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Checkerboard Sandwiches
Cut three slices each from whole wheat and white bread. Remove crusts and spread with butter or filling. Arrange in alternate layers of white and dark bread, three slices in each pile. Cut thin slices from each pile, spread and fit together alternately, again making two piles. Chill well, then cut slices across the ends, which will be checkerboard in design.
This is a construction technique rather than a recipe with measurements, and it succeeds or fails on the bread. Buy unsliced pullman-style loaves so the white and whole wheat match in dimension and crumb density.
- The hinge: butter every mating surfaceSoftened butter is the mortar as well as the flavour. Any face that touches another slice must be buttered right to the edges, or the finished block will shed squares when cut.
- Bread choiceA close-crumbed sandwich loaf, one day old, cuts cleanly and resists tearing. Open, airy artisan loaves collapse under the pressure of stacking and will not hold a straight edge.
- Slice thicknessThe original gives no measurement, only 'thin slices' for the second cut. Aim for about 1/2 inch on each cut so the finished checks are roughly square. Consistency matters more than the exact figure.
- Chill under weightWrap each assembled block tightly in plastic and set a small board or plate on top before refrigerating, at least an hour. The weight compresses the layers into a single mass; the wrapping keeps the exposed crumb from drying.
- CuttingUse a long serrated knife and a sawing stroke with no downward pressure. Wipe the blade between cuts if a soft filling is used, or it will smear the pale squares.
- FillingsPlain butter, or a stiff, smooth spread such as seasoned cream cheese, works best. Anything chunky or wet, including chopped egg or sliced cucumber, prevents the block from bonding and shows as gaps in the pattern.
- YieldThree slices each of two breads gives two finished blocks and roughly 16 to 20 checkerboard slices, depending on how thinly you cut across the end.
- HoldingCut slices dry out fast. Keep them covered with a damp cloth or wrapped until serving, and assemble no more than a few hours ahead.