Sourdough Sandwich Rolls (Hoagies)

Overhead view on a few sourdough sandwich rolls cooling down on a cooling rack.

5 from 6 votes

Sourdough Sandwich Rolls (Hoagies)

These sourdough sandwich rolls are soft yet chewy and they pack a lovely sourdough flavor. They make for the perfect sandwich bread to prepare for lunches ahead of a busy week. Plus, they are easy to make! All you need is an active and bubbly sourdough starter, flour, olive oil, maple syrup, water and salt. They can be all done in just one day and they are naturally vegan.

Prep Time2

Cook Time20

Fermentation time7

Total Time9 20

Course: bread, lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, rolls, sandwich bread

Servings: rolls

Calories: 445kcal

Author: Jessica laroche

Ingredients

100 g sourdough starter fed, active and bubbly
300 g warm water
40 g maple syrup
25 g olive oil
500 g bread flour
10 g salt

Instructions

Prepare your starter

You will need a bubbly and active starter to make this recipe. Make sure to feed it 4-6 hours before you want to mix the dough and it might need more than one feeding if it was stored in the fridge.

Mix the dough

In a large mixing bowl, add the active sourdough starter, warm water, maple syrup and olive oil. Stir until combined. Then, add the flour and salt and keep stirring until there are no dry spots of flour anymore (which can take 1-2 minutes). I like to start with a dough whisk, then finish up using my fingers. The dough will be very sticky and shaggy at this point.
Cover well (use a plastic wrap if necessary) and let the dough sit for 20-30 minutes.

Stretches and fold

Then, do 3 sessions of stretches and folds with 30 minutes of resting time in between.
Here is how you can do them: grab the dough on the opposite side of the bowl, pull it up until it cannot stretch anymore, then fold it back down on the dough. Rotate the bowl about 90º and repeat with the dough on the opposite side. Keep going until the dough is too tight to stretch (I usually do about 4 stretches per session). Cover, rest for 30 min and repeat.

Bulk fermentation

Once done with the stretches and folds, then cover well and place the dough in a cozy spot. Let the dough ferment and rise for 4-6 hours. How long you need to ferment the dough depends on the temperature (faster when warm). The dough is done fermenting once it looks puffy and lighter (it will rise, but won't necessarily double in size).

Pre-shape

Divide the dough into 5 equal parts (about 190g. each). You can use the scale to make them as even as you can. Then, pre-shape them in balls by grabbing the edges and bringing them back into the middle of the dough. Pinch the edges together (will look like a dumpling!) and place them on a lightly floured counter seam side down. Cover and let them rest for 20 minutes.

Shape

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take one of the balls and stretch it roughly into a rectangular. Then, place it horizontally on the counter and roll from bottom to top. Seal the edges and transfer on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Keep going until you are done with all the balls of dough.
Cover with a damp tea towel and let them rise for about 1-2 hours at room temperature or a cozy spot (final proof). They won't double in size, but they will look puffier.

Bake

About 30 minutes before you want to bake the bread, place an oven-safe dish (such as a brownie pan, make sure the dish can handle high temperatures) on the bottom rack and turn on the oven to 400º.
When ready to bake, then boil some water and brush some milk over the rolls (I used plain oat milk). Then, score the rolls (I like to do a few diagonal openings).
Transfer the bread to the pre-heated oven and right away and as quickly as you can without burning yourself, pour some boiling water into the pan underneath (about ¾ cup, careful for splashes and burns from the steam). Close the oven right away to trap the steam inside the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes. Then, let the rolls cool down on a cooling rack before slicing and enjoying with your favorite sandwich fillings!

Video

Notes

Careful with burns: you will be handling a hot oven and hot water, and some of the steam will come out of the oven, which can also burn. Make sure to use proper oven mitts that can handle high temperatures and try to keep your face as far as you can from the door when adding the boiling water.
Storage: keep the cooled-down rolls at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can store them in an airtight bag or container so they don't dry out. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months!
Feel free to brush some melted butter (or vegan butter) once just out of the oven. This will help soften the crust and add more flavor.
There are a few other ways you can add some steam manually and this guide on how to bake sourdough bread without a Dutch oven will show you how.
Make sure to check out the blog post for tons of tips and have a peek at the video for a better visual!
Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

Nutrition