Beautiful 6-inch French bread subs/sandwich rolls. Light and delicious and perfect for picnics. These French bread subs are easy to make in under an hour.
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Aren’t these the cutest little French bread subs/sandwich rolls? Oh I just love them. And they taste amazing.
When I set about to perfect this recipe I was looking for French bread subs that were light in texture but flavorful in taste. They needed to hold together well. This recipe is everything I hoped for and more.
We love to go on picnics in the spring and summer. And French bread sub sandwiches are one of my favorite things to bring along.
It’s probably because growing up whenever we’d have a picnic my Mom would buy a big loaf of French bread and make a giant sub sandwich. Us kids (there were six of us) would watch her as she put it together and then she’d slice it in pieces for each of us to have. And it was so good.
I still make those French bread sub sandwiches for my family and we all love them. As I’ve gotten away more and more from store-bought processed foods, I’ve developed my own versions of the foods that I love. And we love to use these homemade sub sandwich rolls instead of those from the store.
The nice thing about these personal subs is that everyone gets to make their own. Then everyone is happy because they get to put whatever they want on their sandwich. Those are the best kinds of family meals.
The other benefit is that I can make these mini French bread loaves ahead of time and they freeze great. It’s so nice to have them stocked in the freezer ready to pull out when needed.
We love to have build-your-own sandwiches for dinner. And for me a homemade bread takes the sandwiches from good to amazing. And this recipe is sure a winner for that. Just in case you are wondering this homemade mayonnaise is excellent on these sandwiches.
How to avoid soggy sandwiches
Since I hate soggy sandwiches, I’m going to give you a tip to avoid them if you are making sandwiches ahead of time (like a school lunch or a picnic). This tip will work for any sandwich.
Make sure everything that touches the bread is very dry – the meat, the cheese, the toppings. All of it. I usually dry the meat with paper towels and line it on one side of the bread and use either the cheese or a dry piece of lettuce to line the other side. Then put your wetter toppings and condiments in the center. If it’s really soggy (like a tomato) I would probably wait to add it until I was ready to eat the sandwich in case it leaked. So there you have it. My tip for non soggy make-ahead sandwiches.
Tips for making the perfect French bread subs
I like to measure the dough for my subs with this really handy kitchen scale so they turn out uniform (aff. link, updated 7/2020 with a current scale that I use now) . Five ounces give or take a bit is just the right amount.
It probably won’t surprise you to find out that I measure the length of my dough snakes as well. My bench scraper is so handy because it’s exactly 6 inches long (aff. link).
There are so many reasons to love these French bread subs.
They are light in texture but still substantial. Unlike a hot dog bun that would just float away if you blew on it, these French bread subs have a little bit more to them. Because they are made in part with whole wheat flour, they have a delicious flavor that I love.
I think it’s awesome that this recipe makes twelve 5-ounch 6-inch French bread subs that all fit nice and beautifully on a half sheet pan. And I’m sure it probably sounds strange to you but it just makes my mathematical brain so happy to see them all lined up in their perfect rows
before rising,
after rising,
and after baking.
*Sigh*
Well I hope I have you convinced that you need to go try this recipe right away. Because you do. I think your next picnic is calling your name.
Ta ta for now!
Update (5/21/2020): If you are new to breadmaking (or just looking to up your breadmaking game), I wrote up a super detailed guide to baking with yeast. It will walk you through a lot of common breadmaking pitfalls and help you become a breadmaking expert.
French Bread Subs
Beautiful 6-inch French bread subs/sandwich rolls. Light and delicious and perfect for picnics. These French bread subs are easy to make in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups (10 ounces) whole wheat flour see note
- ¼ cup (1.25 ounces) gluten flour see note
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast see note
- 4 to 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
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Spray a half sheet pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.
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Heat water in the microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes or on the stove until it is between 110 and 130 degrees F.
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Meanwhile in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment add the sugar, oil, and salt. Add the heated water to the stand mixer. Then add the wheat flour and gluten flour. Put the yeast on top of the flour, making sure that it does not directly touch the salt or the hot water.
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Turn on mixer and mix, adding white flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and starts to pull away from the center. Stop adding flour at this point even if you have not added the full amount listed in the recipe. Then let the mixer mix for an additional six minutes.
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Spread a little oil on a clean countertop and divide the dough into twelve 5-ounce pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-inch long snake and place on prepared baking sheet in two rows of six running along the length of the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough pieces and adjust to leave an even space between each one.
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Cover with light dishcloth and let rise in warm kitchen until subs have risen to double and they are touching each other (about 20-30 minutes).
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While subs are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. When they are sufficiently risen, bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until subs are golden brown and cooked through. Remove loaves immediately to cool on a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
1. I use freshly ground white wheat flour that I grind in my grain mill (this is the grain mill I have, aff. link) at home. If you do not have a grain mill you may be able to find white wheat flour in the grocery store. It will say white wheat on it otherwise just assume that it comes from red wheat. I have not experimented using red wheat in this recipe but feel free to try it.
2. I use Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour in this recipe. I buy mine in a 25 pound bag at WinCo, but they also sell it in their bulk bins. If you don’t have a WinCo you may be able to find it in smaller quantities at Walmart or another local grocery store or buy it online (Amazon carries gluten flour, aff. link). If you can’t find gluten flour you can try it without (it will make the subs a bit more crumbly) or just use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
3. I use the SAF brand of instant yeast that I buy in a large block and keep in the freezer in a sealed container.
4. INSTRUCTIONS FOR NO MIXER: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make these subs by hand with a few changes. Stick with the amount of flour I suggest and then add a little more if it keeps sticking to your hands as you knead it. You can oil your hands a bit to help with that too. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes by hand. Then let it rise in a large greased bowl until doubled. Then form the sub loaves and let them rise a second time until doubled before baking as directed in the recipe.
5. INSTRUCTIONS FOR FREEZING: After baking, cool the subs completely, then place in gallon freezer bags and freeze. They are best if frozen immediately after baking.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
Thank you, thought it might’ve been a misprint.
Do you not let the dough rise in bowl if using mix master? You have it rising in bowl with the hand mix recipe.
That’s correct Bob—just one rise with this method. If you’re interested in learning abt the single rise bread methods I use you can read my guide to baking with yeast: https://thecookstreat.com/guide-to-baking-with-yeast-includes-faqs-my-quick-rise-bread-method/