Hoagie rolls are a delightfully crusty bread roll that makes an epic sandwich. You'll love the soft, springy texture this bread has under its chewy crust!
If you love bread recipes, you'll definitely want to try these ciabatta rolls and Waterford blaas. They both make fantastic sandwiches!
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Ingredients
You don't need any fancy ingredients to make hoagie rolls! Let's talk about the key ingredients before we get started.
- Bread Flour: This really is a key ingredient. The higher protein content in bread flour creates more gluten, making the rolls rise higher and have a softer, fluffier texture inside.
- Yeast: I like to use fast-action (aka instant) yeast, as it enables me to skip the 10-minutes proofing in warm water and sugar that active dry requires. Feel free to use either kind if you prefer.
- Lard: Many recipes like to use butter or oil in hoagie rolls, but I find that lard gives the bread a uniquely soft texture that butter or oil can't. Swap this with vegetable shortening if you're vegan/vegetarian.
How to Make
- Mix the flour, salt, and yeast.
- Add the wet ingredients and stir to form a dough.
3. Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test (see recipe card for details).
4. Prove until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Punch down, divide into 6 pieces, and roll each piece into a sausage shape.
6. Prove on a cookie sheet until the rolls are springy to the touch, about 45 minutes. Cut a slash on top of each one with a razor blade (baker's lame) or sharp serrated knife.
7. Bake at 400°F until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
8. Let the hoagie rolls cool completely, about 30 minutes, then slice and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
A hoagie is a mini bread loaf used to make sandwiches with meats, cheeses, and spices, and is especially popular in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Depending upon where you are in New England, this sandwich or roll may be called a hoagie, hero, sub, grinder, spuckie, or wedge.
Hoagie rolls are made from a basic bread dough that consists of flour, salt, yeast, sugar, water, and fat. The sandwich is typically filled with a variety of cold cuts, cheeses, peppers, onions, herbs, and condiments, such as oil and vinegar.
The main difference is simply the name; "sub" and "hoagie" are both regional names for a long sandwich. However, the bread rolls for subs are softer and typically are cut all the way through, while hoagie rolls have a harder crust and aren't cut all the way through.
There are several possible explanations for the name "hoagie." It likely came from the "Hog Island sandwiches" eaten by dock workers near Philadelphia. Other etymologies say it may be named after famous American songwriter Hoagy Carmichael, or after street peddlers called hokey-pokey men who sold these types of sandwiches. It may even be a mispronunciation of the term "hokie" sandwiches.
Store
Leftovers: Eat on the same day of baking for the best freshness. Do not refrigerate the rolls, as they will quickly go stale; freeze them instead for longer storage.
Freeze: Seal the rolls in a zip-top plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
Serve
These hoagie rolls are traditionally made into sandwiches. Although there are many variations on the filling, try a traditional one by layering sliced Italian deli meats (such as soppressata, capicola, mortadella) with sliced cheese and peppers. Sprinkle with Italian spices such as basil and oregano, salt and pepper, and oil and vinegar.
Make sure the cheese touches the bread on both top and bottom to prevent the bread from getting soggy.
Expert Tips
- Use bread flour. This ensures a high-rising, chewy result.
- Don't have lard? Substitute with an equal volume of butter. Just realize that lard produces a better texture.
- Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test, as described in the recipe card below.
- Don't make the rolls huge, because they'll roughly double in size as they rise and bake.
- Slow rising dough? Place in a cold oven and put a pan of boiling water on the shelf underneath.
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Recipe
Hoagie Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups bread flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons fast-action yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lard, melted
- 1 ½-1 ⅔ cups warm water
- Cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Melt the lard in the microwave or in a small saucepan. Heat the water to 110-115°F.
- Pour the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir in each one with your hand, then add the sugar and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until blended.
- Dump in the melted lard and half of the water. Mix on low speed, gradually drizzling in more water until all the flour is picked up from the bowl and a smooth, slightly sticky dough has formed. You may not need all of the water.
- Switch attachments to the dough hook and knead the dough on speed 2 for 5-8 minutes (or about 10-15 minutes by hand), until the dough passes the windowpane test. Test the dough by grasping a lump of dough between the thumb and forefinger of each hand and stretching it. If it stretches until it's translucent, the dough is well kneaded; if not, knead for a minute longer and check again.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough prove until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Shaping
- Generously dust a large, rimmed cookie sheet with cornmeal.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down all over to knock out the excess gases. Divide the dough into six equal pieces, using a kitchen scale for accuracy.
- Tightly roll each piece into a log about 6-8 inches long and place on the prepared tray.
- Cover the tray with plastic wrap and let the rolls prove for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough springs back quickly when gently prodded with a fingertip. They should be almost doubled in size.
- About 30 minutes before the rolls are done proving, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Baking
- Once the oven has preheated, cut a lengthwise slit in each roll about ¼ inch deep using a bread baker's lame or a very sharp serrated knife.
- Immediately put the tray in the oven and bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes, until the rolls are a rich golden brown and have an internal temperature of at least 190°F.
- Let them cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Use bread flour, not all-purpose. AP lacks the protein content necessary to build a strong gluten structure.
- No lard in the pantry? Use an equal volume of butter instead, but realize that lard will give you a slightly different texture and flavor than if you use butter.
- Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test, as described above. This ensures a good texture, high rise, and chewiness.
- Slow rising dough? Place in a cold oven and put a pan of boiling water on the shelf underneath.
- Store leftovers in a plastic bag at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze the rolls in a zip-top freezer bag.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on February 14, 2018 and was republished on April 29, 2022 with updated photos and refreshed content.
Beth
These hoagie rolls are excellent with butter or for sandwiches. I love these rolls! It was fun learning some history behind the rolls, too.
Emma
I'm glad you enjoyed learning about the history behind the hoagie rolls, and that you like how they turned out!