The Best Ways to Make a Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

For international peanut butter and jelly sandwich enthusiasts, add Vegemite.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, famously known as a PBJ, can be made in a variety of tasty fashions and is an enjoyable food for many occasions and any age. Apart from the beloved classic PBJ, the best preparation methods include delectable tweaking in the sandwich's textures and flavors. The best ways to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich are quick, simple and delicious.

The Classic

Achieving the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich requires minimal effort, the basic ingredients and your choice of crusted or crust-less bread. The classic is typically made with a generous spoon scoop of smooth peanut butter, spread evenly between the face-sides of two slices of wheat or white bread. About two tablespoons of your choice of jelly, be it plum, grape, blackberry or raspberry, is added equally on top of the two peanut-buttered bread slices. Once your two sandwich slices are neatly piled jelly-side together, you can go ahead and indulge in the completed PBJ or slice off the crust before digging in.

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Jelly Overload

Crunchy peanut butter and jelly overload peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are just that. This PBJ method makes a generous and tasty sandwich with a lot of texture and flavor that can be as filling as a meal. The bread needed for this sandwich must be thick and sturdy to both withstand the rough spread of crunchy peanut butter and the hefty weight of the abundance of jelly. Toasted or larger bread slices may allow for easier spreading. Two heaping spoons of peanut butter are needed to cover both bread slices' face-sides equally. Once the peanut butter is spread, you can add a thick layer of jelly atop both slices of bread. Take care when stacking the face-sides of the bread together as the jelly may slide off of the PBJ.

Toasted & Stacked

The toasted and stacked peanut butter and jelly sandwich takes a few minutes of prep time, an oven or toaster and a greater quantity of the basic ingredients. This method requires four slices of bread, two generous scoops of peanut butter and about four tablespoons of your choice of jelly. Each slice of bread should be toasted to your preference and covered, face-side, evenly with the two peanut butter scoops. The bread slices should still be warm enough upon spreading for the peanut butter to melt. Your choice of jelly should be added evenly between the four slices face-side just after the peanut butter has melted to allow for a bit of blending but suitable spread-ability. The sandwich is finally stacked with the bottom slice of bread facing upwards towards you and all others facing downward and toward the base slice.

Fruit & Honey

Adding fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, apples and mangoes to your classic or toasted peanut butter sandwich can add texture, flavor and vitamins. Honey can also be incorporated to add a bit of sweetness and aroma and even allergy prevention if using local product. Creating a fruit and honey PBJ is an easy two-part process. You should first smooth desired amounts of peanut butter and jelly evenly on the face-side of your choice of bread slices, which can include pita, English muffin or regular wheat or white bread. Once you've tackled the peanut butter and jelly, add your flourishes of fruit and honey atop one of the slices of bread. Fruit additions should be sliced thinly to avoid loosing pieces as you lift the sandwich, and honey can be lightly drizzled to avoid a sugar overload.

References

• Alans Kitchen: Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich Recipes
• CDKitchen: Grilled Peanut Butter Jelly And Banana Sandwich Recipe
• Eat Drink Better: 7 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Alternatives; Zachary Shahan