Italian Herb and Cheese Bread (Subway-Style)

This Subway-Style Italian Herb and Cheese Bread consists of tender, soft fluffy long baguettes baked with a delicious herb and cheese topping.

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Why you'll love this recipe

This recipe for Italian Herbs and Cheese bread is:

Delicious: if you've ever had Subway Italian Herb Cheese bread, this tastes even better than it, with no weird additives or artificial ingredients.

Easy to make: the homemade bread dough is not too sticky or difficult to handle.

Soft, light and tender: no hard, stale bread here as long as you follow my tips!

Versatile: use the bread for footlong sub sandwiches, or cut the baguette for smaller sandwiches.

Ingredients you'll need 

Dough:

• lukewarm water: about body temperature (100F or 37C) for activating the yeast
• active dry yeast: is the leavener in the bread
• granulated sugar
• bread flour: has a higher protein content and develops gluten more easily; you can also use all-purpose flour
• avocado oil: or neutral vegetable oil
• sea salt
• large egg

Italian herb seasoning & cheese:

• dried oregano
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• dried parsley
• grated cheese: you can use parmesan cheese, Monterey jack, cheddar, mozzarella, or a combination of shredded hard cheese

How to make this Subway bread recipe

Make the dough

In a large bowl, combine warm water with active dry yeast and sugar.

Give the mixture a stir and let the yeast activate and foam up, about 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment, add in bread flour, avocado oil, sea salt and egg (Step 1 below).

Once the yeast mixture has activated, pour it into the flour mixture.

Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. If the dough is too wet (depending on the size of your egg), add 1 tablespoon of flour to the dough at a time, and continue kneading until it is just tacky, but not too sticky. Don't add too much flour, however.

Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is (Step 2 below).

Mix the Italian seasoning

In a small bowl, combine the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley. Give it a mix and set aside.

Shape the baguettes

Preheat oven to 375F.

Once the dough has risen, deflate the dough and divide into 6 equal portions. (I used a scale to do this) (Step 3 above).

On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough out into a log, about 12" in length and 3" in width (Step 4 above).

Place onto a 13" by 18" baking sheet lined with parchment paper (Step 5 below).

Repeat with the remainder.

Loosely cover with a cloth and let the baguettes rise, until slightly puffy, about 20-30 minutes.

Spray the tops of the baguettes with a little water.

Use a sharp serrated knife and make a few slits on the surface of each baguette (Step 6 below).

Divide the herb mixture evenly onto the surface of each baguette, and then top with the shredded cheese (Step 7 below).

Bake

Bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes, or until bread reaches an interior temperature of 190F on an instant read thermometer. Cover the tops of the bread with aluminum foil if browning too quickly.

Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack (Step 8 below).

Split in half and use the Italian cheese and herb bread for sandwiches, or as desired.

How to serve

Use the Italian herb cheese bread for sandwiches, garlic bread, or serve it alongside pasta.

How to store & reheat homemade bread

Store the homemade bread in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

You can freeze the bread in an airtight freezer bag for up to 1 month.

To reheat, cover the bread with a lightly damp paper towel and microwave for 60-90 seconds, or until the bread is soft and warmed through.

Expert tips & FAQs

Can I use a baguette pan to bake the bread?

I found that baking the subs in a baguette pan didn't quite turn out as well -- they were too crunchy, and the sizing was off (depending on how big the wells are in your baguette pan).

It's best to use a silicone mold (if you have one), or better yet, just bake them in a half-sheet baking tray (18" by 13").

Can I add whole wheat?

You can substitute with a portion of whole wheat -- just not the entire portion of wheat flour. I would suggest replacing about ⅓rd of the wheat flour with whole wheat flour.

You may need to adjust the amount of liquid as whole wheat flour tends to be more dry than white wheat flour. 

Can I make it gluten-free?

To make it gluten-free, you can try replacing with a 1:1 gluten-free flour.

Other bread recipes you may like

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Italian Herb and Cheese Bread (Subway-Style)

This Subway-Style Italian Herb and Cheese Bread consists of tender, soft fluffy long baguettes baked with a delicious herb and cheese topping.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Resting Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 438kcal

Author: Michelle

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For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

Ingredients

Dough:

• 354 ml warm water
• 1 ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
• 15 g granulated sugar
• 570 g - 600g bread flour or all-purpose flour, just until the dough is slightly tacky to the touch
• 35 ml avocado oil or neutral vegetable oil
• 10 g sea salt
• 1 large egg

Italian Herbs & Cheese:

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 30 g grated cheese parmesan, monterey jack, cheddar, or mozzarella

Instructions

Make the dough:

• In a large bowl, combine warm water with active dry yeast and sugar.
• Give the mixture a stir and let the yeast activate and foam up, about 5 minutes.
• In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment, add in bread flour, avocado oil, sea salt and egg.
• Once the yeast mixture has activated, pour it into the flour mixture.
• Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. If the dough is too wet (depending on the size of your egg), add 1 tablespoon of flour to the dough at a time, and continue kneading until it is just tacky, but not too sticky. Don't add too much flour, however.
• Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm location, about 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Mix the Italian seasoning:

• In a small bowl, combine the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley. Give it a mix and set aside.

Shape the baguettes:

• Preheat oven to 375°F/191°C.
• Once the dough has risen, deflate the dough and divide into 6 equal portions. (I used a scale to do this).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough out into a log, about 12" in length and 3" in width.
• Place onto a 13" by 18" baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Repeat with the remainder.
• Loosely cover with a cloth and let the baguettes rise, until slightly puffy, about 20-30 minutes.
• Spray the tops of the baguettes with a little water.
• Use a sharp serrated knife and make a few slits on the surface of each baguette.
• Divide the herb mixture evenly onto the surface of each baguette, and then top with the shredded cheese.

Bake:

• Bake at 375°F/191°C for 18-20 minutes, or until bread reaches an interior temperature of 190F on an instant read thermometer. Cover the tops of the bread with aluminum foil if browning too quickly.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
• Split in half and use for sandwiches, or as desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 695mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.

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Adapted from Alyona's Cooking