Panini Sandwich Hints

To make a good panini sandwich, you have to have a good bread.  Call the local bakery or make your own bread.  Ask the bakery not to slice your bread so you can cut it into 1” thick slices.  I found out that if your bread is a couple of days old, it slices easier.  The bread does not have to be fresh since it will be grilled. 
If you have several sandwiches to make, here is an easy way of doing it.  Butter one side of each slice of bread.  Put buttered sides together.  Layer the ingredients on bread.  Put the bread with the filling onto your panini grill, and then top with other slice of bread, buttered side up on top.  When I layer my sandwiches I always put cheese on the bottom and also on the top.  This helps hold the bread to the filling. Making the paninis this way, you can make several sandwiches at a time. 
Here is another hint:  always, always have your ingredients warm.  When you have your ingredients warm then your panini will not get done on the outside before getting hot on the inside.  I put my sandwich stack in the microwave to heat after I have assembled it, which won’t take very long.
Make sure your panini grill is hot before you put your sandwich on it.  The panini is done when the outside is golden brown, crispy and the cheese is melted.  Enjoy!