To me this sandwich is like the “Emperor has no clothes.” Customers go crazy for it among many folks we’re better known for this sandwich than for any of our pastries. People stop me on the street and beg me for the recipe. We make between 200 and 250 of these each day, and if you hang out at Flour for any amount of time, you’re guaranteed to leave with a little eau de bacon lingering on your clothes. And all that fuss is about the simplest of recipes. The trick is to be really picky about what the B and the L and the T are: thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon; tender, peppery baby arugula; vine-ripened tomatoes (or slow-roasted plum tomatoes when it’s not tomato season) on lightly mayonnaise-slathered lightly toasted bread.
Ingredients
- 16 slices thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon
- 8 slices Flour Focaccia or other good-quality white or wheat bread
- ¼ cup (180 ml) good-quality mayonnaise
- 4 cups (100 g) loosely packed baby arugula
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced, or 1 batch Roasted Tomatoes
- ¼ tsp kosher salt, if using fresh tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinaigrette
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C, and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the prepared sheet and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until the slices are half crispy and half still a little bendy. Remove the bacon from the oven and set aside.
- Lightly toast the bread slices and spread each slice with about 11⁄2 tbsp of the mayonnaise. Top four of the slices with the arugula, dividing it evenly. Top the greens with the tomatoes; if using fresh tomato slices, sprinkle with the salt. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the tomatoes. Top each sandwich with four bacon slices. Close each sandwich with a second focaccia slice, mayonnaise-side down, and press down to make the sandwich stick together. Cut in half and serve.