Artisan Sub Rolls

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or large mixing bowl, add yeast, sugar, warm water, flour, and salt. Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Place the dough in a medium to large size greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

2. Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes in a warm place (I like to turn my oven on until it reaches 100F. Once it reaches this temperature turn the oven off. Place the covered dough in the warm oven).

3. Gently scrape dough out of bowl onto floured surface. Cut dough into 4 roughly equal pieces. Roll into a ball.

4. Shape the sub rolls. Press the dough down in the center, gently stretching it out to about 7 – 8 inches. To. help with stretching the dough out, you can hold the dough on either end and move the dough up and down, slapping the dough down onto the table to stretch it out to about 7 – 8 inches in length. Use the tips of your fingers to roll the dough into a cylinder shape, starting at a long edge. Gently press the dough down after each roll to seal the dough together (you should roll/seal the dough 3-4 times). The dough should be in the shape of a cylinder.

5. Repeat with remaining dough balls.

6. Place the shaped sub rolls in a parchment paper lined 13×9 inch pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes (I like to place the rolls on top of the oven as the oven preheats. The top of the oven gets warm as it preheats, creating a nice warm environment).

7. Preheat the oven to 375F.

8. Dust the top of the sub rolls with flour, then use a bread lame or sharp knife to score the bread down the center. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.