Hoagie rolls, sometimes called French rolls, sandwich rolls, grinder rolls, etc., are a perfect vehicle for your next cheeseburger project. Hoagie rolls have a mild flavor which allows the fillings to be the star of the sandwich. They have a crisp crust and are soft on the inside, with a slightly dense texture. This gives them a bit more of a bite than your typical squishy potato bun but not too tough as to make it difficult to eat. Add this bun to your cheeseburger arsenal and you can “WOW” your friends at your next backyard barbeque.
Recommended Tools
- Instant-read thermometer
- Parchment paper
- Baking stone
- Silicone brush
Ingredients for Mini Hoagie Rolls
Bread
- 260 g milk
- 8 g active dry yeast
- 10 g diastatic malt
- 400 g bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 10 g honey
- 20 g olive oil
- 10 g salt
- Cornmeal
Egg wash
- one egg white
- 1 tbs water
Directions for making Mini Hoagie Rolls
Dough
Place milk in a microwave-safe container. Warm the milk in the microwave for 50 to 70 seconds depending upon the power of your microwave. Heat until temperature reaches 105F and 110F. This temperature optimizes the blooming of the yeast.
Add yeast and diastatic malt powder.
Stir to combine.
Allow mixture to stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Mixture should begin to bubble and create a light foam on the surface.
Note: If the mixture does not create a foam surface or there is very little bubbling, it is likely that your yeast is no longer active. Discard and start over.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. Mix to incorporate.
Add the yeast mixture, honey, and olive oil to the flour mixture.
Using a dough hook, mix on low until the ingredients come together into a rough ball.
Turn off mixer, cover bowl with a damp towel, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the flour to self-hydrate.
After ten minutes, turn the mixer on low and allow to knead for 8 to 10 minutes.
When done, turn the dough out onto a lightly flowered surface. Shape into a tight ball and place in a lightly-oiled bowl to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to one hour. Dough should double in size.
Note: If your kitchen is a bit cool, which slows down the fermentation, place the dough and container into an oven that has the oven light on. The oven light will provide heat to assist with the fermentation.
Portion
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
You should have roughly 700 grams of dough. Divide the dough into the sizes that you prefer:
- For burger buns, divide into approximately 85 gram portions.
- For mini hoagie rolls, divide into approximately 100 gram portions.
- For your standard hoagie roll, divide into approximately 175 gram portions.
Pro tip: Place your parchment paper on an inverted baking sheet. This will allow for an easier transfer (slide) from the baking sheet to the baking stone.
For burger buns, shape your dough into tight balls. Place dough balls on a piece of parchment that has been lightly coated with cornmeal. Using your fingers, flatten the dough balls into a disc shape. This will help give it more of a “burger bun” shape.
For mini-hoagie rolls, use your fingertips lightly press and stretch 100 grams of dough into a rectangle about 5 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Tightly roll the dough from the top to the bottom, pressing the dough into itself as you bring the dough towards you. Press and seal the seam of the roll. When you are done, you should have a tight “log shaped” dough roll. Apply even pressure with the palm of your hands in the center of the dough begin gently stretching the log out into a cylinder, about 7 inches long. Place the dough seam side down onto a piece of parchment that has been lightly coated with cornmeal.
For standard-hoagie rolls, Use your fingertips lightly press and stretch 175 grams of dough into a rectangle about 10 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Tightly roll the dough from the top to the bottom, pressing the dough into itself as you bring the dough towards you. Press and seal the seam of the roll. When you are done, you should have a tight “log shaped” dough roll. Apply even pressure with the palm of your hands in the center of the dough begin gently stretching the log out into a cylinder, about 12 inches long. Place the dough seam side down onto a piece of parchment that has been lightly coated with cornmeal.
With all of the roll styles, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour until shapes have roughly doubled in size.
Bake
During the second fermentation, place two shelves in the oven; one at the center and one at the bottom. On the middle shelf, place a baking stone or a baking steel. On the lower shelf, place a rimmed baking sheet.
Preheat to 350F. Allow ample time for the baking stone to come up to temperature.
Using a razor or sharp knife, score the dough with one long cut from end to end. This cut allows the dough to rise evenly during baking (oven spring) and looks nice.
Whisk the egg white and water together. Brush the dough with the egg wash. This gives the rolls a nicer crust and allows you to add toppings to the dough. Sprinkle lightly with a little cornmeal over top.
Note: At this point, you can substitute other toppings, like sesame seeds or other herbs and spices, for the cornmeal to add a creative twist to your hoagie rolls.
Slide the rolls and parchment onto the baking stone on the middle rack of your oven. Immediately add a cup of ice cubes to the rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack. The ice will create steam throughout most of the baking process which will help with improving oven spring.
Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the pan. Continue baking for another 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200 F.
Remove the rolls from the oven. Place rolls on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Place rolls in a paper bag and use within 24 to 48 hours.
To store longer, place rolls in a plastic bag and refrigerate.
