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Little Bread Adds Its Unique Spin to the Classic Cubano

Welcome to The Hot Dish, a behind the scenes look at the making of the dishes of the moment. Up this week is a Miami staple: the Cuban sandwich.

by Olee Fowler
  • Richard Torres, culinary director for Little Bread and its sister restaurant Bread + Butter
  • Ingredients for Little Bread's Cubano Sandwich
  • Bread for the sandwich is made daily using a custom recipe
  • Once bread is sliced, it is topped with melted butter.
  • Bread is then toasted for 90 seconds or until golden brown.
  • Torres says the perfect toasted bread is key to the sandwich.
  • Next up, the mustard aioli. A mayo and mustard blend.
  • The aioli is spread onto the bread.
  • Followed by the red wine "caviar" aka pickled mustard seeds
  • Mustard on mustard. We aren't complaining.
  • Then a perfect layer of sweet, house made pickles is added, but just one one side.
  • Now let's talk meat. A layer of meat is stacked up, starting with the pork belly rillette that is made in-house.
  • Then it's time for the cold cuts.
  • Three slices of black forrest ham -- no more no less -- top the rillette.
  • Then comes the salami. A somewhat controversial addition to the sandwich.
  • Then it's time for the swiss cheese.
  • Close up of the meat and cheese stack.
  • The meat is then put in the restaurant's smoker for two to three minutes. This not only heats the meat but also infuses a smokey flavor.
  • Melted cheese, warm meat, ready to go.
  • The cold cuts are then added to the sandwich.
  • The sandwich is then hand pressed together, not pressed by a machine.
  • As you can see here, Little Bread purposely went for a heartier Cubano sandwich then we are used to.
  • Slicing away
  • Final product
  • Sandwich about to be devoured by a hungry guest.

While Little Bread Sandwich Co. has just been open a couple of months, its version of the classic Miami dish, the Cuban sandwich, has gotten the attention of many, even the folks over at the Today Show.

So what makes its take on the sandwich stand out in a rather large sea of Cuban sandwiches here in Miami? The restaurant's culinary director, Richard Torres, tells Eater that the secret is in the homemade bread that the restaurant uses and "not pressing the sandwich twice" like many places do.

Little Bread also puts salami in the sandwich, a somewhat controversial item to Cuban sandwich purists, in order to add "something different."

Check out the photo gallery above to see all the steps that go into making a Little Bread Cuban sandwich.

— All photos by Giovanny Gutierrez

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little bread cuban sandwich

541 Sw 12 Avenue, Miami, FL (786) 420-2672 Visit Website

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