Best Super Soft and Chewy Hoagie Rolls

The BEST soft and chewy bread roll for hoagies/submarines/grinders. Pillowy soft rolls that are begging to be filled with deliciousness!

This is a VERY detailed post with a ton of tips, techniques, and tutorials. I strongly advise you to read the post BEFORE you make the rolls. Yes, it’s a VERY easy recipe, but I tried to address many of your FAQs. For ease of reading, I’ve sectioned it as follows:

• Can I use All-Purpose Flour?
• Using Active Dry Yeast
• Using Instant Yeast
• Slack Dough
• How To Shape Hoagie Buns
• Coating Hoagie Rolls
• Chef’s Tips & FAQs
• Freezing Pre and Post-Baking Hoagie Rolls
• Cold-Fermenting Dough (overnight rise)
• How to Substitute Sourdough Starter

Depending on where you are in the country or world, these things go by different 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.

• 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

If bread flour is hard to find, grab some Vital Wheat Gluten and make your bread flour using your AP Flour.

I have the formula on my blog. Check out this post on how to make your own bread flour.

Working with yeast – no fears, you got this!

One of the comments I get most often when I ask why folks don’t make homemade bread at home is that they are afraid of it. They are either afraid to work with yeast or unsure about the techniques. That’s where I’m here to help.

Baking bread, rolls, and dough is something I honestly find truly cathartic. It’s relaxing to use the stand mixer or to knead the dough by hand. It’s pretty foolproof because I use only Red Star Yeasts (99.9% of the time it’s their Platinum).

• 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, use very warm liquids (120-130°F). Don’t 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. 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, then 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

How to make a Hoagie Roll

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 every ingredient matters. Plus, we need to discuss how humidity affects how much water you add.

Active Dry yeast

1. Proof the Yeast: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the active dry yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of warm water. Whisk together, then set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until the yeast becomes foamy and visibly bubbly.
2. Initial Mix: Attach the dough hook to your mixer. To the bowl with the proofed yeast, add 2 cups of flour and the remaining 1 cup of warm water. Mix on low for 4 minutes.
3. Knead & Adjust: Add the salt and the remaining flour (1 cup at a time). Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough becomes slack (see note).
4. Hydration Check (If Needed): If the dough isn’t slack after 5 to 6 minutes, add additional warm water 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 1/4 cup extra, for a total of 1 1/2 cups water). Note: The exact amount of extra water needed depends on your room’s humidity.

Instant yeast

1. Initial Mix: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add 2 cups of flour, the water, sugar, and instant yeast. Mix on low for 4 minutes.
2. Knead & Adjust: Add the salt and the remaining flour (1 cup at a time). Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough becomes slack (see note).
3. Hydration Check (If Needed): If the dough isn’t slack after 5 to 6 minutes, add additional warm water 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 1/4 cup extra, for a total of 1 1/2 cups water). Note: The exact amount of extra water needed depends on your room’s humidity.

Now, depending on the kitchen temperature or humidity, you can add anywhere from 3 1/2 to 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”

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 that if your area is hot & humid, then reduce the liquid by 10%. Now, back to making the dough.

Add The Butter

1. Once you’ve added all the flour and the dough is slack, add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Like the flour, add it slowly, allowing it to incorporate into the dough. Don’t panic if it doesn’t go in all at once or the dough looks like it’s breaking down. Just be patient; it’ll come back together. Patience – that’s the key.

Cold Butter or Softened Butter?

I was raised using cold butter in this recipe, though you may use room temperature or equal amounts of olive oil. When you use cold butter, even though you ‘meld it into the flour,’ you help with gluten formation and dough structure. I’ve made it with room-temperature butter, and it works just as well. You can use either, folks.

