Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (or PB&J as they are often called) are a very popular treat in America and you can make them quickly for lunch or a snack. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can be made the traditional way or creatively by adding fun and delicious ingredients. Check out how to Make Basic Sandwiches below to get started making delicious sandwich creations!
Ingredients
- Bread (usually one or two slices of bread for a sandwich serving)
- Peanut butter
- Jelly or jam
Step
Part 1 of 2: Making Basic Sandwich
Step 1. Prepare all the ingredients
You will need peanut butter, jelly, and a few slices of bread. You may also need butter, as butter can make the sandwich even tastier. There are many breads and spreads to choose from. So you'll have to do a little experimentation to find the variety of sandwich you like best.
- Many peanut butters on the market contain a lot of added sugar and hydrogenated oils which are not good for health. If you're looking for a healthier option, try organic peanut butter. Natural peanut butter may have a layer of oil on the surface, but if you stir it carefully until the oil is thoroughly mixed with the peanut butter after opening the jar and then storing the jar in the refrigerator, the oil won't separate anymore.
- There is a huge selection of jellies and jams to choose from. The two most commonly used types of jelly are grape and strawberry. However, you can try jellies with a sharper taste like raspberry, or mix different flavors together.
- For bread you may need to choose something that won't leave you surrounded by so many flavors (like rye or sourdough). So, you should choose white bread or white bread.
Step 2. Spread the peanut butter evenly on one slice of bread using a knife
It's up to you how much peanut butter you want, but if you're using bread as a lunch, you may need to spread it lightly, otherwise the peanut butter will splatter all over the place before you can eat the sandwich.
- Stir in the peanut butter before applying to soften it and make it easier for you to spread it on the bread surface. Another way to spread peanut butter, especially peanut butter, is to place the peanut butter in a bowl and heat it in the microwave on high heat for 20 seconds. You can spread peanut butter on bread like soft butter.
- If you're using butter, spread the butter first on the slices of bread before you spread the peanut butter.
Step 3. Spread the jelly or jam evenly on the other slices of bread
You can use a teaspoon or knife. Again, if you're not going to eat your sandwich on the spot, and you really like jelly, try not to spread the jam too thickly on the bread.
Step 4. Glue the two slices of bread together
To keep the peanut butter and jelly from spilling all over the place, do it quickly. A good technique is to hold both slices of bread at the same time and quickly glue them together.
Step 5. Cut the finished sandwich
The best way to cut a sandwich is diagonally, going from one end to the other. That way, you get a triangular cut. Otherwise, you can cut it lengthwise so that you get two rectangular pieces.
Step 6. Enjoy a simple and delicious looking sandwich
Make sure you wash your hands after you're done eating, as the sticky peanut butter and jelly mixture may stick to your hands.
Part 2 of 2: Pouring Creativity
Step 1. Add something crunchy
Give the sandwich an interesting twist by adding something like granola, pretzels, or the Ritz biscuit. Granola has the added benefit of having more fiber and nutrients, making it a healthier choice.
Step 2. Add more sweetness
There are many sweet flavors you can add to your sandwich, such as syrup (especially maple syrup), banana slices, honey, brown sugar, or assorted berries (blueberries, pomegranate seeds, and so on).
Step 3. Bake the bread
This will make the bread crispier and improve its taste. Plus, the crispy bread makes it easier to spread the peanut butter because the bread won't tear as easily as regular bread.
You can also replace the bread with biscuits as the peanut butter and jelly will spread easily and you will get a slightly different taste
Step 4. Use French toast instead of regular bread
You will need 2 slices of bread, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk, cinnamon powder, brown sugar, and peanut butter and jelly.
Combine cinnamon powder, eggs, milk and brown sugar. Dip the bread slices into the mixture, making sure you don't coat them too thickly. Put the bread in the frying pan and cook for a few minutes. Turn the bread over and cook the other side for a few more minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and spread the peanut butter and jelly and place the bread back on the pan and cook for about a minute on medium heat. Place on a plate, cut in half, and eat
Step 5. Use banana bread instead of plain bread
Make your own banana bread and spread it with peanut butter and jelly. This delicious dish also gives you the benefits of a banana with the added bonus of a sweet, cakey taste.
Tips
- If there's a long lag after you spread the jelly and eat it, the jelly can seep into the bread and make it soggy. So, if you're not eating the sandwich right away, spread peanut butter on both slices of bread, and spread the jelly in the middle so that the bread is protected from getting wet by the jelly. Make sure you spread the peanut butter thinner than usual. A very thin layer of butter applied to the surface of the bread before you spread the jelly can also help protect the bread from getting wet from it.
- You can also make smaller sandwiches with just one slice of bread and folding it in half.
- For those who are allergic to nuts, a substitute with a good protein content is cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) has more protein and less fat than regular cream cheese. You can also replace peanut butter with peanut butter made from sunflower seeds or roasted cashews, depending on what your body tolerates. Baked peanuts can be processed using a food processor to make peanut butter.
- Consider removing any dry crusts with a cookie cutter or sandwich cutter. You can make multiple sandwiches quickly if you do them all at once.
- If you're preparing sandwiches for travel or school lunches, look for clip-on plastic bags. After placing the sandwich in the plastic bag, close the clip at the top of the plastic, but leave a small gap in the top left. Inflate the plastic bag like you would a balloon and fill the plastic bag with air, then close the clip until the plastic bag is tightly closed. The air in the bag will protect the sandwich from squeezing it so that the bread becomes soggy and messy.
- Make an open sandwich with just one slice of bread and brush the top with peanut butter and jelly as desired. Spread peanut butter first, followed by jam on top. This kind of PB&J sandwich is the messiest. So, eat carefully!
- If you're making a lunchbox, sandwiches can be made using frozen slices of bread. The bread will melt, but will leave a slight chill when you eat it.
- Remember to clean the table and the utensils used to make the sandwiches so that someone else doesn't have to bother cleaning up the sticky smudges that splatter.
- If you don't have jelly on hand, try making a fluffernutter (peanut butter and marshmellow sandwich) or a peanut butter and honey sandwich.
- If you're making a sandwich for lunch, spread peanut butter on both buns, then spread the jelly so the bread doesn't get soggy.
