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The BEST soft and chewy bread roll for hoagies/submarine/grinders. Pillowy soft rolls that are begging to be filled with deliciousness!
*note this post was drastically updated on 1/20/2020 to include more step-by-step instructions and detailed explanations.
Depending on what part of the country, or world, you’re from these things are called various names. I’ve heard “Subs, Submarines, Hoagies, Grinders, Hero, Italian Sandwich, Torpedo, Blimpie, Po’Boy, and Rocket” just to name a few.
Whatever you call it, I’m talking about those luxurious sandwiches full of meats and cheeses then wedged into a chewy, soft bread roll.
Hoagie Roll Ingredient List
Bread Flour – it must be at least 11-14% protein content
Yeast – Active Dry or Instant
Water
Salt
Sugar
Butter
Items for a bread wash *optional
Can I use All-Purpose Flour?
Normally I’d advise against it because you’ll end up with a different texture and outcome.
However given the current state of the world and the difficulty people are having finding bread flour, you can BUT there are differences in the outcome.
You won’t get the same result with US all-purpose flour as you would bread flour. The higher protein in bread flour is what gives the bread its “chew” and rise.
Plus, AP flour will make the bread denser. You can use it but they won’t be like classic hoagie rolls but they still will taste yummy.
Since bread flour is so hard to find (I’m feeling that pain too), grab some Vital Wheat Gluten and make your own bread flour using your AP Flour.
One of the most comment comments I get when I ask why folks don’t make homemade bread at home is that they are afraid of it. They are afraid to work with yeast or aren’t sure about the techniques. Well, that’s where I’m here to help you.
Baking bread, rolls, and doughs is something I honestly find truly cathartic. It’s relaxing albeit using the stand mixer or kneading the dough by hand. Because I use only Red Star Yeasts (99.9% of the time it’s their Platinum), it’s pretty foolproof.
Store your yeast in a dark, cool area. I tend to store mine in the fridge or the freezer for extended storage.
When adding it, add it to very warm liquids (120-130F). You don’t want to add it to boiling or super hot water as you will kill the yeast.
With the Instant Platinum yeast, you don’t even have to let it proof first – like how I added it to this recipe. Proofing yeast is used more for dry active yeast. Because I use the Instant Active Dry yeast, there’s no proofing involved.
To Proof, Active Dry Yeast, place a portion of the warm liquid in a bowl and add the yeast. Give it a little stir and let it sit for 1-5 minutes or until the yeast is completely dissolved. It should bubble up and “bloom”.
If, after 5 minutes the yeast isn’t bloomed then your yeast is old (expiration dates matter here!) or the liquid you used is too hot
The Best Hoagie Rolls at home – yes, you can do it!
Feel good about working with yeast? You should. It’s really easy and just don’t be afraid! You can do this! Baking is a science and when you add ingredients it matters. Plus we need to discuss how humidity can affect how much water you put in.
To the bowl of a stand mixer add in the yeast, water (use all of using Instant yeast or is using Active Dry yeast only about 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), and sugar. Allow to proof for 5-10 minutes. *Note Instant Yeast does not require 5-10 minutes to proof.
Next, add in a few cups of flour and the rest of the water (if using Active Dry yeast). You never add in all of the flour at once as it can fly out everywhere when you turn the mixer on and it may not combine correctly. You want to mix on low until it just starts to combine. Slowly you’ll add a little more flour and salt as it mixes. This can take about 5 minutes or so.
Now, depending on the temp in the kitchen or how humid it is, you can add anywhere from 3 1/2 – 4 cups of flour. Just go slow. The worst thing you can do is add too much flour because you’re impatient. At this point, your dough should start to look and feel “Slack”
What is Slack Dough?
Think of a blob. It’s kind of fluid but it’s not liquidy. It’s the point where if you were to dump the dough out onto a board and try to form it into a shape, it would just blob back out and not hold a shape.
That’s what Slack Dough is. Slack dough means when the dough cannot hold a shape; it has no elasticity or spring back at all. It’s a wet dough but not too wet. It’s “billowy”. The dough is super, super soft, and smooth.
Below is what Slack dough looks like
How Humidity affects dough and bread baking
If your bread dough never turns slack there can be 2 reasons for this
You didn’t mix it enough. Give it another minute or two. If it still doesn’t turn slack, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it forms slack.
Your house is super dry – add a bit more water.
The rule of thumb is if your area is hot & humid then reduce the liquid by 10%.
Now, back to making the dough.
