Easy Hoagie Rolls
by Sweet Basil — 71 Comments » 
I’m ready for it. Go ahead and let me have it about how darn long I took to post our easy hoagie rolls recipe. And if you’re new here I’ll let you in on my story. It’s not a very exciting one, but it is the truth.
Years ago I posted our favorite recipe for FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES. It’s a slow cooker recipe with only a few ingredients, all of which are generally on hand anyway, so it makes it easy to bust out a comfort foods dinner without a trip to the grocery store. We even make our own hoagie rolls because it goes so fast it’s easier for me than to remember to run to the store. The only problem is, I didn’t think everyone else would want to make them too, but boy was I wrong!
At first there was a comment saying they would like the recipe and I had stated I would post it, but I forgot and got busy aka side tracked with the gazillion recipes always floating around in my head. And then over the past few months that recipe has gotten really popular and I not only started getting more comments, but emails too! Awwww shoot. I totally had forgotten about posting the recipe. So I put it into my back pocket to do it and then forgot again.
Last week we were eating french dips for dinner when, BAM! I remembered that I was going to photograph them. I had hardly any light left and we were literally eating them so I quickly threw the hoagies on a board, snapped a few shots (you can even see which hoagies I rubbed a little butter on and which I did not. Butter is always best, but Cade and I had decided to forgo it this one time.) and now here we are. You’ll have to forgive the photos and trust me on the method because as you can see they turn out perfect. Even if I hadn’t shaped them beautifully for photos.
- 1¾ Cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 3¾ Cup Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Soft Unsalted Butter, cubed
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the warm water, yeast, sugar, and honey. Allow to foam up for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and using a dough hook mix for 4 minutes on low. Increase the speed to medium and add the salt, mixing for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the softened butter and mix for another minute. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning over to coat, cover with a towel and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours.
- Place a silpat or parchment paper on a baking sheet and shape the dough into 8 hoagies. I like to flatten each piece into a rectangle, pinch the long edge closed and tightly roll it then pinch the seam and ends closed (just like you would roll dough for a log of cinnamon roll dough). Place seam side down and repeat with remaining dough. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rise another 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 and bake for 16 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven when they are lightly golden and feel hard when you tap the crust. Rub with a little butter if desired and allow to cool. The bread is hard upon removal but quickly softens so don't worry that you over baked.
Pot Roast Sandwich with a light gravy.
Carrian Cheney
Lover of all things beautiful, good and delicious. Wife, mother, friend, foodie.
LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I use this recipe now exclusively to make Hogie Buns, Burger Buns, Hot dog Buns and even dinner rolls!! I am considering trying to make white bread with it as well!! I bake a lot (almost daily) my husband LOVES fresh bread but wasn’t wild about white bread of any kind tell I made these as hamburger buns for a BBQ we had with the kids who all raved about the buns so he tried one now he is hooked. As to the issue with the amount of flour if you have never done breads the dough should be tacky but not sticky it needs a very silky sooth soft texture, if its.to wet just sprinkle in more flour a little bit at a time, if it’s to dry do the same with tepid water a Tablespoon at a time.
Thank you so much Sandra!! That means the world to us. And yes, dough is tricky and can be weird to work with if one hasn’t before but you are spot on with your tips.
Thanks!
What type of flour should no use?
I meant should I use….
Hi Felicia, just all purpose flour.
While the recipe appears easy and tasty, I was bombarded with ads and the recipe was confined to only 2/3 of the screen width wise. Sorry. Too much trouble to view and do and I love to bake for my guys.
I’m sorry you had an ad take over. We have guidelines set for ads and that should not have happened.
Put on your AD Blocker this will stop the problem not just here but all web sites
Just made these and they turned out fantastic! I had to add about a cup and a half more of flour, but if you are used to the feel of dough, you will know when you have added enough. I also added less salt. But these hoagie rolls are a winner in our house!
Yes, depending on where you live and how you measure flour it could come out a little different, but it’s an easy dough to make and add flour as needed. 🙂
I know I might sound silly, but..when the recipe says, “warm water”, does it have to be a specified temperature? Thank you!
