Sourdough Brie Grilled Cheese With Bacon Recipe

Creamy, crispy, and utterly irresistible—this isn't your ordinary grilled cheese. You're about to transform a humble sandwich into a gourmet experience that'll make your taste buds dance. If you've ever craved a lunch that bridges comfort food with culinary artistry, you'll want to stick around for this game-changing recipe that elevates the classic grilled cheese to new heights of deliciousness.

Recipe Highlights

• Select high-quality sourdough bread, creamy brie cheese, and thick-cut bacon as the foundational ingredients for a gourmet grilled cheese experience.
• Crisp bacon in a skillet over medium heat, cooking until golden and evenly colored before setting aside on paper towels.
• Butter exterior sides of sourdough bread and layer thin brie slices, crumbled bacon, and a drizzle of honey between bread.
• Grill sandwich on medium-low heat, gently pressing to ensure even melting and achieving a golden-brown exterior with a gooey interior.
• Let the sandwich rest briefly after cooking, then slice diagonally to showcase melted layers and create an appetizing presentation with balanced flavors.

History

While the grilled cheese sandwich might seem like a modern culinary creation, its roots stretch back much further than you might imagine. The concept of melted cheese between bread dates to ancient Roman cookbooks, where writers described combining bread and heated cheese.

By the 1920s, you'd find American restaurants serving open-faced cheese sandwiches, which gradually evolved into the closed, grilled version we now know.

Your modern grilled cheese emerged during the Great Depression as an affordable, filling meal. Industrial bread manufacturing and processed cheese made the dish accessible to working-class families.

The sandwich became a staple during World War II, when government-rationed ingredients made simple, hearty meals essential.

Recipe

Sourdough Brie Grilled Cheese with Bacon transforms the classic comfort food into a gourmet experience that tantalizes the taste buds. The robust tang of sourdough bread, creamy richness of brie, and savory crunch of crispy bacon create a symphony of flavors that elevate this simple sandwich to a culinary masterpiece.

This elevated grilled cheese promises a perfect balance of textures and tastes, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a sophisticated yet approachable meal. By carefully selecting high-quality ingredients and following precise cooking techniques, home cooks can easily recreate this restaurant-worthy sandwich in their own kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 4 ounces brie cheese
• 3 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 tablespoon honey

Begin by cooking the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp and golden. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain excess grease, then crumble into bite-sized pieces.

Butter one side of each bread slice, ensuring complete coverage to achieve a perfectly golden crust.

Place one slice of bread butter-side down in a clean skillet over medium-low heat. Layer the bread with thin slices of brie, crumbled bacon, and a light drizzle of honey.

Top with the second slice of bread, butter-side facing up. Grill the sandwich for 3-4 minutes on each side, gently pressing with a spatula to help the cheese melt evenly and create a crisp, golden exterior.

For the best results, allow the brie to come to room temperature before cooking, which ensures smoother melting. Use medium-low heat to prevent burning the bread before the cheese melts completely.

If the bread browns too quickly, lower the heat and briefly cover the pan with a lid to help the cheese melt uniformly. Always let the sandwich rest for one minute after cooking to prevent the molten cheese from immediately oozing out when cut.

Cooking Steps

You'll want to start by crisping the bacon in a skillet until it reaches that perfect golden-brown crunch, then set it aside on paper towels to drain excess grease.

Next, butter your sourdough slices and layer them in a pan with thin slices of brie, crumbled bacon, and a light drizzle of honey for a sweet-savory complement.

Grill your sandwich carefully over medium-low heat, pressing gently with a spatula and flipping once to achieve a beautiful golden-brown exterior that encases the melting cheese and crispy bacon.

Step 1. Cook Bacon Crisp

Fire up your skillet and get ready to transform those bacon strips into crispy, golden perfection.

Place a large skillet over medium heat, allowing it to warm gradually. Lay your thick-cut bacon strips flat in the pan, ensuring they don't overlap.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side, watching for edges to curl and brown. Use tongs to flip each strip, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes until achieving a deep, golden crispness.

