Sub Rolls

These hoagie/sub rolls are my attempt to mimic those of my family’s favorite sub shop in Akron, NY. At 68% hydration, the crust should have a slight crackle while being soft and chewy inside. The dough will be slack and will need a sub roll form for support in which to rise and bake.

Dissolve yeast in the water, then pour into the flour and stir until combined. Cover and let ferment 8 to 12 hours/overnight. When ripe, poolish will be at least twice the volume, jiggle, and have a lot of bubbles.

Stir together flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the ripe poolish. Stir yeast into the water until dissolved and add to the bowl along with the egg and olive oil. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes until dough can be stretched thin without tearing.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and form it into a ball. (It will be sticky, so a dough scraper may be useful here.) Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in volume, around 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured surface. Divide into 5 equal portions. Pre-shape each portion into an oblong ball, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. Stretch dough into a rectangle and roll into a cylinder. Pinch the seam closed and stretch into a 12‑inch cylinder.

Dust a 5‑well sub form with a little corn meal. Place dough cylinders into the form. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise about 2 hours until puffy. When rolls slowly spring back when poked, they’re done rising.

Toward the end of the rise, pre-heat oven to 450° F and set the rack in the middle of the oven. Brush the rolls with an egg yolk wash and place in the oven. Quickly spritz oven interior with water to create steam. Do this twice more, waiting a minute or two between spritzes. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes until golden.

If served a day or two later, before slicing them open, refresh the rolls’ crispness by toasting in a pre-heated 350° F oven for 5 minutes, placing them directly on the rack.