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These easy homemade hoagie rolls are soft, chewy, and sturdy enough to hold all your favorite sandwich fillings — yet simple enough for even beginner bakers. With just a handful of pantry staples and straightforward steps, you can skip the store-bought rolls and bake bakery-style hoagies right at home.
Made with just 9 simple ingredients, these easy Hoagie Rolls are the perfect base for French dip sandwiches, meatball sliders, pesto meatball sandwich and more!
Why Make Fresh Hoagie Rolls?
BECAUSE YOU WILL BE A HERO.
We 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!
We received a comment on our french dip sandwiches post saying they would like the recipe for the hoagies 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 that recipe has gotten really popular and I not only started getting more comments, but emails too!
One night, we were eating french dip 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 and now here we are.
What’s Needed for Hoagie Rolls?
To make this hoagie bread recipe, you need 9 simple ingredients:
- Warm Water: Activates the yeast and hydrates the flour, helping the dough come together smoothly.
- Instant Yeast: Leavens the dough, allowing the rolls to rise and develop a light, airy texture.
- Granulated Sugar: Feeds the yeast to encourage rising and adds a subtle sweetness to the rolls.
- Honey: Enhances flavor, adds gentle sweetness, and helps create a softer crumb and lightly golden crust.
- Flour: Provides structure and strength while keeping the rolls soft and tender.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavor while strengthening the dough’s structure.
- Butter: Adds richness and tenderness, creating soft, fluffy hoagie rolls.
- Egg: Used for brushing the rolls before baking to promote a shiny, golden finish.
- Milk: Combined with the egg white to thin the wash and help create an evenly browned crust.
The measurements for all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Make Hoagie Buns
This sub roll recipe is incredibly easy, but it does require some patience as the dough goes through two separate rises.
- Make the Dough: Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, make the dough (**see section below for tips on making the dough).
- First Rise: Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled.
- Shape the Dough: Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and shape the dough into 4-8 hoagies.
- Second Rise: Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rise another 1 to 2 hours.
- Slash: Slash the top of each roll with a really sharp knife or blade and brush with egg and milk mixture.
- Bake: Bake until golden and sound hard when you gently tap the outside. Brush with butter.
The complete instructions are listed in the recipe card. You can also print or save the recipe there.
Tips for Finishing Hoagie Rolls
- I highly recommend brushing the hoagie bread with butter before serving it.
- If you like a little crunch and an added flavor, sprinkle some sesame seeds on the top right after brushing with butter.
- The bread is hard upon removal but quickly softens, so don’t worry that you over baked.
- Let the sub rolls cool for 15 or so minutes before cutting them.
Hoagie Roll FAQs
A hoagie roll is a type of long flat roll used to prepare hoagie sandwiches. A Hoagie is the same thing as a Sub sandwich, hero sandwich, or grinder.
There is no difference. They are the same thing, but they just are called a variety of names depending on where you are from.
In all my research, it’s a little hard to say where the word “hoagie” comes from. There’s a consensus that it comes from the Philadelphia area in the mid 1900s, but where it exactly originates is debatable.
Wrap the rolls well, or place in a zip lock bag. Hoagie rolls will keep for 5-7 days at room temperature.
Yes! To freeze hoagie rolls and buns, place them inside a freezer bag and seal tightly. Hoagie rolls will keep 3 months in the freezer.
Tips for Making the Dough
- Since posting this recipe, we have received several comments about the recipe being wrong, the dough is too wet, the ratios are off, etc. I started to wonder if somehow the recipe had been changed without my knowing it. So I made the recipe again exactly how it is written, and they came out perfectly!
- In fact, they were so good, I re-photographed them and those pictures are the ones you see now.
- The dough will seem a little wet and shaggy at first (known as slack dough which is like a blog and will not hold a shape), but you just have to keep mixing it. As you work the gluten, the dough become so smooth and silky. Patience is key and trust the process!
Homemade hoagie rolls might sound intimidating, but this easy recipe proves just how achievable they really are. Soft, chewy, and incredibly versatile, and homemade is always better. Make a batch for dinner, freeze extras for later, and enjoy fresh, bakery-quality bread whenever you need it.
More Easy Bread Recipes to Try:
- No-Knead Artisan Bread
- French Bread
- Herbed Focaccia Bread
- Classic Potato Rolls
- Homemade Naan
- 7 Up Biscuits
- All of our bread recipes!
