Grinder, Hoagie & Philly Cheesesteak Rolls

By Addie

MY NOTES – I made 4 10-inch hoagie rolls. I spritzed them with water and baked them at 410 degrees, spritzing several more times, for 15-20 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they didn’t over-brown.

Ingredients

• 1-1/8 cup water (about 70 degrees F)
• 1-5/8 tsp Salt
• 3-3/8 tsp Sugar
• 1-2/3 Tbl Olive Oil
• 16 oz Strong Bread Flour or Hi-Gluten Flour
• 2-1/2 tsp Yeast

Preparation

Step 1

Mix the ingredients until smooth and well-blended. Scale the dough into 3.5 oz balls. I usually get about 7 balls from a batch this size. Allow them to rest for 20-30 minutes then roll them into a thin sheet about 1/4 inch thick. Roll each sheet (jelly roll fashion) to form long slender loaves. Place loaves onto a baking sheet with the seam side down. Keep them 2 inches apart so they do not touch during the next rise.

Place the tray of formed loaves in a warm oven (ideal is 100 degrees with 75% humidity). I usually place a bowl of water in the lower oven to keep things humid. Allow the loaves to rise for 45 to 60 minutes.

Once risen, use a razor to make a 1/4 inch deep slit on the top of the loaves and mist them lightly with water. Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees or until they turn brown.

Remove them from the oven and cool them on wire screens or racks. The rolls last only a day or two before becoming stale. They are great for Italian hoagies or Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches.
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COMMENTS:

I have tried this a couple times, most recently with King Arthur flour. Based on previous tries, I too found 450 a little high as I was looking for the softer Philly style roll – I used 425. The recipe also produced undersize rolls (versus a full 12? long roll typical in Philly), so if you’re looking for bigger, longer rolls you might want to double the recipe to get 4 rolls….Overall, a great recipe for those of us out here in San Fran who can’t get hoagie rolls, and have to make our own.

I agree - 450 degree oven is too hot. I tried 425, and tops were quite dark. Will adjust time/temp further the next time I make them.

Dividing dough into 7 balls leads to very petite hoagie rolls. That’s fine by me, since I’m keeping an eye on portion control.

I’m making these right now and they are almost done with the second rising (about 60 min). They doubled in size since rolling them out, but I’m not confident they will be anywhere near big enough once baked. Let’s hope they grow during baking.