A simple recipe for homemade sandwich rolls, also called hoagie rolls (or sub rolls). Step by step instructions for how to make rolls included! These rolls are great for lunch meats, meatballs, or even grilled vegetable sandwiches. Fresh made = no preservatives! Eat real bread!
What are these sandwich rolls used for?
These rolls can be used for hoagies, subs, grinders and more! Want to know the difference between all those types of sandwiches? See this article from The Kitchn 🙂 I like to make Philadelphia hoagies, meatball sandwiches, and veggie hoagies with mine! Philly cheesesteaks are pretty awesome as well.
How to store sandwich or hoagie rolls?
It’s best to slice and freeze these rolls if you aren’t going to use them all on the day you bake them. They are probably okay to use the day after you make them as well. I recommend storing them in a paper bag or sealed plastic, although you may lose some of the crisp by sealing in plastic.
How to make rolls: step by step
Okay! So…ready to make some sandwich rolls?? These were really fun to make!
Here is a step by step overview of how to make these rolls.
- Start by adding all of your ingredients (flour, water, salt, sugar, yeast) to a mixing bowl of an upright mixer.
- I highly recommend using a kitchen scale (as you can see below, all of my ingredients are listed in weights) – it’s SOOOO easy to weigh the ingredients. And kitchen scales are not expensive. I use an OXO Good Grips with a pull out digital display. And I love love love it. It makes things so much easier as I don’t have to deal with measuring cups and the extra mess.
Mixing the dough
- Combine on low for about 4 minutes and then increase speed to medium high and continue to mix for another 15 minutes or so.
- Here’s what the dough looked like about halfway through the mix:
- The dough after about a 20-minute mix (notice that it is still not completely smooth, needs a bit more time to develop:
Divide and pre-shape the dough
- Divide the dough into 12 portions and ball each piece like so:
First rise and shaping
- Cover the dough balls and let rest for 20 minutes.
- After letting the dough rest for 20 minutes, flatten each piece to about ¼ inch thick (I used a pasta roller to help but you can also use a kneading pin)
- Run each piece through the pasta roller (I used the widest setting, “0” and then “1” and then let the pieces rest for a bit) but again, you can use a rolling pin.
- To continue shaping the rolls, roll each piece into a log like so:
- Continue rolling until each piece looks like so:
- After rolling up each piece, rolls so that seams seal up and apply more pressure on ends so that the shaped dough looks like so:
- Line up the shaped rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and set aside in warm and damp environment (I placed in cold oven with a hot pan of water) and let rise for 1 hour:
Rising and scoring
- After 1 hour, your rolls should look something like this:
- Slash each roll with a clean razor blade (about ¼ inch slash) and mist with water:
Tips and techniques for making sandwich (hoagie) rolls:
- Use high quality, bread flour – this is the main ingredient in your recipe so make sure it’s a good brand
- Use a kitchen scale if you have one. Weighing ingredients is one of the easiest ways to improve your bread baking
- Ensure you are mixing the dough enough initially. This recipe calls for a 20-minute initial mix
- I also recommend weighing out each dough ball after you portion the dough so that each roll is about the same size
- Make sure the rolls rise enough before baking. The rolls should be at least 30 to 50% larger than when they were first shaped
- If you kitchen is cold, place a pot of water on the stove with the tray of rolls next to it to heat things up
- Using a thermometer such as a Thermapen is very helpful to make sure your dough is not too hot or too cold (target dough temp about 80 degrees after mixing)
- Make sure your oven is hot enough – I found the best place to bake these rolls was right in the center rack of the oven
- Don’t forget to mist the rolls with water as well as the oven so you get a bit of oven spring (oven spring is the sudden increase in volume of bread during the first several minutes of baking)
Like to bake? Try some of my other bread recipes!
Sandwich rolls (hoagie rolls)
A simple recipe for homemade sandwich rolls, also called hoagie rolls (or sub rolls). Step by step instructions for how to make rolls included! These rolls are great for lunch meats, meatballs, or even grilled vegetable sandwiches. Fresh made = no preservatives! Eat real bread! Makes 1250 grams of dough
Ingredients
- 6 cups bread flour (see notes for baker's percentages)
- 1 ¾ cups water (room temp/about 70 degrees F)
- 2.5 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 ¼ tsp instant dry yeast (one package)
- Note that grams are exact but volume measurements are rounded
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a standing mixer (see blog post for step by step pictures)
- Mix on low speed for 4 minutes (it's important for the flour to "hydrate" and absorb the water before you start using higher speed)
- Increase speed to medium and continue mixing for 15 additional minutes (you want the dough to "windowpane"- this is crucial!) (see notes)
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12 x 16 rectangle and cut into 6 pieces for small hoagie rolls (6-inch) or 3 pieces for large hoagie rolls (12-inch). Cover with damp towel or oiled plastic wrap and let rest for about 20 to 30 minutes
- Roll each piece out using a rolling pin and after rolling out, roll up each piece jelly roll style and let rest for 20 minutes (this is preshaping – we will do a final shape in the next step).
