Copycat Subway Italian Bread

Happy Spring Break! Earlier in the week, for finals week, I had a sandwich craving. And to make sandwiches, I had to have bread. So I started looking around for bread recipes, and I settled on a Subway copycat, since who doesn’t love that soft, delicious Subway Italian roll? Add some herbs on top and you have a wonderful sandwich roll. I took this recipe from Bless This Mess, and made a few adjustments, and I had sandwiches for a week! It was fantastic. This bread isn’t an exact replica of the Subway bread, but it’s a pretty good substitute. Also, you get the bonus of that wonderful smell from baking fresh bread in the oven. This is a nice, soft bread, which gets nice and crispy on the outside when you toast it for a little extra time. Add on your favorite toppings and you have a sandwich! Here’s the recipe!

Copycat Subway Italian Herb Bread

Adapted from Bless This Mess

Makes 6 small loaves

Ingredients

2 packets (1 1/2 tbsp) active dry yeast

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water (105-115˚F)

4 tbsp olive oil

3 cups flour

Italian seasoning

Nutritional yeast

Olive oil, for brushing tops

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, sugar, salt, water, and oil. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Using a dough hook, mix in 1 cup of flour and stir for a couple minutes. Add another cup and mix for another few minutes. Add the last cup in 1/2 cup increments and knead with dough hook until the dough sticks to the bottom of the bowl but pulls away from the sides. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Return to the bowl, cover, and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes, until approximately doubled in size.

After the first rising, take the dough out and separate into six equal pieces. Roll into logs, about 6 inches long, and place on parchment-line baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and allow to rise for about an hour. At the very end, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Brush the tops of each roll with olive oil, then sprinkle with herbs and nutritional yeast. Bake for 22-24 minutes, until lightly golden brown and puffy. Remove from oven and cover with a towel. Allow to cool for 15-30 minutes, then slice lengthwise and top with your favorite sandwich toppings. Enjoy!