Have you ever eaten sandwiches on hoagie rolls? The first time our family enjoyed these soft buns was a few years ago when my youngest sister, Alex, was in preschool. At the time, we were studying a new letter of the alphabet each week, and we liked to eat foods that started with that letter. For letter “H,” we ate hoagie sandwiches at dinner one night. They were stuffed with meat and cheese and drizzled with olive oil. 😋 They were so good, that my younger sister Beth and I still remember eating them!
Whether you’re making your own hoagie sandwiches at home, or just want some fresh homemade buns, this recipe is a great one to use. It’s fairly quick to make, although the proving times will vary depending upon the room temperature. It takes just a few ingredients and only 50 minutes of prep time. Your house will smell awesome with these buns baking in your oven!
These hoagie rolls are just the right diameter for making dainty slices of buttery garlic toast. It’s one of our family’s favorite sides to serve with a plate of lasagna roll ups and Caesar salad. You can’t go wrong with fresh bread! 🥖
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Easy Homemade Hoagie Rolls
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Prep Time: 50 minutes -
Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
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Yield: 6 large rolls
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Pin RecipeDescription
Easy homemade hoagie rolls are a soft, chewy white bread made by hand that’s perfect for Italian hoagie sandwiches! You’ll love making this recipe for parties and family dinners.
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups bread flour (500g)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons fast-action yeast (10g)
- 2 teaspoons salt (10g)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (12g)
- 2 tablespoons lard, melted (27g)
- 1 1/2-1 2/3 cups warm water (350-400 ml)
- Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Instructions
Making the Dough (25 minutes + 1 hour proving)
- Melt the lard in the microwave or in a small saucepan. Heat the water to 110-115 F.
- Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir in each one with your hand, then mix in the sugar.
- Dump in the melted lard and half of the water. Mix by hand, 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.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead vigorously for 8-10 minutes, 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 the Rolls (10 minutes + 45 minutes proving)
- Dust a large, rimmed cookie sheet with cornmeal or semolina flour.
- 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. Roll each piece into a log about 6-8 inches long and place them about an inch apart on the prepared tray.
- Place the tray inside a large, clean garbage bag. Inflate the bag and tuck the ends under the tray to seal. Let the dough prove for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough springs back quickly when gently prodded with a fingertip. The rolls should be almost doubled in size.
- About 10 minutes before the rolls are done proving, preheat the oven to 425 F.
Baking the Rolls (15 minutes baking + 15 minutes cooling)
- Once the oven has preheated, cut a lengthwise slit in each roll about 1/4 inch deep using a bread baker’s lame or a very sharp serrated knife.
- Immediately put the tray of rolls 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 the rolls cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- You can use butter instead of lard if you don’t have any lard on hand. Using lard will give you a slightly different texture and flavor than if you use butter.
- Store leftover hoagie rolls in an airtight container on the countertop. For longer storage, freeze the rolls in a zip-top freezer bag.