Once all the flour is added and the dough is slack, add in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Just like the flour, you’ll add it in slowly allowing it to incorporate into the dough. Don’t panic if it doesn’t go in all at once or the dough looks to break down. Just be patient, it’ll combine again. Patience – that’s the key.
Cold Butter or Softened Butter?
I was raised using cold butter in this recipe though you may use room temp or equal amounts of olive oil. When using cold butter, even though you ‘meld it into the flour’, you’re helping with gluten formation and the development of dough structure. I’ve made it with room temperature butter and it works just as well. You can use either folks.
Once it’s mostly all in, turn the mixer up to medium and mix the dough until it pulls completely away from the side and is smooth and shiny.
Transfer the dough to a large, lightly sprayed bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap or use what I use – Disposable plastic clear shower caps. They have a stretchy-band that snaps around the bowl and remained ballooned to allow the dough to proof without sticking to it.
Once it’s doubled in size, it’s time to shape the hoagie rolls.
How to shape hoagie bread rolls
Punch the dough down and place on a very lightly floured board. I would advise using as little flour as possible when shaping these. The more flour you add, the tougher the hoagies will be.
Divide into 4-8 pieces and shape. *See below on how to shape!
Once shaped, transfer to a parchment-lined tray and cover with lightly sprayed plastic wrap. Allow to rise again until almost doubled. ~30-45 minutes. Do NOT overproof them otherwise they will fall flat.
What does Overproof mean?
In simple terms it means the was let to rise too long, It will almost “super balloon” in size. You’ll know you’ve over-proofed dough if, when you poke it for 2 seconds, remove your finger and see if it springs back. If your dough does not spring back, it’s over-proofed.
But that doesn’t mean all is lost. Simply remove the dough from where it was rising, degas it (meaning press down firmly on the dough to get rid of the gas), then re-shape. Place it back on your pan and repeat the second proofing.
Watch your dough – things like ambient temperature, humidity, etc will cause your dough to rise slower or faster. The 30-45 minutes is fairly standard time but you need to use your judgement in the kitchen.
Chef’s Tips on shaping hoagie rolls
Shaping does take practice but that’s the fun of baking, right?!
When you divide the dough, with your fingers, gently pat it into a rectangle where the dough is about 1/4″ thick.
Next, fold up the bottom third to the center and then fold the upper quarter (like an envelope) towards the center and press gently to seal.
Rotate the dough 180 degrees (so the last fold faces away from you) and repeat the above folding step then using your hand to seal the dough seams as you fold it. What you’re doing is folding the dough into itself.
At this point, your dough is almost shaped like a log/snake. Gently cup your hand over the center of the dough and, without applying pressure/pressing down, gently roll the dough back and forth to reinforce the seal and roll it out into a log. If necessary, gently pinch the seam closed.
I then grab the ends, lightly, and carefully pull them outwards to help stretch out dough (just an inch or so – again dependent on how long you want your rolls).
To help round out the ends, cup each hand at the end of the roll and move them in opposite directions with a back and forth motion to roll the ends and then tuck underneath the roll.
At this point, they are ready for the next rise.
Adding Slashes/Slits
While completely not necessary, you can add slashes/slits to the rolls before they bake to give them a prettier look. Cutting them adds zero taste value; it just pretties them up.
However, it does help with the texture. Did you ever make or buy bread that has a huge bubble or has a blowout? The bread “ruptures” in a sense. By scoring the bread, you can help control where the gas can escape without destroying how the bread looks.
A lame is a handle that has a very thin razor blade on the end of it specifically used for bread slashing. In a quick motion, make a slash (or multiple slashes) down the center of the bread but not going in deep. You’re going in maybe a 1/4″ at best.
Can I use a sharp knife instead?
Personally, I would say no as the blade isn’t thin enough and the knife may not be super, SUPER sharp. You could risk tearing the bread instead of a quick, pretty slash.
Coating your rolls before baking
You do not have to coat these if you do not want to. They will bake up beautifully and taste amazing BUT they won’t really have that deep color, crust, or shine like the ones most pizzerias have. Again, not a bad thing. Go with what you like.
When it comes to these rolls, depending on the application you use to coat, you’ll end up with different results. For my hoagie rolls, I use an egg white mixed with just a Tablespoon of milk
Whole egg: this will give your bread a sheen and color
Egg Yolk: this will give your bread color and will help brown it
Egg White:Will give you a firmer crust
Milk: will give your crust color
Butter:will make your crust softer and richer
Egg White with Milk:will give you a firmer crust and deeper crust color
The Best Hoagie Roll
Cutting your hoagie rolls
At first cut, the bread insides are so soft and billowy. It’s as if it’s held together by pockets of air and strands of sweet dough.
