Description
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 min + 1 hr 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 (10 min + 45 min 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. They should be almost doubled in size.
- About 10 minutes before the rolls are done proving, preheat the oven to 425 F.
Baking (15 min + 15 min 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 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.
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: how to shape hoagie rolls, soft hoagie rolls