Perfect Homemade Subway Bread recipe, just like the restaurant. This recipes makes a perfect copycat loaf of Subway bread for sandwiches at home.
I love making homemade bread. It’s easier than you think-try these simple bread recipes: Homemade Italian Bread, Easy Bread Sticks Recipe and Mom’s 4 Loaf Wheat Bread Recipe.
Homemade Subway Bread
You guys, they turned out amazing! Really and truly. Plus, it wasn’t all that hard to do. Next time I’m going to double the recipe so that I have some leftovers and I’m going to try to freeze them. Lucky for me, I found a jar of pickled banana peppers in the pantry too. My sandwich was half banana peppers and half everything else because those are my favorite thing ever.
The homemade Subway bread was just perfect. It had a very soft crust (thanks to a little butter and letting them steam in a towel as they cooled) and a light middle, and it kind of smashed into nothing when you ate it. Just like the real thing. Sure, Subway is cheap, but it’s pretty fun to make them at home. Your family will be shocked and amazed at your mad skills and you’ll be able to put on as many banana peppers as your heart desires. Best deal ever!
Just top with your favorite sandwich toppings and a heavy hand of mayo and you’ll have yourself something ridiculously close to an authentic Subway sandwich made at home. Even if you aren’t craving Subway, this homemade Subway bread recipe is a great one to keep on hand for any future hoagie needs.
Tips and Tricks for making Homemade Subway Bread:
- I have had a few people email me and say that just before baking they brushed the outside of the dough with olive oil or butter and then sprinkled on some Italian seasoning and some Parmesan cheese for a great homemade Subway Italian Herb and Cheese bread. I can’t wait to try this myself.
- This bread froze just about as well as other breads. It was still soft but seemed a bit dryer after freezing. Fresh is best but they do freeze and thaw well.
- Like pickled banana peppers as much as I do? Check out my recipe on how to make easy refrigerated pickled banana peppers (great use for extra garden or farmer’s market produce).
How do I know how much flour to add to bread dough?
If you haven’t ever made dough before, the goal is to add just enough flour for it to be a soft but not sticky dough. If you add too much flour, you’ll end up with Subway bricks instead of bread.
Can I still make homemade bread without a stand mixer?
No stand mixer? This recipe can be made by hand, just be sure to knead it for a full 8 minutes. That’s a long time but developing the gluten helps the bread to be soft.
Can I incorporate whole wheat flour in this bread recipe?
This recipe works well with half whole wheat flour mixed with half all-purpose flour for whole wheat sub buns.
Homemade Subway Bread Recipe
- Prep Time: 50
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 9-inch sub buns 1x
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Perfect homemade Subway bread recipe, just like the restaurant. This recipe makes a perfect copycat loaf of Subway bread for sandwiches at home.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of flour and mix with the dough hook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add an additional cup of flour and mix until well combined. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed. The dough should still stick to the bottom of of the bowl, but pull away from the sides. Let the dough mix for around 8 minutes total.
- When the dough has come together but is still sticking a bit to the bottom of the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. The dough should be very soft. Shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for a half hour.
- After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a clean surface and divide it into 4. Roll each piece of dough into a long skinny loaf that is about 9 to 10 inches long.
- Place the rolled loaves onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a baking mat. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Allow at least 2 inches between each loaf on the pan.
- Cover the loaves with a greased piece of plastic wrap and allow the loaves to rise until doubled, about an hour.
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the loaves are ready, bake them in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- When the loaves come out of the oven, rub the tops with a stick of butter and cover them with a dish towel to cool.
- Let the loaves cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting down the middle and topping with your favorite sandwich fixings.
Notes
Rubbing the loaves with butter and covering them with a towel to cool are part of what keeps them very soft, so be sure not to miss those steps.
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: subway bread recipe, subway copycat recipe, easy hero bread recipe, best sandwich bread recipe, subway bread
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Tried and True Bread Recipes:
- Homemade Cornbread Muffins
- Grandma Lucy’s Famous Clover Rolls
- Jumbo Dinner Rolls
- Whole Wheat Spinach Bread
- Big Soft Pretzels
- Homemade Italian Bread
- Easy Bread Sticks Recipe
- Pineapple Zucchini Bread Recipe
- One Hour Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe adapted from Copycat Recipe Guide.
This recipe was originally published in March 2013 and republished in July 2017 with new pictures, new text, and an updated based on retesting and reader feedback. Enjoy!