Watch How Each Step of This Recipe Should Look…
Easy Hoagie Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups Warm Water
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 3 ¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cubed
- 1 Egg White
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the warm water, yeast, sugar, and honey.1 ½ Cups Warm Water, 1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast, 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar, 1 Tablespoon 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.3 ¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- Increase the speed to medium and add the salt, mixing for another 3 minutes.1 Tablespoon Salt
- Finally, add the cold butter, one tablespoon at a time and mix for another minute or two after each addition. Continue to mix until no pieces of butter remain. This is going to be odd to see that butter slapping around in there, but trust me, as you mix, the dough will firm up and be silky and all butter will be incorporated.3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled (olive oil or vegetable oil is great) 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 4-8 hoagies depending on size preference. I like to flatten each piece into a rectangle, fold one end up like an envelope, turn 180 degrees and fold up the other end over the first. Repeat until you've formed a hoagie and pinch shut the seam and end seams.
- Place seam side down and repeat with remaining dough.
- Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rise another 1 to 2 hours.
- Whisk together the egg white and milk. Using a razor blade, make a slit down the top of each roll. Brush each top with the egg mixture.1 Egg White, 1 Tablespoon Milk
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF, place the hoagie rolls on the baking pan 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.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe, rolls were so delish. Super easy to follow !
Thank you so much!
hi!!! going to make for tonight with philly venison ground meat sandwiches!!
you mention butter…should it be room temp butter or straight out of the fridge butter? ty 🙂
Hey Sonny! The butter should be cold when you add it to the dough. It will warm up and mix in as it blends into the dough. Enjoy!!
These were so great! I absolutely love the silky soft feel of this dough. I also love that you have the ingredients listed with the instructions, its so handy!
Thank you so much Amanda!
Thank you for putting the measurements with each direction. I hate scrolling up and down constantly to read the measurements.
❤️
You’re welcome Patty! It’s a new feature we are adding to all our recipe cards. I agree…total game changer!!
My dough never firmed up like yours. I beat it for 15 minutes. I am at 2600 ft above sea level. I don’t know if that’s why. I suspect not.
Hi Krisstina! Hmmmm, I’m not sure. The elevation shouldn’t make that much of a difference. It comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl before the first rise.
Mine was very sticky too. Almost like a thick brownie batter. I did my best to form them and baked as directed. They turned out good just very misshapen.
Hi Misty! It sounds like something either wasn’t measured correctly or you didn’t mix it long enough in the mixer. It is very sticky at first, but the more you mix/knead it, it will become very silky and smooth.
These easy hoagie rolls sound really good. Do you have the nutrition values on these. I’m trying to watch my carbs and was wondering how many calories and carbs in each roll.
Hi Suzy! The nutritional info is in the recipe card at the end of the post. It looks like 1 roll is about 49 carbs.
Not gonna lie I was super anxious about the dough at first. I had read the entire recipe and watched the video. It just seems like it’s not going to come together. I used bread flour and had to add a bit more flour and extra oil to the bowl when I let it do the first rise. It took me about 38mins to bake cause I split them into 4 loaves. Turned out fantastic! My husband said it’s definitely a keeper. Been craving jimmy johns a lot lately but since I’m pregnant I’ve been too nervous to trust any restaurants with lunch meat. (I did heat the lunch meat over 165) I will be using this recipe again!
Yay!! So happy to hear this Kris! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment!
Hello,
How do you activate Active Dry Yeast for this recipe?
Many thanks!!
Andrea 🙂
Hi Andrea! Just be sure to let the yeast sit with the water, sugar and honey long enough that it starts getting foamy. Enjoy!
If you test a little bit or recently used it and know it’s good, proofing is an optional step, and you can use it the same as instant dry yeast. I’ve been doing it with ADY in my Brötchen regularly to not have to buy more IDY.
Thanks for the feedback Tony!
I have just baked my second batch of these rolls. I love the flavor but oh this soft sticky dough is so hard to work with. Could you please tell me what brand of flour you are using? I am using KA unbleached flour and next batch I will definitely try adding more flour. My grandson said these are the best homemade bread I have ever made, and I have been making a lot lately, so I guess I need to get the right kind of flour if I have to keep making them for him.
Hi Roslyn! We almost always use either a local flour called Lehi Roller Mills or Gold Medal all purpose flour. It sounds like it might just need to be mixed or kneaded longer. It is very sticky and wet to begin with but it becomes really smooth and silky.
Don’t use this recipe . It’s horrible I make a lot of bread, this was kneaded for 20 min after adding the butter and it still wasn’t firm . It just was a mess and stuck to my hands.
I make bread at least once per week,this was a disaster. It was like trying to pick up a blob of jell-o. I ended up just throwing the entire mixture in the garbage.
Hey Carolyn! It sounds like it wasn’t kneaded long enough. It takes some time for the gluten to activate the bind everything together. The dough becomes silky smooth. You can watch the video in the post that shows how it looks at each step.