I want subways – we have subways at home

After months of trial and error, I finally nailed the perfect soft-but-sturdy sub roll and turned it into the best cold Italian sandwich I’ve ever eaten.

Everything is made from scratch except the cured meats and cheese.

One sandwich (full 12-inch version) clocks in at roughly 900 kcal and 60 g protein.

Half is perfect for maintenance/deload days.Sourdough Sub Rolls (makes 6 large 12-inch rolls)

Ingredients
150 g active 100 % hydration sourdough starter (fed and bubbly)
30 g honey
375 g water (room temp)
45 g olive oil
750 g bread flour
15 g salt

Instructions

Mix starter, sugar, and water until dissolved.
Add oil, then flour and salt. Mix to a shaggy dough. Cover and rest 60 minutes.

Perform 4–5 sets of stretch & folds, 30–45 minutes apart, until the dough is smooth and strong.

Bulk ferment in a warm spot until increased ~50–70 % (usually 3–4 hours).

Divide into 6 × ~225 g pieces. Pre-shape into balls, rest 15 min, then shape into tight 10–12 inch logs.

Final proof (covered) until puffy and a gentle poke springs back slowly (45–90 min).

Preheat oven to 200 °C / 392 °F with steam. Egg wash, slash lengthwise, sprinkle with oregano/garlic/Parmesan if desired.

Bake 25–30 minutes until lightly golden. Brush hot rolls with melted butter. Cool completely.

Macros per full baked roll (~180–190 g)

≈ 590 kcal | 17 g protein | 100 g carbs | 12 g fat

The Italian Sub aka The Subussy LOL (per full sandwich)

Ingredients (per sandwich)

1 freshly baked sub roll
40 g mortadella
40 g hot capicola (or sweet)
40 g genoa salami
30 g light provolone or swiss
20–25 g “Dagwood” sauce (recipe below)
Handful of arugula

Dagwood Sauce (makes a big batch)
100 g light mayo
100 g golden Italian dressing
30 g yellow mustard
20 g red wine vinegar
20 g olive oil
Garlic powder, dried oregano, black pepper to taste

Shake in a bottle – keeps weeks.

Assembly
Split roll, spread both cut sides generously with sauce, layer meats and cheese, pile on veggies, close, wrap tight in parchment + foil.

Let it sit in the fridge at least a few hours (ideally overnight) – the flavors meld and the bread softens perfectly.

Macros – full 12-inch sandwich

≈ 900 kcal
≈ 60 g protein
≈ 85 g carbs
≈ 40 g fat

Half sandwich (perfect for maintenance/deload)
≈ 450 kcal | 30 g protein

Notes

Rolls freeze beautifully.
Half sandwich + normal meals keeps me right at maintenance on deload weeks while still feeling like I’m cheating.

Full sandwich is an absolute weapon when I’m in a hard surplus.

Enjoy.

These have legitimately become my favorite meal of the week.

(Photos attached – before/after baking + cross-section of the final sub)