Tender yet Strong
The perfect sub roll: tender yet strong enough to hold all your favorite fillings without falling apart. These super soft sub rolls, made with freshly milled flour, are exactly what you need for your next sandwich-making adventure.
Why Make These Sub Rolls?
Creating these sub rolls at home isn’t just about the incredible taste and texture. Here are some fantastic reasons to try this recipe:
- Freshly Milled Flour Benefits: Experience the superior flavor and nutritional benefits of freshly milled flour.
- Perfect for Hearty Sandwiches: These rolls are soft on the inside, with just enough strength to support hefty fillings without getting soggy.
- Homemade Goodness: Enjoy the pride and joy of baking your own bread, free from preservatives and unnecessary additives.
Tips and Tricks
- Check Your Dough: If the dough feels too sticky after mixing with the salt and yeast, add a bit more flour. If it’s too dry, add a little more milk (1 tbsp at a time).
- Rise in a Warm Spot: For best results, let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area. On top of your preheating oven is my favorite place to proof.
- Brush with Butter: For extra softness and a shiny finish, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter right after baking.
Substitutions
- Non-Dairy Milk: Feel free to use almond milk or any other non-dairy milk instead of whole milk.
- Alternative Sweeteners: Substitute honey with date or maple syrup if you prefer.
- Vegan option: leave out the egg, and check the recipe for specifics.
Servings: 2 foot long subs
Calories: 163kcal
Cost: 2.00
Ingredients
- 510 g hard wheat berries 3 cups of whole grain
- 320 g whole milk 1 1/2 cup
- 12 g yeast 4 tsp
- 10 g sea salt 2 tsp
- 50 g honey 1/8 cup plus 1 tsp
- 50 g butter or extra virgin olive oil softened (1/4 cup)
- 50 g egg 1 whole
- ⅛ tsp vitamin C
- 40 g boiling water
Instructions
Active Dry Yeast:
- If using active dry yeast, place 100 g of the water into a cup, along with the yeast and 10 grams of the sweetener from your recipe.
- Let sit until "Add in Yeast and Salt" step.
Mixing
- Place a small cup on your scale, press the ZERO or TARE button. This is called "zeroing out the scale".
- Add 20 grams of flour to the cup, and zero out the scale as you did in the previous step.
- Pour 40 grams of boiling water into the cup, and quickly mix the two together to form a paste.
- Place your mixing bowl on your scale and zero out the scale.
- Add everything EXCEPT the yeast and sea salt to your mixing bowl, and knead for 5-7 minutes with a dough hook on the recommended speed for your mixer for the dough hook (usually speed 2 or 3), or whisk it until the mixture comes together (about 1 minute) with your whisk attachment (on highest speed).
- Optional: Skip for super quick rolls in under an hour. Let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes.
Add in Yeast and Salt
- Sprinkle the yeast (or the mixture from the active dry yeast steps, if using) and salt into the mixing bowl over the dough.
- Mix for several minutes, until your dough passes the windowpane test. This is done by turning off your mixer, and gently/slowly stretching the dough to see if light can be seen through it before breaking. If so, you've passed the test and can move on. If your dough looks tough or dry, you can slowly drizzle water in during the mixing until it is a consistency you like.
First Rise (AKA Fermentation)
- OPTIONAL: Skip for super quick rolls in under an hour. Let the dough rise, covered, until doubled. When you press a wet finger into the dough, it should remain pressed in, and not spring back quickly. If the dough ball loses air when you do this, you waited too long. Move on, it'll still be and alright loaf.
Punching Down the Dough
- Gently pull up on one side of the dough, and gently press it into the center of the dough ball. Turn the bowl by one quarter, and repeat until you've done this 4 times. This helps ensure a consistent dough temperature, and a more consistent crumb.
Scaling & Shaping
- Divide your dough into 5, approximately 250 grams per foot long or however you care to size them.
- Shape each dough ball into a small loaf as long as you want your sub roll to be. Then flatten it down with the palm of your hand and set it in it's form to rise, or on parchment next to the others (with a little space between) if not using a special pan.
Second Rise (AKA Proofing)
- Preheat your oven to 420 F.
Washing
- Brush each risen sub roll with an egg wash (1 egg and 1 tbsp of water, whisked together) using a pastry brush or your fingers if you don't have one. Sprinkle on any toppings. This egg wash will help them stick to the dough, and give you a golden crust.
Baking
- Place your baking sheet gently into the middle of the oven, and close the oven door.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes, and remove once the dough is 200 F. You can check them at 12 minutes the first time you do this, to be sure your oven isn't too hot.
Cooling and Storing
- Gently remove the baking sheet from the pan, and move the rolls onto a baking rack to cool. Slicing and eating these hot isn't as big of a deal since they are single serving size.
- Slice your bread with a very sharp serrated bread knife.
- Store on the counter in a plastic bag or beeswax wrap for a few days, in the fridge if your climate is very hot and humid, or slice and freeze the loaf for bread on the fly. It defrosts quickly without any extra steps.
Video
Notes
This dough is also excellent for making dinner rolls, hamburger buns, sub/hoagie rolls, or cinnamon rolls. It can also make an excellent super soft sandwich bread. I LOVE recipes that can be used for so many things. That makes this one of my favorite recipes of all time.
Vegan Rolls:
- use vegan milk or water
- use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter
- leave out the egg
- increase the water by 50 grams
Nutrition
Serving: 50g | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 255mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 49IU | Vitamin B1: 0.1mg | Vitamin B2: 0.1mg | Vitamin B3: 0.3mg | Vitamin B5: 0.2mg | Vitamin B6: 0.03mg | Vitamin B12: 0.1µg | Vitamin C: 1mg | Vitamin D: 0.3µg | Vitamin E: 0.5mg | Vitamin K: 2µg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Conclusion
These super soft sub rolls are sure to become a staple in your baking repertoire. Their perfect balance of tenderness and strength makes them ideal for any sandwich, from simple ham and cheese to a loaded veggie delight. If you have any questions or need a bit of guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help and would love to hear about your baking successes. Share your creations and let’s celebrate the joy of homemade bread together!
I don’t want to rate the recipe yet because unfortunately my first attempt was a failure due to the poorly written instructions.
Specifically, in the instructions you state to add 100g water to the yeast and sweetener, yet the ingredients list does not include this water. So it wasn’t until my dough looked like soup that I figured out that I had added 100g of extra liquid to this recipe because of this step. The step should read something like “use 100 grams of your liquid from your recipe (in which case you list MILK as the liquid)” to mix in with the yeast. Then in the rest of the recipe you would add the remainder of the milk, or 220g (or water if you’re not using milk). Also, after adding the yeast mixture and salt, you should really say “knead” instead of “mix”, since you’re kneading the dough to window pain. And finally, you don’t mention any proofing time after the rolls are formed. Anyone with experience will know how long to let the rolls proof, but someone new may not.
I look forward to trying this recipe again, with the corrections. I ended up winging the first batch by adding extra flour, yeast, salt and oil and they were usable, but I don’t want to rate your recipe based on all my changes.
Ah, good catch on that. For using active dry yeast, decrease the milk by 100 grams, and use 100 grams of water to prove your yeast.
True, we are kneading the dough, but when done with a mixer it’s also called mixing. Good thing you know! ☺️
I don’t ever give a time for proofing, rises or baking because it will never be the same for anyone. Different weather, kitchens, etc. all change the proofing time. I have an article all about the bread method with fresh flour that covers all these steps. Proofing (The Second Rise).