I took my recipe for My Favorite Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns to see if I could also make good hoagie/sub rolls. I was looking for something similar to Subway’s white sub rolls, not hard and crusty, but with a softer crust, and light rather than too dense.
So, here’s what I did.
Following the same recipe for my bread and bun, using the 3-cups of flour method, I divided the dough in half. I used the first half for five hamburger buns, and the other half for two hoagie rolls. Since I needed hamburger buns, I figured this was a good time to experiment with the sub rolls. If these turned out the way I hoped they would, I will use the 6-cups of flour method next time and make 8 sub rolls. My bread and buns freeze beautifully, so I’m sure these would, too. You can even cut them in half and get twice as many 6-inch sub rolls.
I formed the dough for the sub rolls into two 10-inch long loaves. The end resulted in 11″ sub rolls, so I would suggest making them 12″ long if you want foot-long sub rolls. I baked them for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, as soon as they came out of the oven I brushed the tops of them with melted butter, and covered them with a dish towel, letting them sit to cool for 30 minutes. The steam and the butter is what softens the crust, so this step is very important.
As you can see from the above photos, I need more practice with the shaping. 🙂 The finished product was approximately 11″ long, but if it were shaped a little better, it would be a good 12″ long sub roll.
These came out wonderful! The bread was buttery, light and fluffy, and the crust soft.
I wasn’t sure when I’d get a chance to make a sub, so I put the rolls in the freezer. Next morning, all I could think about was trying the sub roll, so I took it out of the freezer to thaw.
I stopped at Kroger’s deli and bought some Black Forest Ham, Genoa Salami, and Provolone cheese. I couldn’t wait! By lunch time, the bread was thawed, and just as soft and fluffy as when I placed it in the freezer the day before. So, I started gathering all the ingredients for my version of an Italian sub.
Sub Ingredients:
My Delicious Fresh Sub Rolls (recipe below)
Mayonnaise
Black Forest Ham
Genoa Salami
Provolone Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Oregano
Red Wine Oil & Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
There you have it. Here are some photos of my masterpiece:
Lots of mayo – Yum!
Black Forest Ham
Genoa Salami
Provolone Cheese
The Works
I could barely eat half!
This sub was so delicious, I don’t even remember what Subway tastes like! 🙂
Italian Herb and Cheese Sub Rolls
Okay, so the next day I decided to try the Subway recipe for their Italian Herbs and Cheese topping for the sub rolls. I used my recipe for the rolls, and added the herbs and cheese as shown below:
Make 1/8″ slit down center of sub roll
Fill center with herbs and cheese mixture, spread over top
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for one hour
Baked Italian Herbs and Cheese Sub Rolls
Oh, my goodness! I wish you could smell these. When my husband came home from work he said it smelled like Subway!
These came out a little bit wide, between 3″ and 4″. It really does take practice to get the rolls the right width and length, and not letting it rise for too long. I’d say the second rise should be for 45 minutes to an hour max. I have adjusted the above directions accordingly.
I just made half a sub with the Italian Herbs and Cheese bread. I made seafood salad and placed it on the bread with provolone cheese. I placed it in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes to toast it a little. Then I added lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayo and oil & vinegar. OMG! It was so good. I ate it before I could snap a photo. *blush*
Following is a revised recipe for my Fresh Sub Rolls:
Printable recipe without images:
Fresh Sub Rolls
This is very similar to the recipe that I use for My Favorite Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns. I wanted to try it with sub rolls, and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. It is so great for me to be able to use the same recipe for bread, hamburger, hot dog, dinner and sub rolls.
Ingredients:
This recipe will make four 12-inch sub rolls
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
3 tbsp sugar
1 package of active dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup warm milk
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tbsp melted unsalted butter
3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
1/4 cup dry milk (powdered)
1/4 cup potato flour OR 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes*
3 tbsp melted unsalted butter for brushing tops
* For these sub rolls I used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour, dry milk and potato flakes. I saw no difference between the all-purpose and bread flour. They may have risen a little bit more, and they were light and fluffy. I prefer to use milk for added flavor and sweetness.
