My Perfect B.L.T. - Bread

Method

• Start heating a seasoned cast iron pan on MH. Cut bacon in half lengthwise and place in the slightly warm pan. Carefully cook the bacon. I like to use a bacon press if available. Cook until crispy, or even extra crispy, but definitely not burnt. I can fit 1/2 pound at a time in my standard size cast iron pan. Once cooked, I set on paper towel.
• Slice the French bread to approximately at least 1" thick, cutting diagonally so you have a good size slice. You can go with thinner slices if you have good French bread that is not airy and full of holes, Potato bread is my second choice. I'll lightly toast the bread, then spread mayonnaise on both sides.
• I lightly salt and heavily pepper both the mayonnaise on both pieces of bread, and a little salt and pepper on the sliced tomatoes. For the leaf lettuce, I think the secret to the sandwich success is too roll up a handful of the leaves, then slice in a chiffon style. Some lettuce will inevitably fall from the sandwich as you eat it, but the longer chiffon cut lettuce pieces hold together much better.
• After loading the tomatoes, I stack the bacon on next. The half-pieces of bacon are perfect sandwich size. I add four to six of the half slices of bacon to each sandwich depending on the size of the sandwich. Finally, I pile on a lot of the chiffon cut lettuce, and the second slice of toasted bread. The mayo also helps hold the lettuce in place.
• So that is it. A classic BLT, super easy and perfect any time. I've tried adding avocado, which is tasty, and sometimes I'll add an egg which adds some heft to it, And I've experiment with many other variations and add-ins too. So I'm usually a two sandwich guy, but even if I spruce one up a little, the other BLT will be the classic, nothing fancy, but always perfect. Enjoy!