This overstuffed, New Orleans-inspired sandwich is a favorite of hungry teenagers.

Starter
1/2 cup water
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or European-Style Artisan Bread Flour
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough
All of the starter
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or European-Style Artisan Bread Flour
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

The Starter: Mix the starter ingredients together till smooth, cover, and let rest at room temperature overnight.

Preparing the Dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface should still be a bit rough. Allow the dough to rise, covered with lightly greased plastic wrap, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface. Shape the dough into a 14-inch round, making it as smooth and evenly round as possible; a rolling pin may help here. Place the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover it gently but fully with lightly greased plastic wrap, and set it in the refrigerator to rest and rise overnight.

Next day, remove the loaf from the refrigerator, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, still covered, while you preheat your oven to 425°F. Brush the top of the loaf with 1 egg white whisked together with 1/2 cup water (you won't use all of this wash), and sprinkle it heavily with sesame seeds. Bake the loaf for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.

Filling
olive oil or garlic oil
2 cups Muffaletta filling OR 2 cups chopped green and black olives mixed with a bit of olive oil
8 ounces sliced ham
8 ounces sliced Genoa salami
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese
8 ounces sliced mortadella

Assembly: Cut the fully cooled loaf in half across its equator, so you have two large 14-inch rounds (a top and a bottom). Drizzle the cut side of both rounds lightly with olive oil or garlic oil, then spread the muffaletta filling or chopped olives onto the bottom round. Layer on the ham, salami, provolone, and mortadella (add lettuce and tomatoes if you wish). Cover with the top round, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Weigh the muffaletta down with a baking sheet topped with something heavy (bricks, a few heavy cans, or what have you), and let it rest at cool room temperature for 30 minutes. To serve, unwrap and cut it into wedges. Yield: 1 muffaletta, 8 to 10 LARGE servings.

This recipe reprinted from The Baker's Catalogue, Spring through Summer 2001.