Hi Christie,
Warm water for yeast is generally around 105-110 degrees, or in other words a warm, not hot, bath temperature.
I’ve looked for months for a good recipe for a (hoagie/bun) dough and I’ve found it!!!
I didn’t have any issue with the dough being too wet as some reviewers mentioned…Other then having to sprinkle in a few tbsps of flour on the initial kneading. Bread is a “living” thing and needs to be nutured based on your environment. When it’s humid, your dough might need more flour. More water if our environment is dry.
These rolls came out soft, and amazing. I am already planning to cut and shape smaller ones for hot dog buns, and round buns for burgers!
To be fair, my only critique is that it was too much salt for us. I will have to cut the salt a bit. That’s a small critique however. I usually bake with kosher salt and had to use regular salt today. We aren’t used to the higher sodium level and could really taste it.
Thank you for the recipe I was searching for! Philly cheese steaks have never taste so good!
Hi Kelly, so glad to hear that you liked them and you’re absolutely right about the bread. Clearly you know yeast well. 🙂 Thanks for the love!
I have tried so many different recipes over the last few years and this is hands down the best for hoagies! Perfectly soft rolls. The family loved them. Thanks so much for this keeper!
Thank you Lisa! That makes us so happy!
Tried the recipe out today, it was great, everybody loved the hoagie rolls. Yes I thought the dough was a bit softer than I thought as well, but I used some samolina both on my hands and on the worktop while shaping the dough and it helped a lot(though I did use quite a bit of samolina for the dough not to get too sticky), it even helped to give the surface of the rolls a sense of crunchiness. Just in case anyone thinks the dough comes out too gooey, this could be a solution.
Making these as I type. The dough did come out gooey after the first rise. Next time I make this, i will put another cup of flour.
Unfortunately, since it was so gooey, I couldnt roll it the way it says on the recipe. Instead, I just laid down parchment paper with flour on it to get a little more control on it. Still pretty stoked to see what happens. Thank you!
Just baked the hoagies using your recipe. As noted in some of the other messages, it was much (much) softer dough than I expected. But luckily I made them before I read the comments and continued with the process. It was much easier to manage after the first rising. They are soft and well cooked inside. Can’t wait to taste test with my son but I think he will love them. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you did too. It’s a soft dough but they totally turn out. 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a few times (along with your French dip) but always have to add an extra 1-2 cups of flour because it’s like cake batter otherwise. Still good! I look forward to trying other recipes from your blog!
Really? How interesting, I’ve never had such a loose dough. We must measure differently. I guess I have a heavy hand haha
This recipe rocks!! It was yummy,, loved the texture and taste of the bread pared it with chicken meatballs in sauce.
New family favorite!!!
🙂 Thanks again
So glad to hear that!!
Wow, I’m not sure what happened but 3.5 cup flour left me with a total goey mess that I tried to save. The tablespoon of salt just made my save not even worth it?any ideas????
Boy, I’m not sure. With the amount of water that the recipe uses there isn’t any way it should be gooey. It’s softer and not a super tough dough but I have yet to have this issue. Is there any possible way an ingredient was not measured correctly? Sorry, I wish I was there to help!
Im having the same problem! I always make breads and rolls so I’m not sure why mine is gooey either. Like theres no way to put it in an oiled bowl lol.
It shouldn’t be smooth like a regular bread dough, however it’s definitely not gooey. It could be that the flour is being measured too lightly. I would add a tablespoon more at a time to bring it together.
Hi
lets look yummy! Do you know the nutrition charts for these? I’m on a low
carb diet! thanks
Hi! Unfortunately that is not an area I’m an expert in so I don’t. I’m sorry. 🙁
carb count? do you know/
HI
JUST A QUICK QUESTION DO YOU KNOW HTE NUTRISIONAL INFORMATION
Is it table salt or kosher?
Hi Jessica, just regular salt. 🙂
Hi,
They came out great! I just had a difficult time visualizing the instructions to make them into the hoagie roll shape Can you provide pics?
Thanks!
I’ll have to do that!
The instructions were clear enough for me…. Just sayin.
