Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Sub Rolls

The other day I made some killer meatballs (recipe to come later). I made a huge batch so we would have leftovers for meatball subs. Since I had Monday off I knew I wanted to bake something special for Rich when he got home from work. Those meatballs were calling from the fridge so I did a little research for the perfect roll recipe. I think I found it!

 At first I wanted to try a purest roll recipe with just "bread" flavor. But I stumbled upon a recipe for parmesan cheese bread at Williams-Sonoma and thought I could tweak it a bit to make the perfect meatball sub. I added a bit more cheese and the red pepper flakes. They actually turned out better than I thought. The texture was perfect for a sub. My "shaping" needs a bit of work though! Next time I will not be afraid to really work the finished dough into the shape I want.

There is just something so wonderful about the smell of fresh yeasty dough! It reminds me of play-doh but tastes better! (the "blob" on the top is where I did the window pane test)

OK, here was my downfall. I knew how I wanted to shape the dough but I was afraid to overwork it. Can you tell which ones need help?


Oh, sweet crusty goodness!

You can find the original recipe here.  

Parmesan Sub Rolls
recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:                       
3 3/4 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more as needed
1 Tbs. (1 package) active dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tsp. Extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
2 tsp. red pepper flakes *optional (you could add any flavoring here, parsley, Italian seasoning, etc. Or leave the rolls plain.)

Steps:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer (with the dough hook), combine the water and the yeast. Let the yeast proof for 10 minutes or until bubbly. Then add the olive oil.

2. Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt in a bowl.

3. Add the flour and salt mixture to the stand mixer on low speed until totally combined.

4. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese and the optional red pepper flakes over the dough.

5. Begin mixing and kneading on very low speed.

6. When the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 12 to 15 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky.

7. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes.

8. Form the dough into a ball, brush it with a little olive oil and place it in a well oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (sprayed with Pam) and a towel.

9. Let rest in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

10. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 425°F. Brush a cookie sheet with oil or line with parchment paper.

11. Place the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on a plate.

12. Punch down the dough. Return it to the floured work surface and knead a few times. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Knead the dough into 6 long sub-roll shapes (about 6-5 inches long)

13. Roll each sub roll in the extra cheese.

14.Slit the rolls about 1/4 deep with a knife diagonally 2 times and place on your cookie sheet.

15. Bake for 20 minutes.

16. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until brown and crusty, 20 to 30 minutes more.

17. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the rolls rest in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them from the pan. 

And here is the finished product.

We could not wait for the cheese to melt before we ate!














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