- After the rolls have rested you will do a final shape. To do so, roll them back and forth on the counter until you have a length of 6-inches for small hoagie rolls or 12 inches for large hoagie rolls. Apply more pressure to ends and pull the dough over to seal the ends if needed.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, dust with cornmeal (if using) and place the rolls allowing for about 2 inches of space between. Cover with plastic wrap (I spray the top of my rolls with cooking spray so the plastic wrap won't stick.
- Let the rolls rise for about 60 to 90 minutes at room temperature. (if it's winter and/or chilly, you can place in oven with oven light on; just make sure the oven is not heating/turned on). Alternatively, you can also place the rolls in the refrigerator so they could rise overnight.
- Consider using a "spy" – if you have a small shot glass, add a piece of dough and place a rubber band to mark the top of the dough. When the dough has doubled, it will be easier to see. This "spy" should be subject to the same temperature/location as the rolls that are rising.
- About 30 minute before the rolls are finished rising, preheat your oven to 440. Update: do not use convection setting as the fan will dry out the crust and also push out the steam we will create in an upcoming step.
- Just before baking, slash each roll swiftly with a clean razor or knife and then mist with clean water just before loading into oven.
- Mist the oven several times with water or throw a few cups of ice on over floor just after loading bread and quickly close oven door. Try to trap that steam by doing this quickly.
- After about 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking for about 15 to 20 minutes total. You may place the remaining tray in the refrigerator until the first tray is finished baking; don't mist with water until ready to bake.
- If you'd like a glossy look, brush rolls with pasteurized egg whites thinned with a little water or with butter after they are finished baking.
- Hoagie rolls are best eaten the same day; they freeze well. I like to slice and freeze.
Notes
Baker’s percentages: flour 100%, water 62%, yeast 1.15%, salt 2%, sugar 3%, oil 5%; small rolls (6-inch, 200 grams dough; 12-inch, 400 grams dough; 9-inch, 300 grams dough)
May 2021: Hydration updated to 62% from 57%.
- To get more accurate cups measurement for bread flour, refer to your flour’s nutrition label which will give you grams/cup of flour.
- Use high quality, bread flour – this is the main ingredient in your recipe so make sure it’s a good brand
- Use a kitchen scale if you have one. Weighing ingredients is one of the easiest ways to improve your bread baking
- Ensure you are mixing the dough enough initially. This recipe calls for a 20-minute initial mix
- I also recommend weighing out each dough ball after you portion the dough so that each roll is about the same size
- Make sure the rolls rise enough before baking. The rolls should be at least 30 to 50% larger than when they were first shaped
- If you kitchen is cold, place a pot of water on the stove with the tray of rolls next to it to heat things up
- Using a thermometer such as a Thermapen is very helpful to make sure your dough is not too hot or too cold (target dough temp about 80 degrees after mixing)
- Make sure your oven is hot enough – I found the best place to bake these rolls was right in the center rack of the oven
- Don’t forget to mist the rolls with water as well as the oven so you get a bit of oven spring (oven spring is the sudden increase in volume of bread during the first several minutes of baking)
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 8gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 488mgPotassium: 69mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg
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Tom Lappin says
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve been wanting to make my own rolls for my cheese steaks and this looks like it will work. Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you are using instant yeast? Is it convenience? Instant yeast is hard to find right now, but I have plenty of active yeast. Can I substitute that assuming I activate it in warm water first? The same question goes for your NY pizza dough, which has been great. I did activate the yeast in that recipe and it worked out fine, but I’m still curious. Thanks again!!
Marie says
Yes I use instant for convenience and normally store a big bag in my freezer. I would hesitate to substitute active yeast – I often do
Lana says
Can I use AP flour? I have been out of bread flour and the stores haven’t had any.
Marie says
If it’s a higher quality flour I’d say yes (it should have at least 4 grams protein per serving – check the nutrition label)…and I’d cut back the water a bit (maybe by 2 to 3 tablespoons or so)
Linda says
Best hoagie rolls I ever made! Followed your directions to a T and they got perfect!
Sharon Theron says
great recipe, crispy and awesome thanks u i bake them for 12 mins in my convection super super awesome