homemade subway italian bread
One of the first things I learned about my husband Geoff is that he is a diehard Subway fan. When we started dating, he lived just down the street from a Subway restaurant, and would pick up a sandwich for lunch or dinner several days per week. It was his idea of a romantic date to take me there with him. 🙂 I like Subway, don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t have the same level of devotion to it that Geoff does. The Subway that’s closest to our current house poses a lot of problems for me… it’s in a poorly designed complex with very limited parking, and the store itself is long and narrow and always crowded, which makes the kids (and me!) claustrophobic and whiny. When I found this recipe, I was thrilled to think that I could make the same delicious bread at home without all the claustrophobic waiting in line!
This bread totally lived up to all of my expectations! It’s soft and flavorful, and so light and delicious. We made sandwiches with turkey, pepper jack, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and honey mustard, and they were awesome! It’s hard for me to even describe how delicious this bread is… it’s definitely on the top five list of all the breads I’ve ever made. Geoff loved it so much that I think I’ve got him convinced that we can replicate his beloved Subway at home. I like that the recipe is quick enough to make on a regular basis (which I almost certainly will be doing!).
Homemade Subway Italian Bread
adapted from Bless this Mess1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 – 3 1/2 cups flour
butter for rubbing on topIn a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit five minutes until bubbly and foamy. Add the salt, olive oil, and 1 cup of flour, and mix until combined. Add another cup of flour and mix to combine. Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl but stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough (using a dough hook or your hands) until it is smooth and pliable. Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and let rise 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into four equal size pieces and roll each piece into a rectangle that is approximately 4 or 5 inches wide and 9 inches long. Roll up the rectangle, starting at the long edge, to form a long skinny loaf, and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a baking mat. Repeat with remaining dough, placing each loaf at least two inches apart. Cover and let rise one hour, or until doubled in size. Near the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350. Bake 25 minutes, or until golden brown. After removing from the oven, rub the loaves with butter and cover with a towel to keep them moist. Let cool before slicing and filling.
This excites me. My favorite thing about Subway is the bread.
This looks really good, and I enjoy making bread. Definitely will try this!! ~ MamaGing.com
This recipe looks so good!
I love Subway sandwiches!
Pinned !
All purpose flour or bread flour?
what kind of yeast did you use?
I made these yesterday and it came out smaller than your image and kind of hard on the bottom. It was nothing like the actually Subway bread. Not sure what I did wrong even though I follow the recipe.
I made this bread today! Turned out perfectly! It was soft thanks to putting butter on after it's cooked. Very nice. I will be making it again, and again, that's for sure.
Thank You!!
Someone who worked at Subway once said this, "Every loaf of bread at Subway starts as either white or wheat, and then is rolled in or topped with the appropriate seasonings." So for Italian herbs and cheese, I know they use Monterrey Jack cheese and a blend of herbs. It starts as a frozen loaf, and then thaws. After thawing it is rolled in herbs and then allowed to rise for a while. Once risen, it is sprinkled with cheese and baked. You could easily use this recipe to create all of your favorite Subway breads if you are creative enough to figure out what they sprinkle them with!
I will try this recipy
I made this and added a packet of Good Seasonings Italian Salad Dressing mix. Perfectly soft delicious bread. Used for sandwiches and a larger loaf we sliced and used for garlic toast. Yummy!
Before I put it in the oven to cook , I out Italian seasoning s and cheese on top!!!!
I made this recipe twice already and my family is asking for more. Thank you !
Next time before it does its second rise roll the herbs and seasoning on then(only top half) then after it rises throw your cheese on and pop in oven…..thats the subway way lol
I worked at subway, and these are the steps of bread, comes frozen, thaw over night in refrigerator, cover with toppings, proof, bake
Comes frozen …. What’s the brand name? Would love to purchase frozen.
Thanks
That sounds delicious. Yum!
I've made this twice. Once as hoagie rolls and the second as a loaf of french bread. Both times it turned out excellent. Next time, I think I will add some cheddar cheese to the dough and add more cheese on top before baking.
Yum! That sounds fantastic!
All purpose unless otherwise stated.
2nd time making this delightful delious bread.my family can't get enough, they want me to make this bread recipe every month now lol.
Could you please tell me how long these will last. Tia.
It has been a while since I made this bread, but I'm pretty sure it was best within a day or two of baking.
I found this recipe yesterday when I was looking for a new bread recipe. It was awesome so I made them again today. Again, perfect!. Even my daughter that complains about everything says she loves these sub rolls.
We tried these tonight. I was slightly disappointed. They weren't a complete waste, however they did not rise tall enough to be a proper sub sandwich. Also the salt was entirely too much. I used Medium coarse Kosher which I use in all my baking except my sourdoughs. Not terrible, needs some work!
That's exactly how we do it at subway. Use a spray bottle on mist setting with clean water, roll in a mixture of Parmesan, lots of oregano, and garlic herb grinder. Then score 3-4 slices on top and let rise for the second time. Spray again with the water before going into the oven and sprinkle with montery Jack cheese! THE KEY TO SUBWAY BREAD is the Pan of water in the oven as it preheats and cooks! Key key key! And then store in the microwave to keep effect of the bread cabinet they use.
1 1/2 teaspoons or tablespoons of yeast?
Thanks! ❤️
Hello may I ask u !2 1/2 cup flour how many in grams?thanks
I have done this recipe twice and it came out sooo good.
I followed the earlier advice on the comment to spray water before the second proofing and it gave the bread a good thin crunch in the crust. Plus Italian seasoning and Monterey jack cheese. Ugh. Best sub bread so far.
Thank you so much!
I made this today and it was really good. I am very happy with the recipe and excited to make it again?
This is wonderful bread for sandwiches and so easy to make.
It's a great recipe but I had to change a few measurements. I live in the tropics so wondering if the humidity and climate makes things a little different for me. I use 1 TBSP yeast. 2 TBSP olive oil. 1 tsp salt. And I use bread flour. After a few tries, I have definitely nailed it now and OH MY so delicious and easy to make.
Since proofing the yeast is involved, Active Dry Yeast is what is called for.
Extending homemade bread life up to five or more days can be accomplished by refrigerating after it cools.
I made this recipe yesterday and it turned out so great. I am excited to make it again.
This is a fantastic recipe. Thank you for sharing it. I’ve made it numerous times and it always comes out perfect.
This bread turned out so yummy! I’m making French dip sandwiches tonight for dinner and wanted to make some homemade bread for it and oh my gosh! These are delicious and super easy to make. I doubled the recipe for 8 loaves and they turned out BEAUTIFUL! I will deff be making these again 🙂