I love having such a handy Dad!

I don't live in the same town as my parents, but they visit lots because they don't live far. Every time my parents come, I look for a fun recipe to make. This weekend, in honor of Father's Day- I wanted a "manly" meal. I decided on Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches on homemade Deli Style Rolls.
My dad is great! He is super handy and very accomplished. In the span of his career, he became President of a large bank in my home town and later went on to start his own bank. He also has his own Christmas tree farm (interesting combo, I know!) where out family spends a lot of time together through the holiday season. He can also build just about anything I need out of wood! He made a beautiful set of cabinets in my kitchen with frosted glass doors and recently built a new deck on the side of my house. It's wonderful and has such a beautiful design! I can hardly remember a time he has come to visit and hasn't fixed something :) It's great to have a handy dad. He's pretty great in the advice department too- and never judges our decisions, good or bad!

Now- on to the food! I couldn't make this wonderful sandwich without making my own rolls first. I used What's For Dinner Mom's Deli Style Sandwich Rolls. A great crust with a very soft center!


This recipe calls for yeast, bread flour, vital wheat gluten, water, oil, sugar, salt and malt powder. I was unable to find the malt powder I needed for this- so I left it out. The buns were still wonderful!

Since I was not using a bread machine, I began by proofing my yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water with 1 TBS of the sugar. I added in the flour, water, remaining sugar, salt, vital wheat gluten and oil. I ended up using just shy of 6 cups of bread flour. I kneaded the dough until it formed a soft ball and placed in an oiled bowl to rise.


I allowed the dough to rise for about 1 hour...and it got HUGE! I then shaped into hoagie style rolls and allowed to rise for another 30 minutes.


Before baking, I brushed my rolls with a little milk. I baked them at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.


Golden brown with a beautiful crust! I got 12 hoagie rolls out of this recipe. I still need to work on shaping these for next time :)

Then I cut up 2 green bell peppers and 1 Vidalia onion.

I also used 1 1/2 pounds of round steak cut into sandwich slices. I actually pounded these out a bit more and cut into smaller strips to fit my sandwich better.

I browned my steak while the veggies cooked.

I don't think there is anything that tops the smell of fresh baked bread combined with peppers and onions as they cook!


The finished product, served with melted provolone cheese and corn on the cob. It was a delicious Saturday lunch- which was even better, because I shared it with my dad.

Happy Father's Day Dad!!!!