While it’s hard to resist, I HIGHLY recommend waiting about 10 minutes before trying to slice into these hoagie rolls. If you don’t, you risk tearing the bread (even with the best of bread knives) because it’s simply too hot and too soft inside.
There’s no limit to how you can use these hoagie rolls or what you can put in or on them.
Italian Rocket Hoagie or any favorite hoagie topping such as steak, meatball, cheese, pizza… you get the idea!)
Meatball Hoagie like the pics below – use any of my meatball recipes, top with sauce of choice, cheese, and bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted
French Bread Pizza – split in half, top each side with cheese and pizza toppings. Bake at 400F until the cheese is melted
Stuffed Breakfast Boats – these were such a HUGE seller at our pizzeria (even though they were on the ‘secret’ menu
Make them smaller as dinner rolls and, while still warm, top with honey cinnamon butter right before serving
How to store your Best Soft and Chewy Hoagie Rolls
Store them uncut. When you’re storing overnight, you’ll want to store in a paper bag OR, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in a plastic bag. Air is your enemy here.
Freezing
These rolls can be frozen either before they are baked or after.
Post-baking
I personally prefer to freeze these after they are baked. Simply wrap each cooled loaf in plastic wrap, twice and place it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Pre-baking
If you do this add a little more yeast (about a teaspoon more) to the recipe. This ensures that the post-freeze rise will give you a stunning result.
Allow the dough to proof and then shape it on a parchment-lined pan.
Wrap the pan with plastic wrap. Once each loaf is frozen stiff, wrap each roll twice in plastic wrap. Store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 6 months.
To use frozen dough rolls, remove a loaf from the freezer the night before you want to bake it. Keep the loaf wrapped in plastic and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Place the thawed dough in a greased bread pan, cover it, and let it rise in a warm, dry place. Bake the bread per the recipe below.
Chef Tips About Bread Baking
As mentioned above, humidity and heat in your kitchen will drastically affect the dough texture (too wet/too dry while mixing) as well as proofing.
If your kitchen is warmer, your bread will rise faster. Think of bread dough like a toddler. You really can’t let it be unsupervised for very long. Use the times as a guideline but your eyes will be your best judge.
If you overproof your dough it will fall flat when it bakes. The gluten structure will be too weak to hold the gas production.
USE GENTLE HANDS when shaping your dough.
Make sure your yeast is FRESH!
Watch your oven as it bakes. If your oven thermostat is on the fritz this can affect your bread either baking too fast leading to burnt bread on the outside and raw on the inside.
Just relax. If you don’t get it perfect the first time, try again. Ask questions if you’re not sure what went wrong. The biggest things are:
Not mixing your dough enough before the first proof
Too rough on shaping it and you lost the gas in it
Over proofed the 2nd shape and the bread went flat upon baking
Your oven thermostat is on the fritz
PATIENCE – BE PATIENT and keep dumping in more flour or water. Rome wasn’t built in a day, just as the dough won’t come together in a minute or two.
Subbing Sourdough Starter
I get asked this question a lot. I never use sourdough starter in this recipe as I love it as-is however you can sub in sourdough starter with some recipe modifications.
8 ounces of ripened sourdough starter
Reduce the total flour to 334-339 grams
Reduce the total water to 177-237 grams
Using Whole Wheat Flour
So the answer is yes, but you have to modify it and play with the texture to get it right. Let me explain.
You only use 3/4 cup of whole wheat for every 1 cup of flour substituted. AND,
I’ve YET to go full whole wheat and end up loving the flavor. I, right now, ONLY recommend subbing in 50% whole wheat and the rest flour (again you need to use the measurements in step 1). AND,
You’ll need to add another 2 Tablespoons of water for every 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour added.
And don’t forget to factor in humidity too with this.
I personally have yet to have an OMGYUM moment when making the recipe with a 100% whole wheat swap. It’s still too dense for my liking. Then again, 100% wheat bread tends to be dense in general (at least in my experience).
I’m still working on it though I believe I can nail it and get the results I want and love.
If using Active Dry Yeast (not the Instant I use) you have to proof the yeast first. Add the Active Dry Yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoon of warm water in a bowl of a stand mixer.
Using a whisk or spoon, mix and set aside for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast has bubbled quite a bit.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (this would be the same bowl your yeast mixture is in) add 2 cups of flour and the remaining cup of water. Start off on low. Mix for 4 minutes.
Go to Step 1 of Recipe Continuation and follow the rest of the recipe
Using Instant Yeast? Start here
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook add in 2 cups of flour, water, sugar, and Instant Yeast. Start off on low. Mix for 4 minutes.
