Hoagie/ Cheesesteak Rolls
Description:
This type of Italian sandwich roll is ubiquitous throughout the Philly, New Jersey and NYC metro area, used for cheesesteaks, hoagies, roast pork sandwiches, cutlet sandwiches and more. Pizza dough and roll dough are nearly identical in composition, so for simplicity sake, this recipe is the same as the pizza dough recipe in other posts. I find it convenient to make a large batch of dough when I make pizza, and use the extra dough to make hoagie rolls for later use. In Philly, there are two main types of rolls for cheesesteaks - a more rustic, “bready” type with sesame seeds, and a softer more “commercial” variety without seeds. I personally prefer a more rustic type of roll with sesame seeds for cheesesteaks, but you could easily omit the seeds if you don’t want them. If you prefer to have a more “commercial” variety cheesesteak roll, you could adapt this recipe by replacing 1/2 of the water for milk and tripling the quantity of oil in the dough.
Ingredients:
(Makes 2 rolls)
1/2 cup (80 g) sesame seeds
Dough
2 1/3 (300 g) bread flour
7/8 cup (195 g) water
1 1/2 tsp (9 g) salt
1 3/4 tsp (6 g) diastatic malt powder or sugar
1 1/2 tsp (6 ml) olive oil
1/2 tsp (1.5 g) active dry yeast
Preparation:
Mix all dough ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Using wet hands, stretch and fold the dough over itself. Rest 30 minutes, repeat, and rest another 30 minutes. Perform one last stretch & fold and allow dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour at room temperature. Divide dough into two dough balls weighing around 250g. Place balls in separate containers and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours. 1 hour before making rolls, leave dough at room temperature to warm up.
To form, flatten the dough ball into a rectangle and slowly roll the dough from the top toward yourself to form a log. To seal he bottom, roll the log out lightly with your hands and gently press in the ends. Using a spray bottle or wet hands, lightly dampen the top of the rolls and roll them in the sesame seeds. Transfer to a floured cutting board and cover with a damp cloth. Leave at room temp to proof for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 550 degrees. After dough is proofed, transfer to a parchment paper lined baking tray. Using a serrated knife or a razor, score the top of the bread 3 times. Cover bread with a metal baking tray (this will trap steam and help the bread brown evenly) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the parchment paper and cover. Bake for 10-12 minutes until bread is evenly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let rest for 1 hour.
You can use the rolls the same day after baking, but for a more authentic texture, place the rolls in a plastic bag and leave overnight. Before using, slice the roll 2/3rd down the middle.
Notes: