Classic Polish Baguette with Mushrooms and Cheese Recipe
This is the version of the Polish open-faced baguette that many people associate with the kiosk by the train station: a long baguette, lots of mushrooms, a thick layer of cheese and ketchup on top. In Poland it’s a typical street food – quick, hot and filling, perfect after school, work or an evening at the cinema. The homemade version is easier than it looks, and you can control the amount of cheese and toppings.
This baguette melt is the essence of Polish 90s street food – exactly the kind you’d eat by the train station or at the bus stop after the last bus. The combination of well-fried mushrooms, stretchy cheese and a crispy baguette gives an intense mushroom flavor with pleasantly browned cheese on top.
Chef's tips
Fry the mushrooms over fairly high heat until they really dry out – if they stay watery, they’ll soak the bread and the baguette will turn rubbery. Grate the cheese on small holes so it melts faster and forms an even, stretchy layer; watch the final minutes of baking carefully, because it takes literally a minute to go from lightly browned to burnt. If you’re using very soft baguettes, you can pre-bake them for 3–4 minutes without the topping so the bottom stays crisp.
How to serve
The best match here is an ice-cold cola in a glass with ice or classic tea with lemon, like in Polish milk bars after morning classes. These baguette melts are perfect for a match night or board-game evening – everyone gets their own half and can drizzle ketchup or hot sauce themselves. For a more “home-style” dinner, serve them with a simple Chinese cabbage slaw or dill pickles.
Ingredients
- baguette preferably slightly stale, it’s easier to slice - 2 pieces
- button mushrooms fresh, firm - 400 g
- yellow cheese well-melting, coarsely grated - 250 g
- onion medium - 1 piece
- butter for frying the mushrooms - 20 g
- oil for frying the onion - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- ketchup for serving
- chives chopped, optional for sprinkling - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and slice them thinly. Peel the onion and dice it finely.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent but not brown.
- Add the butter and mushrooms. Fry for 8–10 minutes over fairly high heat, until most of the moisture evaporates from the mushrooms and they are lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper at the end.
- Slice the baguettes in half lengthwise, and if they are very long, also into shorter pieces so they fit on the tray. Place them cut side up.
- Spread an even layer of the fried mushrooms and onions on each baguette half, pressing down lightly with a spoon so the topping doesn’t fall off.
- Generously sprinkle with grated cheese so it covers the entire mushroom surface.
- Put the tray into the preheated oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and lightly browned in spots and the edges of the bread are crisp.
- Remove the baguette melts from the oven, wait 2–3 minutes for them to cool slightly, then drizzle with ketchup and sprinkle with chives.
Storage
Store baked baguette melts tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 1 day and reheat briefly in a hot oven or toaster oven until the bread is crisp again and the cheese melts. They are not suitable for freezing once assembled and baked, as the bread becomes tough.