NOTE: One of the awesome Bless this Mess readers, Kim, had great success using her bread machine to make this recipe. Since so many have asked about that I thought I would share her notes. Kim said that she let the bread machine run the full dough cycle (which is 1.5 hours long). After the cycle she shaped the loaves and let them rise for an hour before baking. Here’s how Kim’s homemade sub bun turned out:
Thank you for sharing Kim! I hope that helps someone else out too.
Enjoy this perfect Homemade Subway Bread recipe, just like the restaurant. This recipes makes a perfect copycat loaf of Subway bread for sandwiches at home.
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This was a great recipe! Soft, fluffy and very flavorful! I had no issues with the yeast or flour measurements. I just used a packet of Fleischmann’s Active Dry Original Yeast and during the first rise, I set the dough in a glass bowl on top of the oven while it’s on low to create a warm area for the dough to rise. I live in the desert in southern Nevada, about 2000ft above sea level and very dry conditions.. Hope these tips help anyone on the feed with their baking. Thanks so much for this!! Husband loves these for… Read more »
Such helpful feedback! Thank you for coming back to share with us.
Doubled the recipe and added the herbs and cheese on top of the bread. So easy and delicious I am making them again.
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Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing what worked for you, so helpful.
Followed recipe exactly twice. The yeast definitely needs to be doubled
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I often speak to the owner of my local Subway, and I had been looking for a way to make bread with soft crust. What Subway does to achieve this, is to spray water on their leaves after baking. I still dont get that super thin, soft crust, but the flavor of Subway is definetly in your recipe. Ive used it 5 times already, from sandwiches to garlic bread to cheesesteak. And, fyi, as I live on East coast, your measurements are perfect for me. Those in higher altitudes or those who add too much flour, dont knead enough, kill… Read more »
Ohhh thank you for the tips and tricks, I appreciate that! Do you spray yours with water after baking? I’ll have to try that!
I worked at Subway for a time. They do not spray water on the bread after baking. The water is sprayed on before being placed in the proofer oven. That prevents the bread from drying out while rising. The loaves are also frozen raw and placed in the proofer still frozen. That may affect the final texture.
Recipe is great except I questioned the amount of yeast. I used only 7 grams; approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons. Never used the amount listed in this recipe ever for a bread recipe. I used olive oil infused with herbs and that added flavor. Works great in a bread machine too. Also, I mix white and whole wheat flour 50/50. Tasty! GREAT recipe.
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I made this recipe and had yhesame problem as a couple other people whose rolls fell flat. The flavor was still nice but it just wasn’t quite as expected. Although, after having this problem with some bread recipes and not others, I did research and found at high altitude, you may need to decrease your yeast. For those over 5,000 ft the yeast should be decreased by 20% (some say even as high as 3,000 ft, yeast should be decreased). I plan to try this and comment again with my results so hopefully everyone can love your recipe and the… Read more »
The loaves fall flat because there is a problem with your proofing. I hae made these, no problem. Check your yeast and make sure to only add as much flour to make the dough slightly sticky but soft. Too much flour or inaccurate proofing/killing your yeast will deflate your loaves.
Everything about this recipe worked for me just the way it was supposed to up to the final rise and baking. What I took out of the oven smelled and tasted delicious, and I have no doubt I’ll make this again, but the loaves looked more like ciabatta than sub rolls. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. Any suggestions as to what I did wrong, so my next attempt will be more Subway-ish?
★★★★
Too much flour. It will vary depending on temp and humidity of your house. Only add enough flour to bring the dough to a slight stick but soft consistency. You can always add a bit more later .
Thank you so much for sharing!!! I am trying so hard to have our family eat at home more and support our local farmers!! I CAN”T wait to make your recipe…Thanks for sharing Kims bread machine tips!
That’s amazing! Eating and buying local is so important. I hope you enjoy the bread!
Thank you ma’am ?❤️ First recipe that done as said ?❤️ Love the smell of homemade bread ? husband approves ??❤️
★★★★★
So happy to hear this!
Love this recipe! I can have warm, delicious sandwich rolls for my family in no time. It works great for holiday dinner rolls, too. I’ve even used it to make a deep dish pizza. Thank you!
★★★★★
That’s so great to hear! I’ll have to try it for pizza!
1 1/2 tbsp sounds like a lot of yeast; is this is for fresh yeast? I only have active dry yeast, so would I need to change the quantity?
Yep, that’s the right amount and no changes will need to be made with active dry yeast. Happy baking!
My bread came out flat like another person said.
Is it 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast? Not teaspoons?
We used tablespoons.
We also live at high altitude.
Not sure what to change or do…
Do you know if your yeast was fresh?
I agree on the quantity of yeast was too much, in my case. My first batch didn’t turn out. I am trying again with half he amount of yeast.