Hoagie Rolls and Meatball Subs

This week I took on an adventure I had not really done before. I made some hoagie rolls for meatball subs. I had made the meatballs previously as part of spaghetti and meatballs. I had leftover meatballs and thought they would be GREAT in meatball subs. I stuck them in the refrigerator in the spaghetti sauce for a future date. I will include the recipe for the meatballs in this post. They are fantastic :) Well, when it came time to make the meatball subs, I realized I didn't have any hoagie rolls. I thought about going to the store but realized I had a vehicle with a flat tire and that I wanted to save a little money. (I know buns are not that expensive, but every little bit counts). So, I started searching the web for recipes for hoagie rolls. Not many came up. Most if I wanted crusty hoagie rolls would take at least two days. So, I went to Food.com and put in hoagie rolls. I came up with a few recipes. Mind you I follow some recipes to a "T" other's I doctor to fit what I have at home.

Hoagie Rolls

Ingredients:

2 (1/4 oz.) package of active dry yeast

3 cups water, divided (110-115 degrees)

2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon salt

8-8 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

1. In mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water add 1 T. sugar and then let stand about 5 minutes.

2. Add remaining water and sugar. Beat in oil, salt and 4 cups flour until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough.

3. Turn onto floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 6-8 minutes.

4. Place in a greased bowl turning once to grease the top.

5. Cover and let rise 45 minutes.

6. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured board, divide into 18 pieces.

7. Shape into an oval.

8. Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.

9. With scissors cut a 1/4-inch slash across the top of each.

10. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

11. Bake at 400 degrees F for 13-18 minutes until golden brown.

12. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Ok, my verdict and what I did differently. I tried to divide into 18 pieces, but it didn't work very well, and they would've been small hoagie buns. I ended up making 8 hoagie rolls, and some smaller rolls. I think that if you want 6 inch or so hoagie rolls then you may only want to cut with the scissors 6 sections. Lightly roll/form into an oval. I have found this to be a yummy roll recipe. I will make these again, and try to make them into bigger rolls. When I cut the rolls for the meatballs, I could fit 3 meatballs and some sauce on each roll. Which worked great with kids and their smaller appetites. My kids gobbled it all up. We had only two meatballs left for my hubby (who had to work late).

Meatballs

Preheat oven to 425 F

1 lb. bulk sausage (or ground pork/ground turkey)

1/2 to 1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion diced to preference (I like them kindof chunky, my kids like them really diced)

1 small bell pepper (diced)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2/3 cup rolled oats (or breadcrumbs)

3 tbsp ketchup

season to taste with salt/pepper

about 2 tbsp italian seasoning or mrs. dash (optional)

Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix till all incorporated with hands. It will get a little messy, but really worth it. Try not to over mix.

Take a 2 tablespoon size ball, or medium scoop full of meat mixture and put on a cookie sheet. Continue to place in single layer on cookie sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 30 min or until center is no longer pink. Drain off excess grease and add to your favorite sauce. These turn out so yummy. They freeze well too. So make a bunch and store for a later date. :)

Feel free to let me know how your meatballs or rolls turned out. What suggestions do you have, or changes did you make to the recipe?