Elevate Your Panera Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich With These 5 Ordering Tips

From caprese on focaccia or tuna salad on sourdough to steak and chicken piled high on bagels, there's no shortage of sandwich options at Panera Bread. One popular option that has been on the menu for years (with the exception of a brief hiatus in the early 2020s) is a classic: the Bacon Turkey Bravo. A marriage of the chain's Tomato Basil BLT and Turkey Cheddar sandwich, the BTB brings together aged white cheddar, bacon, greens, tomatoes, and, of course, turkey. The ingredients are stacked in between slices of Panera's Tomato Basil Miche bread. What sets the sandwich apart from the others is that instead of mayo, it gets treated to a swipe of Panera's Bravo sauce, which, like McDonald's Big Mac Sauce, has been likened to Thousand Island Dressing (though neither are exactly the same).

It's easy to understand the Bacon Turkey Bravo's appeal. Turkey and cheese are reliable pairings on a sandwich and bacon adds a bit of smoky flavor. Meanwhile, the bread and the signature sauce add a little twist on a traditional version of a turkey sandwich. But, if you're looking to take the standard sandwich up a notch, there are an abundance of menu items at Panera that you can use to customize it.

Texturally, Panera Bread's Bacon Turkey Bravo has a lot going for it: moist turkey, crispy bacon, firm cheese, and soft bread. The Bravo Sauce also adds some richness to the sandwich, but if you're looking to increase the creamy factor to balance out the other elements, try adding avocado. The ingredient makes an appearance in other Panera sandwiches, salads, and Market Bowls, so feel free to ask for slices to be piled onto your BTB, too. Just keep in mind that it may come with an upcharge and don't expect the spread that comes on the avocado toast, since breakfast ends at 10:30 a.m.

If you're looking for other ways to add creaminess to the Bacon Turkey Bravo, the hummus that's swiped onto the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich is another solid option. Or, swap out the Bravo sauce for one of Panera's salad dressings to change up the flavor profile, too. Creamy Salsa Verde, Farmhouse Ranch, Green Goddess, and Creamy Garlic Herb Dressing can all work with turkey.

Panera Bread's soft Tomato Basil Miche does the job of holding in all of the Turkey Bacon Bravo ingredients. Its sweet, warmly-spiced crumbles that mingle with the tomato and basil have made it a fan favorite (though some say that the recipe has changed, making it one of Panera's missteps in recent years). But if you're looking to switch it up and add a little extra crunch to every bite, try asking for the bread to be toasted or turn it into a crisp-yet-melty masterpiece by asking for it to be heated up like the restaurant's melts.

Another option is to just swap out the miche altogether for a crusty bread. A baguette or ciabatta should satisfy the craving for a crispier crust and you can double down by getting one of those toasted, too. And, of course, don't sleep on subbing in a bagel if you're looking to change things up — it's the easiest hack to land yourself extra bready goodness if you're ordering from the "You Pick Two" menu.

For much of its life on the Panera Bread menu, the Bacon Turkey Bravo was crafted with Gouda cheese. However, after it was briefly retired from the restaurant's offerings, its return brought with it the switch to aged white cheddar — and resounding disappointment from the sandwich's devotees. On one of the chain's Facebook posts, followers made their feelings known with comments like, "White cheddar instead of Gouda is an obvious downgrade," and "Nah, bring it back the way we liked it ... with the gouda cheese!" One even quipped, "If I bring my own gouda cheese and thousand island dressing to one of your locations, can your employees use them to make the sandwich?"

Alas, it's been a few years since that post and Gouda has yet to find its way back to the menu. However, if cheddar isn't your jam, all is not lost — there are several other cheeses in the kitchen that can take its place. For slices, try provolone (which is used on the Ciabatta Cheesesteak), borrow the American cheese from the chain's Grilled Cheese Sandwich, or swap in the fresh mozzarella from the Toasted Caprese Focaccia.

While using sliced cheese on the sandwich is probably the most practical for uniform bites, there's shaved and crumbled dairy goodness to consider, too. Feta and Parmesan play a role in some of Panera's salads, so the restaurant should have them in stock for your sandwich, too. Or add a layer of richness with a swipe of cream cheese. If you're looking for a different way to incorporate cheesiness, consider ordering the sandwich on an asiago bagel or an asiago everything bagel.

Sure, the Bravo sauce is the signature topping for the Turkey Bacon Bravo, but no one says you can't switch it up. One top option is BBQ sauce. It's already paired with poultry and white cheddar on Panera's Smokehouse BBQ Chicken, so conventional wisdom would suggest it will play nicely with the Bacon Turkey Bravo, too. Plus, it's made with apple cider vinegar, so it can give the sandwich a little zing.

If you're looking to brighten things up, the lemon vinaigrette on the Shrimply Baja Salad should do the trick. And since it's also a little smoky, it should complement the bacon. Or, infuse a little Asian flair with the sesame vinaigrette used to dress the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad.

For a little sweetness and a whole lot of crunch, try piling some apple chips on the Bacon Turkey Bravo. They're a component of the chain's Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, but why not pair them with turkey, too? Or, for a crisp bite with refreshing flavor, ask for the slices of cucumber that typically come on Panera's salads.

While many of these modifications can be made at a kiosk or when ordering online, some may require making requests from employees. If so, be sure to follow the rules you would stick to if you're ordering off a secret menu. If you have lines of hungry customers behind you, stick with simplicity and wait to experiment when the kitchen has more time.