Key bacon-crisping tips:

• Maintain medium heat to prevent burning
• Flip only once for even cooking
• Look for uniform golden-brown color
• Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease

Pat bacon dry after cooking, crumbling or chopping as needed for your grilled cheese.

The crisp texture will add a satisfying crunch to your sandwich.

Step 2. Layer Brie on Bread

After crisping those bacon strips to golden perfection, grab your room-temperature brie and prepare to build a sandwich that'll make your taste buds dance.

Slice the brie into thin, uniform pieces, ensuring they'll melt evenly across the bread's surface. Position one slice of buttered sourdough in your skillet, butter-side down, creating a golden canvas for your masterpiece.

Layer the brie slices carefully, covering the bread but leaving a small margin around the edges to prevent overflow.

• Crumble the crispy bacon over the brie
• Drizzle a light, even stream of honey
• Distribute ingredients uniformly for balanced flavor

Top with the second slice of bread, butter-side facing up, ready to transform into a crispy, melty delight that bridges rustic comfort and gourmet elegance.

Step 3. Grill Bread Until Golden

The sizzling skillet awaits your perfectly assembled sandwich, ready to transform those carefully layered ingredients into a golden, crispy masterpiece.

Place the sandwich butter-side down in the pan, ensuring even contact with the heated surface. Set the flame to medium-low, which prevents burning while promoting consistent browning.

Grill the first side for 3-4 minutes, watching for:

• Golden-brown edges
• Softening cheese edges
• Slight butter bubbling

Gently press the spatula on the sandwich, encouraging even heat distribution and crisp texture. Carefully flip the sandwich, revealing a perfectly caramelized surface.

Cook the second side with the same patient technique, monitoring color and cheese melt.

Your goal: a sandwich with a crisp, amber-colored exterior and gooey, molten interior that promises delectable, balanced flavors in every bite.

Step 4. Drizzle Honey Over Bacon

While the bacon sizzles to crispy perfection, you'll want to drizzle honey over the crumbled strips, adding a subtle sweetness that transforms your grilled cheese from good to extraordinary.

The honey's golden liquid should cascade gently across the bacon, creating a delicate glaze that introduces complexity to your sandwich's flavor profile.

Key honey drizzling tips:

• Use pure, high-quality honey
• Aim for a light, even coating
• Drizzle from about 4-6 inches above the bacon
• Distribute honey in thin, zigzag patterns

The natural sugars in honey will caramelize slightly when heated, creating a nuanced depth that complements the salty bacon and creamy brie.

This simple technique elevates your grilled cheese from classic comfort food to a gourmet culinary experience.

Step 5. Cut Sandwich Diagonally

As honey's sweet whispers fade from the bacon's crispy landscape, your perfectly grilled masterpiece beckons for its final flourish: the diagonal cut.

Position your sharp chef's knife at a precise 45-degree angle across the golden-brown sandwich. With a confident, smooth motion, slice cleanly through the crispy sourdough, creating two perfect triangular halves that reveal the gooey brie and crumbled bacon interior.

Key diagonal cutting tips:

• Use a sharp serrated knife
• Apply gentle, steady pressure
• Cut on a clean cutting board
• Avoid sawing motions
• Slice in one smooth movement

The diagonal cut isn't just aesthetic—it exposes the sandwich's delectable layers, creating visual appeal and making each bite more manageable.

This technique transforms your grilled cheese from humble comfort food to a restaurant-worthy presentation.

Final Thoughts

Elevating a classic grilled cheese from simple to spectacular isn't just about ingredients, but about mastering technique and understanding flavor harmony.

You'll find that experimenting with premium ingredients like sourdough, brie, and crispy bacon transforms an ordinary sandwich into a culinary experience.

Pay attention to subtle details: room-temperature cheese melts more evenly, medium-low heat prevents burning, and letting the sandwich rest ensures perfect texture.

The interplay of tangy sourdough, creamy brie, and savory bacon creates a complex flavor profile that'll impress even discerning palates.

Remember that practice makes perfect—each time you prepare this sandwich, you'll refine your technique.

The beauty of this recipe lies in its flexibility: you can adjust ingredients, swap cheeses, or experiment with different bread types while maintaining the core principles of balanced flavor and careful preparation.