Go to Step 1 of Recipe Continuation and follow the rest of the recipe.
Recipe Continuation
Add in the salt and 1 cup at a time of the remaining flour and mix for 5-6 minutes until the dough is slack (See note). At this point, your mixer should be at medium speed. If your dough, after 5-6 minutes is not slack add up to 1/4 more cup of water (taking you up to a full 1 1/2 cups used) but add one Tablespoon at a time. The additional water will fully depend on how humid your room is.
Add in the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time and mix until almost fully melded in before adding the next Tablespoon. In total, mix for 1-3 minutes or until the dough comes back together and the dough until it pulls completely away from the side and is smooth and shiny. Remove from bowl and transfer to a greased, covered bowl until doubled in size. ~1 hour.
Punch the dough down and place it on a very lightly floured board. Divide into 4-8 pieces and shape. I would advise using as little flour as possible when shaping these. The more flour you add, the tougher the hoagies will be. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray and cover with lightly sprayed plastic wrap. Allow to rise again until almost doubled. ~30-45 minutes. Do NOT overproof them otherwise they will fall flat.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. If you want to slash your bread, using a lame, make your slashes. If desired, brush with a coating of choice and bake for 16-23 minutes or until golden brown. To ensure doneness, test the internal bread temp. It should be at 200F.
Depending on the type of bread flour as well as how humid your kitchen is you may need to increase the water to 1 1/2 cups (which is only another 2 tablespoons more than the original). At times I’ve had to actually go up to 1 3/4 cups total but that was due to how humid my house was at the time.
Cold Butter
I was raised using cold butter in this recipe though you may use softened or equal amounts of olive oil. When using cold butter, even though you ‘meld it into the flour’, you’re helping with gluten formation and the development of dough structure.
Slack Dough
Slack dough means when the dough cannot hold a shape; it has no elasticity or spring back at all. It’s a wet dough but not too wet. It’s “billowy”. The dough is super, super soft, and smooth.
I couldn’t get the dough to slack, it went directly from mixing in flour to what looked like a firm dough ball with only 3 cups of flour. I’m certain it’s user errors (I tried twice) but was hoping you maybe have tips.
I used brand new dry active yeast that definitely proofed before beginning mixing as well as brand new King Arthur bread flour, 12% protein.
I believe my mistakes were one of two things (or maybe both). 1. I live in Alaska and it’s very dry here, perhaps I should have added more water as I was adding the flour. 2. Have more patience and let it mix longer.
Both of my attempts came to more look more like layered dough rather than one cohesive ball of dough.
I also tried vegan butter but after reading comments will try olive oil next time instead. Although I think I ruined it before I even got to the butter since I couldn’t get it to slack.
Thanks for any feedback, I’m confident that I can figure this out seeing as how many successful comments there are. Looking forward to enjoying these. And thank you for the recipe and super detailed instructions!
Please h most definitely you’ll have to add more water if you live in Alaska. The high altitude requires more water.
You’re not saying how long you mixed it. Use my times in the recipe for each stage as a guideline. I say this as my mixer may have a more powerful motor than yours so it may only take 8 minutes in mine where yours may take 10.
OH awesome! If you wouldn’t mind, are there any special tips you can share for folks that do want to use a bread machine on this recipe? I don’t use one ever.
Hi Lori,
Great recipe and thank you for spending hours and hours in writing such complete directions, but I was wondering if you might consider adding a video of you shaping the hoagie buns? I’ve almost got it, but wish I could see exactly what you’re doing.
Thanks for all your work and research!
Beth
Hi Beth! That has been the plan and I just got everything set up to do videos but I ended up having emergency hand surgery on Friday. I’m going to try my best to get a video done though.
I’ve not done it for this recipe but I’ve added it to other breads. It’s never added to the first rise as that’s most critical. Even adding something as garlic powder can alter the PH of the dough and how it rises.
Add-ins are to always be added after the first rise and prior to shaping.
Hi! Well these are soft and chewy rolls but you can coat them following the “ Coating your rolls before baking” section and use an egg white.
PLUS, steam is a huge contributor in creating a killer crust on bread. I’ve not used steam in the oven when I make these as hoagie rolls should be soft and tender. It sounds like you’re looking for more of a baguette/Kaiser style roll, no?
This is hands-down the best hoagie roll recipe on the entire internet. In an effort to find the best, I’ve tried many different recipes and this one ALWAYS wins. It’s even saved on my “bookmarks bar” for easy access! Thanks for another great recipe!!