🙂
What type of flour do you use for this recipe? Is it Bread flour or all purpose? Also can substitute wheat flour to make them into a wheat hoagie?
We use all purpose and when doing whole wheat we do about 70/30 whole wheat and white flour or they get too heavy. You could even do 50/50
Super excited to try this! Do you have to use instant yeast or would active dry yeast work?
You can use dry active, just male sure you don’t skip the proofing
Hey! I am in culinary school and we have to do cooking exams and your hoagie recipe is one of the very few that I’ve been able to find so far. We only get 2 hours to cook our dish though and I was wondering if you shape them for the first rising and just let them rise once or if it necessary for a double rise? I really don’t want to use another type of bread but will if I have to. Any suggestions? P.S. My exam is October 6th Thank you!!
Oh, I’m so late in seeing this, sorry! I think the double rise is necessary unfortunately. 🙁 We do have a great one hour roll recipe though…http://ohsweetbasil.com/1-hour-rolls.html
This was my first try with hoagie rolls. The dough itself was great, taste and texture…..great. I would like a little more on the how to shape them. I will definitely need a lot of practice. Thanks Basil.
Newbie in training.
Hi,
I tried your recipe last night, and for some reason it came out too salty. =( I’m not sure if I did something wrong but I followed the instructions. Was one tablespoon salt too much for the recipe?
Hi, 1 tablespoon is correct. I’m sorry it came out salty, it definitely shouldn’t have. Try half a tablespoon an dlet me know how it goes. 🙂
I will try that and let you know, thank you!
You must follow a fairly low-salt diet (Good on ya…) if you found this bread too salty. I routinely add a teaspoon of salt to most bread dough recipes to get the flavor up.
What temperature is the butter when you add it to the dough?
Thanks
Thanks for double checking. Room temperature 🙂
Feel like you should actually mention that somewhere in the recipe.
It isn’t necessary, but I often use room temperature because I’m in the habit from another bread recipe, that’s why the recipe did not state it. In fact, you get a slightly chewier crust without room temperature but that’s also trickier for those who do not often make bread. 😉
it says the butter should be soft…
My homemade hoagie rolls always come out to dense no matter what recipe i use,why is this????
Hi Natalie, it could be the recipe, over flouring or kneading time. It’s hard to tell without seeing the recipe and watching you make them. This recipe is light every time and I tried to make it quite exact so give it a go
WOWWW!!! Made these last night and they are FANTASTIC! I’ve tried a few of these recipes (grinder, subs, hoagies, torpedoes) and to date this is by far the best. They toasted up nicely and held the fillings. They are soft and buttery and just delicious.
I did make my dough in my bread machine so I had to tweak the recipe just a bit. It was a little too wet so I ended up adding more flour and a touch more salt. I also proofed them with steaming hot water in my oven. They came out great. Highly recommend this recipe.
One last note….I recommend staying away from the recipes that claim to be Subway Copycats and try this one.
Thank you so much for the kind words Gillian! I’ve never used a bread machine, but I’m always a little tempted to get one.
I literally have been dying for a simple hoagie recipe and you did it! Bookmarked!
yay!! We love this one!
I need to go make these rolls right now!
Hope you do! Nothing better than fresh bread!
I’m also not understanding the directions on pinching and rolling the rolls.
Just press the dough into 8 rectangles, fold a small piece of the dough over on the long end and pinch it to the dough. Continue to roll like you would cinnamon rolls and pinch the ends shut. 🙂
Thanks! I see it now. Looking forward to making these!
Love the recipe but before I get started just making sure it’s 1 TABLESPOON of salt not teaspoon? Also if you don’t mind what do you mean when you say “pinch the long edge closed”
Yup, 1 tablespoon! And picture cinnamon roll dough, you fold over a piece of dough, press it into the dough that’s flat and then continue to tightly roll. 🙂
Thank you for the visual explanation, sometimes I’m dense when there’s no visual attached.
I totally understand. I wish I had been able to shoot a step by step that day.
My hubby was JUST saying how he really wants french dips for dinner sometime and then, BOOM, you post this. It’s like you KNEW! These look perfect girl! Pinned!
Meant. To. Be.