A gourmet sandwich made with sweet crisp apples, smoked gouda cheese, and crispy bacon all on toasted ciabatta bread, finished with cinnamon honey and fresh thyme. This sandwich is simple, delicious and pairs seasonal apples with creamy gouda which makes it the perfect light lunch. 

Embracing everything fall flavoured and digging in to a warm and toasted apple bacon sandwich. We’re making the most of apple season and thought to make something that’s quick and easy to serve for lunch. Sandwiches are always a go-to once or twice a week so we punched it up with a seasonal twist. 

I love apples with gouda and bacon, these 3 things are a match made in heaven. A real palette pleaser with the addition of cinnamon honey and some fresh thyme, it takes it to the gourmet level. 

INGREDIENTS

First thing is to go with the right bread. That’s why we’re using ciabatta. It holds everything together, it’s thick and toasts to a nice golden. Next, we used Honeycrisp apples but Gala would be just as good. Their perfect for sandwiches because they stay crisp and have a little bit of sweetness. Gouda is sweet, creamy, it melts really well and doesn’t have a strong taste so it won’t overpower the other ingredients and take over the sandwich. 

ASSEMBLE

Brush the bread on both sides with some olive oil, just a light layer but covering most of the surface. Place the cut side down onto a hot griddle, this will get the bread nice and toasted giving it a crispy edge with a crunchy texture. If you don’t have a griddle, you can do this in the oven, it will take a bit longer, cook the bread at 400 degrees F, not broil otherwise it will cook too quickly and not toast properly. I like to melt the cheese just a bit, so I leave the bread on the griddle and flip it. Cover the bread with a large lid to help soften the cheese and melt it just a bit. This way when you flip the top half over the sandwich, the melted cheese will stick to the apples and stay in place. From there it’s pretty straightforward, the sandwich layers are bacon, apples, cheese, cinnamon honey and finished with thyme. 

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Print Recipe

Apple, Bacon and Gouda Sandwich with Cinnamon Honey

A gourmet sandwich made with sweet crisp apples, smoked gouda cheese, and crispy bacon all on toasted ciabatta bread, finished with cinnamon honey and fresh thyme.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Burgers & Sandwiches

Servings: 4

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• 1 loaf ciabatta bread sliced in half lengthwise
• 5 slices thick cut bacon
• 4-5 slices gouda cheese
• 1 honey crisp apple thinly sliced
• fresh thyme
• olive oil
• cinnamon honey substitute regular honey + ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Pan fry bacon until crispy according to directions, and drain on paper towel lined plate.
• Drizzle a good amount of olive oil across both cut sides of the ciabatta loaf, grill on a grilled or pan until crispy and golden for 3-5 minutes. Flip the loafs, and place the sliced gouda across the top loaf. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid until the cheese softens and melts a bit.
• To assemble the sandwiches, place a layer of bacon on the bottom half, top with thin slices of apples, drizzle with cinnamon honey and finish with fresh thyme. Add the top half with the softened gouda, press down just a bit and slice the sandwiches using a serrated knife into 4. Serve warm.