Homemade Meatball Subs

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

To make these homemade, I had to find a good sub bun recipe. I found this one a couple of years ago (http://www.budget101.com/general-recipes/1620-easy-homemade-sub-rolls.html). We all love it. They turn out every time!

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons dry yeast

1/4 cup Crisco, melted

1 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons sugar

4 1/4 cups flour (more as needed)

Start by proofing the yeast in 3/4 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar for about 8-10 minutes or until foamy.

Meanwhile, place about 3-1/2 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl. 

Melt the shortening in the microwave and add it to the bowl with the flour.

In a measuring cup, measure out 1 cup of milk. Add 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. of salt. Heat until quite warm in the microwave (about 1 1/2 minutes), stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Pour the heated milk into the bowl with the melted shortening and flour. Add the proofed yeast and stir contents together. 

 Slowly, while mixing, add in about 3/4 cup of flour to create a soft semi-sticky dough. (Knead about 8 minutes, or until smooth. 

Place the dough on a very lightly floured counter. 

Grease a large bowl, then place the dough in the bowl to rise covered in a warm place for about one hour.

Punch down dough.

Cut into pieces (I usually cut into 6 pieces), and shape large balls.

Let dough balls rest for about 2 minutes (or just enough time to make shaping easier).

Shape the dough into desired length for buns.

Sprinkle a large 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 15 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until 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 cooked 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.