Parmesan Herb Italian Hoagie Rolls

Name: Parmesan Herb Italian Hoagie Rolls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 115 min
Ingredients: 360 grams of water, warm (1 1/2 cups); 14 grams of active dry yeast (2 envelopes); 15 grams of granulated sugar (1 tablespoon); 600 grams of bread flour (about 3 3/4 cups); 35 grams of olive oil (2 1/2 tablespoons); 12 grams of salt (2 teaspoons); 1 large egg; 1/3 cup of parmesan, finely shredded; 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs; water, in a spray bottle (for misting)

October 26, 2025
No Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

When you walk into most sub shops, one of the options you will get for your choice of bread is a cheesy herb hoagie roll. They are usually soft and fluffy inside with sprinkled cheese and herbs over the top. Such a classic sub roll and definitely my favorite choice.

Now say you want to make subs at home, let’s say meatball subs to be specific, but you can’t find those fluffy, herby hoagies at your local grocery store or did find them and aren’t a fan of the fact that they have 25 ingredients… what are you supposed to do?

You can make these super soft and fluffy parmesan and herb topped Italian hoagie rolls right in your own kitchen, because they are super simple to bring together and take only 6 ingredients plus your herbs and cheese toppings, which are totally customizable, so you can add your favorite toppings to your hoagies and then fill them with delicious sub fillings.

Sounds delicious, right? Then let’s get started…

Begin by whisking 14 grams of active dry yeast (2 envelopes) and 15 grams of granulated sugar (1 tablespoon) into 360 grams of warm water (1 1/2 cups) and set it aside for about 5 minutes or until your see the top get foamy.

While your yeast is blooming, add 35 grams of olive oil (2 1/2 tablespoons), 12 grams of salt (2 teaspoons), a large egg and a cup of bread flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Now you can make this dough by hand, but if you have a stand mixer, I would suggest using it for this one just because it has to be kneaded a bit.

When the yeast is foamy, pour it into the bowl and mix until everything is well combined.

Start mixing on medium speed and gradually add another 2 3/4 cups of bread flour until a tacky dough forms.

Knead the dough using the dough hook on your stand mixer or by hand on a floured counter top until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and feels smooth, springy and just a little tacky to the touch.

Note: If you are kneading by hand, flour your hands as your knead, but avoid adding more addition flour into the dough or your hoagie rolls may not turn out as soft and fluffy as they should be!

Once the dough is fully kneaded, transfer it into a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl tightly and let the dough rest in a warm place for an hour or until it doubles in volume.

Look at how fluffy this dough is! It’s just a small indication of how fluffy the hoagies will be.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into equal portions. Let’s talk a little more about this…

- - The best way to truly “equally divide” dough into portions is by using a scale. Personally, having hoagies that are all exactly the same size is not super high on my importance list, so I eye ball them, but you will notice in pictures of the end result that I have some thicker hoagies and some more slender ones. If that bothers you, weight your portions. If it doesn’t bother you, just eye ball it.
  - Today, I divided the dough into 6 portions, which gave me big 12″ long hoagie rolls. If you prefer smaller hoagies just divide the dough into more portions. If you divide the dough into 8 portions, you will get about 8″ hoagies and 10 portions should give you smaller more individual sized hoagie rolls about 6″ long. Nothing else will change in the recipe if you divide them up differently!

To shape the hoagie rolls, I take the little triangular shaped portions I got from dividing the round ball of dough and stretch them out into a larger triangle. Roll the narrow end up towards the wide end and then pinch the seam together to seal the connection.

Place the shaped hoagie rolls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover them with a light towel and let them rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes. They should puff up nicely after 30 minutes, so leave some space between them when you first place them onto the baking sheet to allow for expansion.

While the hoagies rolls are taking their last nap, combine 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs in a small dish and shred about 1/3 cup of parmesan.

Right before you bake your hoagie rolls, lightly mist their tops with water and sprinkle with the herb mixture and some finely shredded parmesan. You can use a sharp knife or bread lame to add a few slits over the top of each hoagie roll if you want, but I never do. I like how they look all smooth on top, but add some slits if you want!

Bake the hoagie rolls in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until they are puffy, golden brown and have an internal temperature of 190 degrees. You do not have to take the temperature if you are confident in baking bread, but if you are nervous about telling just when they are cooked through, this is a very easy way to guarantee they are ready to come out of the oven.

If you are confident baking bread, pull them out as soon as they smell so good that your mouth starts to water.

Look at how soft and fluffy that hoagie roll is? You can literally just pull them apart because they are so beautifully tender.

Whether you are making these hoagie rolls to stuff with meatballs, deli meats or bacon, egg and cheese for a fabulous breakfast sub… one thing is for certain… you are going to absolutely love these fluffy parmesan herb Italian hoagie rolls.

Print Recipe