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Bauru

Bauru: São Paulo's hot roll with roast beef, melted cheese, tomato and pickle

Late-night students at Largo do Paissandu in São Paulo invented the Bauru in the 1930s, named after the nickname of the friend who ordered it, and the bar where it was born still makes it the original way. A French roll has its crumb pulled out so it is all crust, then it is stuffed with thin warm roast beef, a pool of cheese melted in a bain-marie until it stretches, slices of tomato and pickled cucumber, with a pinch of oregano. It is hot, tangy, juicy and stringy. Plenty of snack bars around the country use ham instead, but beef is the classic. The thing that ruins it is cheese melted straight in a dry pan, which goes oily; melting it slowly over water with a splash of milk keeps it smooth and elastic. Chef's tip: warm the roast beef in a little of its own juices or stock, just until hot, so it stays pink and tender.
Total time
20 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
4
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Ingredients

Serves4

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Toast 4 crusty French rolls cut side down in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes until crisp.

    2 min
  2. Step 2: Put 8 ½ oz mozzarella or mild melting cheese and 2 tbsp milk in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water and stir for 4–5 minutes until smooth, glossy and stretchy.

    5 min
  3. Step 3: Warm 10 ½ oz cooked roast beef in a frying pan with 3 ½ tbsp beef stock over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes, just until hot through.

    2 min
  4. Step 4: Lay 2 tomatoes in the bottom of each roll, sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp dried oregano, then add the warm beef and 2 pickled cucumbers.

  5. Step 5: Spoon the melted cheese over the beef, close the rolls and serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
520 kcal
Protein
35 g
Carbs
44 g
Fat
22 g
Fibre
2 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does bauru take?
About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
What can I use instead of milk?
Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
What can I use instead of tomatoes?
Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).

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