I thought I was making Hoagie Rolls ....

but I was wrong.

So one of my goals is to take over my world. To do that I need to learn to make bread. It doesn’t matter where I start because my family are bread people (except my MIL - Celiac is a bitch).

Over the years I've tried several versions of sourdough starters. The longest lived to the ripe old age of 4 years old, but ultimately I resent being told what to do by a container of yeast that is more high maintenance than I am so I let it die and haven’t looked back.

I have gotten damn good at scones, muffins, and quick breads. So in my head, I’m ready to move on to regular loaf bread. I asked Hubby if he had anything he particularly wanted me to try and he came up with hoagie rolls. I did some research and compared different recipes and decided to try an ‘Italian bread’ hoagie roll. Why do you ask? Because I love Italian bread; it is just so soft and squishy and yummy.

Last Sunday was the day I marked on my calendar to bake this bread. I had my favorite granny apron on, soft music playing from my phone, and all the things I needed spread out on the counter.

I used my Kitchen-aid to do the initial mixing and kneading (if you know you know) and when it was an elastic ball of smooth dough I turned it into a greased bowl and left it for the first rise. Honestly, I was so excited by how it doubled in size I forgot to take a picture. But double it did.

I separated it into 8 wedges then rolled them into 8 rolls and left them to rise again. Not gonna lie the second rise was a little underwhelming but I went with it. Looking back I probably should have let it rise a little longer.

The rolls smelled amazing when I took them from the oven. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to rip one open immediately and lather it with butter. I was strong. I let them cool and rest like the recipe insisted I had to do.

The next morning Hubby and I made eggs and bacon and toasted up a roll to share between us. All of the anticipation for the soft pillowy bread disappeared when I cut it open. It was like an English muffin that spent time on the medieval stretching rack. Sure it toasted nicely and was completely edible but it was not what I wanted.

So I’m back to the drawing board for hoagie rolls. If you have a recipe that you stole from your Nonna let me know. I can totally keep a secret.

But the point of sharing my failure is … everyone fails before they get good.

And if I want to take over my world I need an amazing Italian bread recipe (that can be made into sandwich rolls).

xoxo

Shelly