Chewy Italian Sesame Rolls

Old-school Italian bakeries always have the best bread. But I can’t always get to one, and the grocery store rolls don’t hold up (you know, the ones that are too soft and get squished down to nothing?). So, I make my own chewy Italian sesame rolls that are chewy, dense, and have a nice sesame seed crust. They can handle any hoagie filling without getting soggy and are great for dunking in sauce. They’re also easy to make and don’t take all day.

close up of Italian rolls topped with sesame seeds.

Chewy Italian Sesame Rolls

These crusty rolls have that classic dense, chewy texture you find in old-school Italian bakeries – perfect for hoagies or dunking in sauce. The key is a lean dough without any enrichments. Makes 8 rolls.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Serving Size 8 rolls

Ingredients 

  • 4 cups bread flour
  • teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water for topping
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds

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Instructions 

  • Mix. Combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or bread machine on the DOUGH cycle. Add water. Mix with a dough hook on low speed until ingredients come together, about 2 minutes.
    all ingredients in bowl.
  • Knead. Increase speed to medium and knead for 10-12 minutes until the dough is very smooth and elastic. The dough should be fairly stiff. You can also knead by hand, but it will take about 15 minutes at least.
    dough kneaded by hand on counter.
  • Rise. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
    dough ball resting in bowl.
  • Divide. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces. (This makes a good sandwich size, but 12 or 16 pieces is better for dinner rolls)
    dough divided into 8 balls and resting on parchment paper.
  • Shape. Form each piece into a tight ball by pulling edges under and pinching to seal. Place on two parchment-lined baking sheets.
    dough ball shaped with edges pinched at bottom.
  • Proof. Cover shaped rolls with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until puffy but not double – about 45 minutes.
  • Prepare. Brush rolls gently with egg white mixture and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
    dough balls topped with sesame seeds.
  • Bake. Bake rolls at 375 ℉ for 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until deep golden brown and crusty. Cool on wire racks.

Notes

I also like to roll these into oval rolls for sandwiches. If you’re looking for a super soft sub roll, you won’t love these. They have a lot of chew!
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 593mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg

What makes these great is what’s NOT in them. No eggs, milk, or butter. Just a simple lean dough of flour, water, yeast, and salt. Keeping it simple will create that dense, chewy texture we want for meatball subs or dipping in pasta sauce.

close up of rolls topped with sesame seeds.

Don’t rush the kneading or rising. Even though in the bread world, a 2-hour rise is pretty short. But still, let it have the time it needs.

Kitchen Wisdom

To get that dense structure, you need plenty of gluten. This means kneading longer until the dough is completely smooth and elastic. It should feel stiff, not sticky, like ciabatta dough.

Tips for Success

Watch the first rise carefully – letting it go too long will result in a lighter, airier roll (which isn’t what we want here).

When shaping, make sure to pinch the seams tightly closed, or your rolls will split while baking.

The egg white wash needs to be thorough but gentle – too rough, and you’ll deflate the rolls.

They’re done when they’re DEEP golden brown – pale rolls won’t have that crusty exterior.

Ingredients and Equipment

Bread Flour: Essential for developing that chewy texture – all-purposewon’tt give you the same results.

Instant Yeast: This makes the process foolproof since it can be mixed right with flour.

Stand Mixer: While you can knead by hand, a stand mixer with a dough hook makes this SO much easier.

Parchment Paper: Prevents sticking without adding extra flour that could make the bottom too tough.

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Make It Your Own

Shape them differently or add different toppings.

  • Shape into longer rolls for hoagies or smaller ones for dinner rolls
  • Try poppy seeds or a mix of sesame and poppy for topping
  • Add 1 tablespoon of dried Italian herbs to the dough for herb rolls
  • Leftover rolls make amazing homemade croutons or breadcrumbs

Storage & Serving

Serve as a meatball sub, a classic Italian hoagie with meat and cheese, or as a side with chicken fried steak and gravy, or spaghetti and meatballs.

  • These rolls are best the day they’re baked but will keep at room temperature for 2 days in a paper bag (avoid plastic or they’ll get soft).
  • To refresh, splash with water and pop in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes. They also freeze beautifully – thaw at room temperature and crisp up in the oven.

The next time you’re craving a really good Italian sandwich, skip the grocery store and pull these rolls out of your oven instead. Once you’ve made them yourself, there’s no going back.

sesame rolls resting on blue and white patterned cloth in basket.
picture of smiling female

By Katie Shaw

Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.

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