Make the Dough:
- In large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup of water. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until foamy.
- Whisk into yeast mixture milk, eggs, salt and melted butter; add flour, dry milk and potato flour/flakes. Mix well, pulling dough away from sides of bowl and form into ball.
- Place bowl in stand mixer with dough hooks. Knead for 5 minutes, stopping to manually scrape dry flour mixture into the center, and until dough is soft and sticky (sweetened dough does not require as much kneading). Otherwise, knead by hand for 8 minutes. If the dough sticks to a silicone spatula add a little more flour.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. I use my new Norpro Silicone Pastry Mat with Measurements. Dough will be sticky and elastic but will not stick to your fingers.
- Knead a few times and form dough into a round ball, tucking loose ends underneath.
- Drizzle or spray bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl and turn over until thinly coated with oil on all sides. Cover bowl with foil, plastic wrap or a towel (not terry cloth). Let dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size. I like to use my 8-cup Pyrex measuring bowl so I can see how much it has risen.
- Punch down (let the air out) and transfer risen dough from bowl to floured work surface.
Directions for Sub Rolls
- Weigh the dough. It should weigh approximately 30 to 32 ounces.
- Then, divide into 4 pieces. I use my pastry scraper/chopper. That comes out to approx. 7.5 to 8 oz. per sub roll.
- Roll each piece of dough into a flat rectangle, 12″ long. With your fingers, tightly roll each piece lengthwise into the tube-like shape of a sub roll.
- Pinch ends and seams, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down, at least 3″ apart.
- *Okay, it is at this point you can add the Italian herbs and cheese if you choose. See recipe below. If not, continue to the next step.
- Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
- Make four horizontal slashes across the top of each sub roll.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and immediately brush tops with melted butter. Place a dish towel over it and let sit for 30 minutes. The steam and the butter is what softens the crust, so this step is very important.
- Serve warm or cool completely before freezing.
* This recipe can make one large or two small loaves of bread.
Italian Herbs and Cheese Bread Ingredients
- 1 recipe for 4 Fresh Sub Rolls, formed into loaves, but not baked.
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- 1-1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1-1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
- Sunflower oil (can use olive, vegetable, or soybean oil)
- 1/8 c. bread crumbs
Directions for Italian Herbs and Cheese Bread Recipe
- Prepare the dough as directed to make 4 Fresh Sub Rolls. Mix the dough, knead it, allow it to rise, and form the loaves (before the second rise).
- Mix the cheeses, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, and bread crumbs in a bowl. Add sunflower oil to mixture to moisten. This will help bind the cheeses.
- Slice each loaf, 1/8-inch deep, down the center with a serrated knife and press the cheese mixture on top of the loaves.
- Cover the loaves and let them rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
- Make four horizontal slashes across to top of each sub roll.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.[2]
- Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Do not overcook, as that will toughen the crust.
- While still hot out of the oven, brush the bread with melted butter and cover with dish towel for 30 minutes.
- Let the bread cool until room temperature.
This recipe was originally adapted from Allrecipes’ Chef John’s Hamburger Buns and Hot Dog Buns recipes, as well as King Arthur Flour’s Buttery Hot Dog Buns.
The Italian herbs and cheese topping was adapted from http://www.copycatrecipeguide.com/How_to_Make_Subway_Italian_Herbs_and_Cheese_Bread. They also have the recipe for Subway’s bread at http://www.copycatrecipeguide.com/How_to_Make_Subway_Bread
Check out my post, I’m Re-Learning How To Make Bread, for some tips that I picked up while re-learning how to make bread. The information that I came across helped me understand how each ingredient affects bread baking. It is from this research that I developed “My Favorite Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns” Recipe. See post for more detailed instructions and images.