Homemade Hoagie Rolls

5 from 3 votes

You only need 7 ingredients to make these homemade Hoagie Rolls. With thin, even, golden-brown crust and a soft, pillowy interior, these hoagie rolls are perfect for your next favorite filled sandwiches. Check the FAQs above for gluten-free and whole wheat option and refer to the recipe notes for freezing and make-ahead instructions.

Course rolls

Keyword 10 inch hoagie roll, best hoagie roll recipe, Hoagie roll, hoagie roll recipe, hoagie rolls, hoagie rolls recipe, homemade hoagie rolls

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Rise Time 1 30

Total Time 2 20

Servings 4 rolls

Calories 395kcal

Author Hafedh Garfa

Ingredients

⅔ cup (160 ml) water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
3 tablespoons (45ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
2 and ¼ teaspoons (7grams) active or instant yeast (1 standard packet)
2 cup and ¼ cup (390grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil
Topping: 2 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons coarse corn meal or coarse semolina flour

Instructions

Make the dough: Whisk the warm water, milk and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast activate and the mixture becomes foamy. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together by hand, or with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
Add the flour, sugar, and salt. With a dough hook, mix the ingredients on low speed for 3- minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula until the flour is well incorporated and all ingredients are combined. If the dough seems too dry, add a tablespoon of water, if it seems too wet, add a tablespoon of flour, until the dough sticks to the dough hook.
Knead the dough: Set the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough for 4 minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 4 minutes, until it starts to become smooth and the gluten network begins to form. Gradually add the olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, and continue to knead the dough for another 4 minutes. If you are working the dough with a mixer, you may notice that the dough has dropped to the bottom of the bowl. Do not add more flour, as you do not want dry dough. Just continue kneading and use a spatula to help incorporate the olive oil completely. After kneading, the dough should be smooth, similar to the photos above. You can do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: pinch off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it out. If it stretches thin enough to let light through without tearing, the gluten is well developed and the dough is ready to rise. You can also poke the dough with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is done. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
1st Rise: Flour or grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise for 60-90 minutes at room temperature or until doubled in size. You can see the temperature of my house when I prepared this recipe in the note below. If it is more cold at your home, place the bowl in a relatively warm environment for 90-120 minutes or until it doubles in size.
Line a baguette pan or a half baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease it with oil or nonstick spray. Set it aside.
Shape the rolls: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, each weighs about 160 grams. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. (A bench scraper is always helpful for cutting and shaping the dough into balls.) Arrange on your work surface and cover for 10 minutes to make it easier to roll out.
Take one ball at a time and keep the rest covered. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough ball into a large rectangle, about 6x10 inches, it will probably be rounded on the edges. There is no need to dust the dough ball with flour at this step if you have kneaded the dough correctly. If your rolled dough seams stick to the work surface, that's OK! Just lightly flour it! Roll it up into a 6 inch log and press the seams together to close them. Gently roll the shaped roll outward to stretch it from the center toward the edges, so that it reaches a length of 10 inches. (Refer to the photo above for a step-by-step guide on how to shape it) Place the Hoagie roll in the prepared baguette pan. Repeat the process with the remaining rolls.
2nd Rise: Cover shaped Hoagie rolls with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise for 45 minutes or until puffy. To check if your dough has risen properly: Gently and quickly press your finger into the side of the dough about 1/2 inch (1 cm) deep, then immediately pull your finger away. If the dough slowly fills back, the dough is ready to bake.
Place a small baking sheet or oven safe pan at the bottom of the oven. Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). (It is always best to bake yeast breads in the bottom of the oven so that the top does not burn.)
Wash & score: Brush the tops of the rolls with 2 tablespoons of milk using a pastry brush. Use a bread lame, razor, or sharp knife and score the hoagie rolls with one long slash at a 45 degree angle. Sprinkle the rolls with coarse corn meal or coarse semolina flour.
Bake: Place the baguette pan on the oven rack and quickly pour 1 cup of hot water or throw a couple ice cubes into the hot baking sheet to create steam. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, turning the baguette pan halfway through. If the top browns too quickly, cover the rolls with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack for a 1-2 hours before serving, or store it in an airtight container.

Notes

The temperature when I made this recipe: 82 Fahrenheit (28 Celsius).

Overnight Instructions: Follow the recipe through step 3, then place the dough in a bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) for up to 16 hours. When you are ready to use the next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before you want it. Continue with the division and shaping step. Alternatively, you can shape the hoagie rolls before the 2nd rise time, then cover the shaped rolls tightly and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) for up to 16 hours, but note that this option may require more refrigerator space.

Freezing Instructions: Follow the recipe through step 3, then place the dough in vacuum-sealed bags and freeze at 0°F (-18°C) for up to 4 weeks. On the day you need the dough, remove it from the freezer, let it thaw for at least 2-3 hours, then let it rise for about an hour before shaping.

Baguette Pan: I prefer to bake these rolls in a baguette pan because I find that the bottom bakes more evenly than in a regular baking half-sheet.

Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. However, you can use bread flour as a substitute, but it will produce chewier Hoagie rolls. Either type can be substituted without changing the recipe if you use one of them.