Breakfast sandwiches aren’t fancy. You take some bread, some eggs, some meat, maybe a slice or two of cheese and season to taste. There are a lot of good breakfast sandwiches around the Sacramento area, but I’m here today to talk to you about one of the greats.

The key to any great sandwich, let alone a breakfast sandwich, starts with the bread. That’s why when I heard: “Our ciabatta bread has about 5 more minutes in the oven, is it OK if we substitute focaccia for your sandwich”, I knew I was in the right place.

I can forgive a restaurant being out of an important ingredient if I know they’re making that ingredient fresh everyday.

Each morning, Baguettes in Elk Grove bakes all of the bread for their breakfast and lunch sandwiches in house. They also have full loaves in their front display case as you walk in that you can purchase to take home. When you see the size of the space, you can better appreciate their decision to dedicate precious square footage to baking their daily bread instead of additional seats to handle more customers. Only 13 seats line the inside of this deli, and from their daily specials and bread program, it’s clear they care more about making sandwiches from quality ingredients than trying to have the largest restaurant in town.

The breakfast sandwich at Baguettes uses organic eggs cooked any way you like, crisp slices of honey cured bacon, melted cheddar cheese, arugula and tomato in between two slices of fresh baked (usually ciabatta, but sometimes focaccia) bread spread with a roasted garlic aioli mayo. The bread has that perfect crunch from the dusted flour crust and a nice chew when you make it to the center.

At lunch they serve one of my favorite takes on a grilled ham and cheese with a panini grilled sandwich topped with black forest ham, mascarpone cheese, apricot preserves and fresh jalapeños on ciabatta bread. Even with the sweet, savor and spicy combination of flavors all grilled together, the moist ciabatta bread still shines.

Where’s your favorite breakfast sandwich in the Sacramento area?