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French Bread Subs

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.

Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword Subs
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12 six-inch subs
Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

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

  1. Spray a half sheet pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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).

  7. 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.