1. Once it’s mostly in, turn the mixer to medium and mix until the dough pulls completely away from the sides and is smooth and shiny.
2. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly sprayed bowl.
3. Cover with plastic wrap or use what I use – disposable clear plastic shower caps. They have a stretchy band that snaps around the bowl and stays inflated, letting the dough proof without sticking.
4. Once it’s doubled in size, it’s time to shape the hoagie rolls.

How to shape Hoagie Buns

1. Punch the dough down and place it 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.
2. Divide into 4-8 pieces and shape. *See below for how to shape!
3. 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 dough was left to rise too long. It will almost “super balloon” in size. You’ll know you’ve overproofed dough if, when you poke it for 2 seconds, you remove your finger and it doesn’t spring 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 (press down firmly to release the gas), then reshape it. 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 a fairly standard time, but you need to use your judgment in the kitchen.

Chef’s Tips on shaping hoagie rolls

Shaping does take practice, but that’s the fun of baking, right?!

1. Flatten the Dough: After dividing your dough into pieces (4 to 8, depending on desired size), gently pat each piece into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle.
2. First Envelope Fold: Fold the bottom third of the dough up to the center. Then, fold the top quarter down toward the center (like an envelope) and press gently to seal.
3. Second Envelope Fold: Rotate the dough 180° (so the seam faces away from you) and repeat the exact same folding process. Use your hands to seal the seams tightly as you fold; this creates the essential internal structure for a fluffy roll!
4. Seal and Roll: Your dough will now resemble a thick log. Cup your hand over the center and gently roll it back and forth to reinforce the seal, building out the full length. If needed, pinch any open seams closed with your fingers.
5. Gently Stretch: Lightly grab both ends of the log and pull outward just an inch or two to reach your desired hoagie length.
6. Shape the Ends: Cup a hand over each end of the roll and gently move them in opposite, back-and-forth directions to round out the tips, then tuck the excess dough slightly underneath.

Adding Slashes/Slits

While not completely necessary, you can add slashes/slits to the rolls before they bake to give them a prettier look. Cutting them adds no taste value; it just makes them look nicer. 

However, it does help with the texture. Have you ever made or bought bread with a huge bubble or a blowout? The bread “ruptures,” in a sense. By scoring the bread, you can control where gas escapes without ruining its appearance.

Can I use a sharp knife instead?

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 don’t have to coat these if you don’t 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.

For these rolls, the coating you use will determine the 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

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 slicing into these hoagie rolls. If you don’t, you risk tearing the bread (even with the best bread knives) because it’s simply too hot and too soft inside.

Trust me on this; it’s worth the wait!

I would HIGHLY recommend using a quality bread knife to slice these, as the rolls are soft and chewy, and nothing is worse than cutting into them with a crappy knife! You’ll love this knife! Sani-Safe S162-8SC-PCP 8″ Scalloped Bread Knife with Polypropylene Handle Pan is a great knife that’s affordable!

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, meatballs, 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 storing overnight, put them in a paper bag OR wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a plastic bag. Air is your enemy here.

Post-baking

• I prefer to freeze these after baking. Wrap each cooled loaf in plastic wrap twice, then place it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

Pre-baking

1. If you do this, add a little more yeast (about a teaspoon more) to the recipe. This ensures the post-freeze rise gives you a stunning result.
2. Let the dough proof, then shape it on a parchment-lined pan.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Place the thawed dough in a greased bread pan, cover it, and let it rise in a warm, dry place. Bake the bread as directed below.

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 substitute 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.

1. Use only 3/4 cup of whole wheat for every 1 cup of flour you substitute. AND,
2. I’ve used all-whole wheat and don’t quite love the flavor. I currently recommend substituting 50% whole wheat for the rest of the flour (again, using the measurements in step 1). AND,
3. You’ll need to add another 2 Tablespoons of water for every 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour added.
4. And don’t forget to factor in humidity, too.

I haven’t had an OMG YUM moment 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 thick in general (at least in my experience).

I’m still working on it, but I’m confident I can nail it and achieve the results I want and love.

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