinner." (Anything that reminds us of a delicious Sunday roast is all right by us.) And if you'd like to go for a fun presentational choice, Powell said you can make bite-sized roast beef sandwiches for your guests. "We use our caraway cocktail rye breads to create mini roast beef appetizers," she said. "The small size showcases what a special ingredient it is and lets you play with fun toppings." Take a look at these 16 toppings for your roast beef sandwich, and you'll be off and running.