Thank you for this recipe, going to try it today. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it appears you have typos in the beginning of this post, thought you might want to make corrections.
You’re welcome. I run this through a paid grammar and spelling plugin. I actually did it several times until I got all ‘green’. I’ll check it again. If you can cite an example, that would really help!
I couldn’t get the dough to slack, it went directly from mixing in flour to what looked like a firm dough ball with only 3 cups of flour. I’m certain it’s user errors (I tried twice) but was hoping you maybe have tips.
I used brand new dry active yeast that definitely proofed before beginning mixing as well as brand new King Arthur bread flour, 12% protein.
I believe my mistakes were one of two things (or maybe both). 1. I live in Alaska and it’s very dry here, perhaps I should have added more water as I was adding the flour. 2. Have more patience and let it mix longer.
Both of my attempts came to more look more like layered dough rather than one cohesive ball of dough.
I also tried vegan butter but after reading comments will try olive oil next time instead. Although I think I ruined it before I even got to the butter since I couldn’t get it to slack.
Thanks for any feedback, I’m confident that I can figure this out seeing as how many successful comments there are. Looking forward to enjoying these. And thank you for the recipe and super detailed instructions!
Hi Amy!
Please h most definitely you’ll have to add more water if you live in Alaska. The high altitude requires more water.
You’re not saying how long you mixed it. Use my times in the recipe for each stage as a guideline. I say this as my mixer may have a more powerful motor than yours so it may only take 8 minutes in mine where yours may take 10.
But in your case, a bit more water is key.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thanks! I tried again last night and added more water as well as followed your mixing minutes to the t and made successful hoagies!
Thanks!
These were really yummy…..used my bread machine but followed your instructions,topped it with a parsley garlic butter,better than subway
Hi Salina!
OH awesome! If you wouldn’t mind, are there any special tips you can share for folks that do want to use a bread machine on this recipe? I don’t use one ever.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
It does not say how much sugar to put,. I put 1 tablespoon, but could you amend the recipe to say how much, please?
Well that’s odd as I just looked and it’s there. It’s 2 Tablespoon. 1, however, is completely fine.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Does all the dough need to be baked/used at once? Or can one roll be baked at a time and the rest saved in the refrigerator for future days?
No. After your shape your dough you can flash freeze the rolls and then bake them whenever you want.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Hi Lori,
Great recipe and thank you for spending hours and hours in writing such complete directions, but I was wondering if you might consider adding a video of you shaping the hoagie buns? I’ve almost got it, but wish I could see exactly what you’re doing.
Thanks for all your work and research!
Beth
Hi Beth! That has been the plan and I just got everything set up to do videos but I ended up having emergency hand surgery on Friday. I’m going to try my best to get a video done though.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Yippee! And I sure hope your hand will recover well!
Can I make these without a mixer?
Absolutely if you’re well-versed on how to make dough by hand. That’s how I learned. For years I made these by hand.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Love this recipe! Can I us the dough cycle of the bread machine? I am making it today and can’t remember what I did the first time.
★★★★★
Hi Catherine!
I believe others have to make the dough but I’ve not. I’m not a fan of bread machines as I’ve never had success with them.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
What are your thoughts on adding nuts or grains? For example, I like to add flax meal to my bread loaves. Would that work with this recipe?
Thanks in advance
I’ve not done it for this recipe but I’ve added it to other breads. It’s never added to the first rise as that’s most critical. Even adding something as garlic powder can alter the PH of the dough and how it rises.
Add-ins are to always be added after the first rise and prior to shaping.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
How can I make your recipe but make the rolls crispy on the outside
Hi! Well these are soft and chewy rolls but you can coat them following the “ Coating your rolls before baking” section and use an egg white.
PLUS, steam is a huge contributor in creating a killer crust on bread. I’ve not used steam in the oven when I make these as hoagie rolls should be soft and tender. It sounds like you’re looking for more of a baguette/Kaiser style roll, no?
Best Kitchen Wishes!
This is hands-down the best hoagie roll recipe on the entire internet. In an effort to find the best, I’ve tried many different recipes and this one ALWAYS wins. It’s even saved on my “bookmarks bar” for easy access! Thanks for another great recipe!!
★★★★★
Yeah! So happy you loved it Hannah! Thank you so much for the kind words!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thank you for this recipe, going to try it today. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it appears you have typos in the beginning of this post, thought you might want to make corrections.
You’re welcome. I run this through a paid grammar and spelling plugin. I actually did it several times until I got all ‘green’. I’ll check it again. If you can cite an example, that would really help!
Best Kitchen Wishes!