This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see the disclosure for more information.
My wife and were driving to Nashville, TN, when we passed a sign on the interstate for a Schlotsky’s. I instantly flashed back to the days when we had a Schlotsky’s near where I worked in Indianapolis. It was my favorite lunch spot. I so loved their bread. Sadly, it was early in the morning so the Schlotsky’s was closed. At that moment I went on a journey to recreate my favorite sandwich, Schlotsky’s The Original. This copycat is a fantastic copycat of the classic great sandwich, from the bread to the meats to the garlic dressing.
You’ll Be Rewarded In The End
It may look like it takes a lot of work and ingredients to make a copycat of the Schlotsky’s The Original, but it’s actually quite simple and the end result will more than reward your efforts. The key is the sourdough bread, which comes out light, airy, and full of air bubbles. It holds up perfectly to the ingredients, including my favorite, the garlic mayonnaise. I made a big squeeze bottle of the dressing and also find myself using it on burgers and wraps.
I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
Also try my copycat Denny’s Club Sandwich.
Copycat Schlotsky’s The Original
Ingredients
For the sourdough bread starter
- 1 cup warm water 110 F
- ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the bread
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup milk lukewarm , 110 F
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sourdough starter from above
- 2 cups bread flour
- Cornmeal
For the creamy garlic dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons parsley minced
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
For the sandwich
- Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 Cotto salami thin slices
- 8 Genoa salami thin slices
- 8 ham sandwich meat thin slices
- prepared yellow mustard
- red onion sliced thin
- tomatoes sliced thin
- lettuce shredded or chopped
- black olives sliced
Instructions
For the sourdough bread starter
- Add the water to a medium bowl.
- Stir in the yeast and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Stir in the flour.
- Cover loosely and place in a warm place 8-12 hours.
For the bread
- Add the warmed milk to a large bowl. Stir in the starter.
- Stir in the sugar, salt and baking soda until the dry ingredients are dissolved.
- Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to combine until smooth. The dough will end up sticky and thick.
- Spray two 8″ (or three 6″) pie pans with non-stick spray.
- Sprinkle the bottoms of the pans with the corn meal.
- Divide the dough between the pans. Just plop into the centers of the pans. Don’t worry about it being pretty, it’ll spread out as it rises.
- Lightly spray the tops of the dough with non-stick spray.
- Loosely cover the pans and let rise for 1 hour in a warm spot. I recommend covering the dough with something that won’t stick to it, such as upside down pie pans.
- After the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 375 F.
- Spray the tops of the dough again with non-stick spray and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove to racks to cool.
For the creamy garlic dressing
- Whisk together all ingredients. Store in a squirt bottle for easy dispensing.
For the sandwich
- Cut the bread in half, horizontally.
- Squirt the bread with the garlic dressing and yellow mustard.
- Add the remaining sandwich ingredients.
- Slice into quarters and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
I guess I am missing it, but at what point do I add the sourdough starter to the mixture?
Hi Shirley. I completely agree with you. It wasn’t clear (well it wasn’t there at all!). I have updated the recipe. I am going to make this again now to make 100% sure it’s correct (I’ve compared it with similar recipes so I am pretty confident it’s ok).
Sorry for the inconvenience,
Mike
Thank you so much Mike for the quick response. Honestly, I thought I missed it (that happens when one gets older). Keep up the good work and thank you for the Char Broil Big Easy recipes and tips – Love It!
Thank you so much Shirley. I’m glad you like the Big Easy stuff. I really like that cooker. I was pondering getting one of the newer models just the other day. I can’t really justify it since I have 3 of the original style ones but that might not stop me!
Mike
Do you not do anything to shape? Schlotsky’s bread is a round and relatively somewhat flat.
The dough is placed in pie pans. That’s where it gets its round shape from. It comes out looking like the real deal. Oh, how I miss our Schlotsky’s!
Regards
Mike
As of October of ‘24, there was still a Schlotzky’s in Omaha, FYI.
That’s great! We actually found one in Lexington KY and it was just like I remembered!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! You helped so much with the Big Easy. I have my own sourdough starter and by my calculations the starter in your recipe would equal more than 2 cups! Is that right? It just seems like too much.
Hi! It’s been a while since I made those sandwiches but I do remember how much I enjoyed them. The dough specified makes 2 8″ round loaves. I think 2 cups sounds about right? I don’t recall the pans being particularly full, and you can tell from the pictures that the bread isn’t particularly thick but somewhat dense. So I think my answer is 2 cups sound about right, but you might want to use your own judgement if it starts to look too thick for you.
I’d love to hear how it comes out for you.
Regards
Mike
I was so happy that you answered quickly! I broke some rules but here goes: I had 1 cup of freshly fed/risen sourdough and only 1 cup of bread flour. So I cut the recipe ingredients in half. I also added a tsp of instant yeast to the flour. I shouldn’t have cut the salt amount in half because the ONLY thing missing in the taste was salt. I didn’t have the right pie or cake pan so I made 3 buns in my 5″ english muffin rings (I should have made 4 because they rose up too high). The texture was perfect and I’m still, after decades of baking, shocked at how great these buns turned out. Thanks so much for the recipe and the feedback.
That’s great news. I’m glad you were able to make it work for you. I really like the end result too!