Hoagie Rolls

Why this recipe works Sandwich lovers get into battles over the name of the long white rolls that are stuffed with meats, cheeses, and relishes at corner delis. Whether you call them hoagie, hero, grinder, or submarine rolls, they make for one delicious sandwich bread. We wanted to create a version big enough to hold tons of hearty fillings and soft enough to sink our teeth into. Nailing down the dough was simple: The formula for our Kaiser Rolls delivered the desirable chew, tenderness, and hint of richness that are appropriate for hoagie rolls. With the dough ready, we needed to find a way to shape it into evenly sized buns. To create smooth, uniform long rolls, we treated each portion as a small baguette and used a baguette shaping technique that included folding the dough multiple times before forming it into a taut roll. This ensured a roll with no visible seams and a consistent shape. Scoring the rolls ¼ inch deep allowed them to expand evenly while baking and created an attractive appearance.

MAKES: 8 rolls

RISING TIME: 1½ to 2½ hours

BAKING TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 3¼ to 4¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling time

KEY EQUIPMENT: 2 rimmed baking sheets

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 cups (27½ ounces) bread flour
• 4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups (16 ounces) water, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 4 teaspoons sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt. In a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together water, oil, egg, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Using the dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add the water mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until a cohesive dough starts to form and there are no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, and clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly greased large bowl or container. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size, for 1 to 1½ hours.
4. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Press down on the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a clean counter and divide it into quarters. Cut each quarter into halves, resulting in approximately 5½-ounce pieces. Cover the pieces loosely with greased plastic.
5. Working with one piece of dough at a time (keeping the remaining pieces covered), press it into a 4-inch square.
6. Fold the upper quarter of the dough toward the center and press gently to seal. Rotate the dough 180 degrees and repeat the folding step to form a 5 by 3-inch rectangle.
7. Fold the dough in half toward you, using your thumb of one hand to create a crease along the center of the dough. Seal the crease with the heel of your other hand as you work your way along the roll.
8. Cup your hand over the center of the dough and, without pressing down, roll the dough back and forth to reinforce the seal.
9. Stretch and roll the dough into an 8-inch cylinder. Moving your hands in opposite directions, use a back and forth motion to roll the ends of the cylinder under your palms to form rounded points.
10. Arrange the rolls seam side down on the prepared sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart. Cover them loosely with greased plastic and let them rise until nearly doubled in size and the dough springs back minimally when gently poked with your knuckle, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
11. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a sharp paring knife or single-edge razor blade, make one ¼-inch-deep slash with a swift, fluid motion lengthwise along the top of each roll, starting and stopping about ½ inch from the ends.
12. Bake the rolls until golden brown, for 30 to 35 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Transfer the rolls to wire racks and let them cool completely, about 1 hour, before serving.