Badass BLT

Badass BLT

Bread made from scratch, bacon made from rice paper, and a ginger mayo that will make you rethink every sandwich you've ever eaten. Yes, making your own baguettes takes time and some Canarian paciencia. Do we care? No. The payoff is legendary.

INGREDIENTS

For the baguettes (makes 4)

5 ½ to 5 ¾ cups of flour.

2 ¼ tsp of instant yeast.

2 tsp of salt.

2 ¼ cups of water.

For the rice paper bacon

8-10 sheets of rice paper — grab these at your local Asian supermarket.

4 tbsp of nutritional yeast — use gluten-free if you have a sensitive gut.

1 tbsp of garlic powder.

4 tbsp of olive oil.

6 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari.

1 tbsp of BBQ sauce & 1 tbsp of agave syrup.

½ tsp of ground pepper,

½ tsp of ground red pepper,

¼ tsp of ground ginger,

and ⅛ tsp of cayenne.

For the ginger mayo & fillings

100 ml of unsweetened soy milk.

1 tbsp of white wine vinegar.

1 tsp of dijon mustard. ½ tsp of ground ginger.

200 - 300 ml of sunflower oil — depending on how thick you want it.

Cherry tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, and cucumber.

PREPARATION

THE BAGUETTES

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 5 ½ cups of flour, the yeast, and the salt. Add the water and fold with a spatula until mostly combined. Sprinkle a little more flour if it’s too sticky, and knead until smooth.

2. Grease the bowl, pop the dough back in, cover with a towel, and let it sit in a warm place for 90 minutes until doubled in size.

3. Punch the dough down. Take out your lingering frustrations from the week. Divide into 4 even pieces, roll into balls, cover, and rest for 15 minutes.

4. Flatten a piece into a circle. Fold the right side to the middle and pinch. Fold the new right side all the way to the left and pinch the ends. Roll it out into a 15-inch log. Repeat for the rest.

5. Place on a lightly floured, parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise for 60-90 minutes. At this point you can also choose to freeze your baguettes. You defreeze them overnight and let them rise another 60-90 minutes if you did.

6. Score the bread, and bake at 230°C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

THE BACON & MAYO

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Whisk all your bacon marinade ingredients together. Brush a sheet of rice paper with marinade on both sides, place a second sheet on top, and repeat. Cut into bacon-like strips and bake for 6-7 minutes until crispy. Keep an eye on them—they burn fast!

2. For the mayo, pour the unsweetened milk, vinegar, and mustard into a mixing vase and blend with a hand blender. Gradually add the sunflower oil, moving the blender slowly up and down until it thickens into a glorious veganaise. Mix in the ginger.

BRING IT HOME

Slice a fresh baguette in half and smear mayo on both sides. Layer avocado, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and your crispy rice paper bacon. Close it up and enjoy the smug satisfaction of a sandwich made entirely from scratch.