Hoagie Rolls

Ingredients
Makes six 10" rolls

• 5 1/3 cups unbleached bread flour
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp lukewarm 1% milk or any kind
• 1 1/2 tsp barley malt syrup (optional)

Method

1. Combine the water and milk, then dissolve the dry yeast.
2. In a bowl, Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, oil, and malt syrup together.
4. Add the water mixture and the oil mixture to the dry ingredients.
5. Continue mixing to form a coarse ball of dough.
6. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
7. Adjust water or flour as needed to form a smooth but not sticky dough.
8. Knead the dough for 1 minute on a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball.
9. Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
10. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 90 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.
11. Divide the dough into 6 pieces for 10-inch rolls.
12. Shape each piece of dough with your hands into a  torpedo.
13. Let each piece of dough rest as you move on to the other pieces.
14. Return to the 1st piece, roll it back and forth to extend it out to about 10 inches.
15. Place the rolls on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper with about 2 inches between the rolls.
16. Let the rolls rise for about 1 hour.
17. After an hour, the rolls will only rise slightly at this stage.
18. Cut a slit down the center of each roll using a serrated knife.
19. Preheat the oven to 425F degree. ( For people using a baking stone, 20 minutes before baking.)
20. Prepare an empty broiler pan in the oven. 
21. Let the rolls proof for 15 minutes more.
22. Transfer the rolls to the oven and pour 1 cup hot water into the broiler pan.
23. Lower the oven temperature to 400F degree. 
24. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the rolls and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
25. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing for sandwiches.

This recipe is adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day. The rolls are supposed to bake just enough chew to stand up to the fillings without overly hard to eat according to the author. I'm a crisp crust fanatic, so my hoagie rolls came out slightly crisper because of the baking stone. 

If you are not using a baking stone in the oven, 5 minutes is adequate of preheating the oven.