Homemade Meatball Subs

Last week I made one of our family's favorite recipes-Homemade Meatball Subs. I thought I would share.

To make these homemade, I had to find a good sub bun recipe. I found this one a couple of years ago. We all love it. They turn out every time!

http://www.budget101.com/general-recipes/1620-easy-homemade-sub-rolls.html

3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup Crisco shortening, melted
1 cup full-fat milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour (more as needed)

Prepare a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a kneader attachment.
Place about 3-1/2 cups flour in the bowl.
Melt the shortening in the microwave; add to the bowl with the flour.
In a measuring cup, measure out 1 cup milk, then add in 4 tablespoons sugar and the salt; heat until quite warm in the microwave, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Pour the milk into the bowl with the melted shortening and flour; cover the bowl with a towel to keep ingredients warm.

Proof the yeast in a 3/4 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar for about 8-10 minutes or until foamy.
After proofing, add to the bowl and start kneading for about 3-4 minutes, then add in more flour as needed to create a soft semi-sticky dough, knead about 8 more minutes until smooth. (I usually have 4 1/4 cups of flour total)

Place the dough on a very lightly floured counter or board; let rest for 5-10 minutes, covered with a clean towel.
Grease a large bowl, then place the dough into bowl to rise in a warm place for about 50-60 minutes

Punch down dough.

Cut into pieces (I usually cut into 6 pieces), and shape large balls.
Let dough balls rest for about 4 minutes (or just enough time to make shaping easier).
Shape the dough into desired length for buns.

Sprinkle a large cookie/baking sheet with cornmeal, or lightly grease with cooking spray.
Place the long pieces of dough on a baking sheet (shape once again if you need to).
Cover and let rise for about 25 minutes, or until doubled.
Set oven to 375 degrees.
Bake for about 22-25 minutes, or until dark golden brown.

 

 

For the meatballs, I took a shortcut. I just put a box of Stove Top stuffing, 1 1/4 cup of water, and 2 eggs in with about 2 pounds of ground chuck. I rolled them out and baked them in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes. Make them small so they they are easier to eat in the subs.

 

Then I put the meatballs into spaghetti sauce and let them simmer a little bit. I cut the sub buns. (Don't cut them all they way in half--just about 3/4 of the way to the bottom) Fill the buns with the meatball/sauce mixture and place on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil. Top with mozzarella cheese. Place the subs in a 375 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.