Reuben Braid

If you love Reuben sandwiches, you will surely love this ‘Reuben Braid.’ Made with frozen bread dough, Swiss cheese slices, pastrami or corned beef, sauerkraut and of course the star of the sandwich, at least in our opinion, the thousand island dressing. A Reuben just isn’t a Reuben without thousand island dressing. Make your own dressing or use your favorite bottled variety. Aggie made homemade thousand island dressing all the time, her simple recipe follows.

reuben

Reuben Love

I love a good Reuben sandwich. I love everything about them. The sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing, corned beef and the dark pumpernickel rye bread….But…(there’s always a But isn’t there)….the hubby doesn’t like dark rye bread or caraway seeds and it’s a ‘no go’ on the corned beef. What’s a girl to do…when I told my hubby we were having Reuben’s for dinner last night, I got ‘that look’. Ladies, you know what ‘look’ I’m talking about. It’s the same ‘look’ I often see on my grandsons face when he doesn’t like what we’re having for dinner. 😧

reuben

Great for St. Patty’s Day

When I explained to my hubby that I was going to make the sandwiches with thawed, white bread dough and I would be using beef pastrami instead of corned beef, he seemed a little more interested. A Reuben Braid would be the perfect sandwich to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. Served with a bottle of Guinness and a side dish of colcannon, you’ll be dancing the Irish Jig in no time~

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We really enjoyed this new take on an old classic. Serve this ‘braid’ for lunch, or dinner. Can also be served as an appetizer. For more information on St. Patty’s Day and Irish Traditions, check out: Irish Buzz.
Homemade Dressing

Aggie made homemade Island Island dressing long before it was considered “cool” to do so. Aggie, my mom, wasn’t a very good cook. At least I didn’t think so when I was young but the older I’ve gotten I realize maybe she wasn’t so bad after all! I guess as a kid I wanted my salad dressing to come out of a bottle like at my friends house. Here is Aggie’s simple recipe: combine 1/2 cup real mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon ketchup and 2-4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish. Stir in enough 1/2 and 1/2 or milk until creamy.

 

 

Reuben Braid with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

A new twist on an old favorite. The best part is the homemade thousand island dressing.

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup thousand island dressing*
  • 8 slices Swiss cheese
  • 8 slices beef pastrami or corned beef
  • 2 cups sauerkraut, drained well
  • 1 egg white, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Roll loaf of bread into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Remove wrap from dough and pour dressing lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down center of dough. Top with pastrami or corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. Make cuts 1 1/2-inches apart on long sides of dough to within 1/2-inch of filling. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling.
  • Then braid strips alternately, left over right. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid.
  • Lift braid with both hands and place on a large sprayed baking sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake at 350°F 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.
  • *Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
  • Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
  • Transfer to a jar with a tight fitting lid and store in the refrigerator until needed.
  • Will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
Recipes On Tap:

Mint Chocolate Cookies with Mint Buttercream and Colcannon An Irish Classic.