Like a cross between a baguette and ciabatta but without any of the fuss, this giant roll is perfect for sandwiches of all kinds. It’s made with a 4-ingredient no-knead dough and emerges from the oven with a crisp yet thin crust and a light, airy crumb.

Giant sandwich roll dough, halved on a cutting board.

This giant sandwich roll recipe is inspired by ​Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread​, but the shaping and baking methods differ: rather than shape the dough into a round, you stretch it into a long oval; rather than bake it in a preheated Dutch oven, you use an unpreheated sheet pan.

Made with four ingredients — flour, water, salt, and yeast — the dough comes together quickly, and while it requires no kneading, it benefits from one set of stretches and folds, which helps strengthen its gluten structure, allowing it to trap air bubbles and bake into a light, airy loaf.

This giant roll is like a cross between a baguette and ciabatta but without any of the fuss. The crust is thin and crisp, the crumb wild and amorphous. And while these qualities make it a great choice for sandwiches of all kinds, it’s also a great dinner bread, perfect with ​soup​ or anything ​saucy​.

How to Make A Giant Overnight Sandwich Roll, Step by Step

First, gather your ingredients: flour, salt, water, and instant yeast.

The ingredients to make a giant overnight sandwich roll on a countertop: flour, water, salt, yeast.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:

The dry ingredients to make sandwich roll dough whisked together in a large glass bowl.

Add the water:

Water added to the dry ingredients to make sandwich roll dough in a large glass bowl.

Then mix until you have a sticky dough ball:

Just-mixed sandwich roll dough in a large bowl.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes:

A lidded 4-qt Pyrex bowl holding sandwich roll dough.

Uncover the bowl:

Sandwich roll dough after a 30-minute rest.

… and with a wet hand, stretch and fold the dough:

Stretched and folded overnight sandwich roll dough in a large glass bowl.

Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 12-18 hours or until the surface is covered in bubbles:

Giant sandwich roll dough, after an overnight rise, its surface nice and bubbly.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface:

Overnight sandwich roll dough, turned out on a lightly floured work surface.

Then ball it up:

Giant sandwich roll dough, balled up on a countertop.

Transfer it to a lightly floured vessel, such as a lidded DoughMate, or a 9×13-inch vessel, which you should cover with plastic wrap or a sheet pan.

Balled up sandwich roll dough in a floured DoughMate.

Let it rest for roughly one hour, then, using floured hands, stretch it into an oval:

Sandwich roll dough, stretched into a log in a DoughMate.

Cover the vessel and let it rest for another 2 hours or until it has puffed and is very light to the touch:

Proofed sandwich roll dough stretched into a log in a lightly floured DoughMate.

Using lightly floured hands, carefully but swiftly, lift the dough from the vessel, and, stretching it lengthwise, transfer it to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Dimple it gently, then transfer it to the oven.

Giant sandwich roll dough stretched into a log on an extra-large parchment-lined sheet pan.

Bake for roughly 20 minutes or until it is nicely golden brown:

Just-baked giant sandwich roll on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Let it cool for roughly 20 minutes before…

A just-baked giant sandwich roll on a cutting board.

… halving…

Giant sandwich roll dough, halved on a cutting board.

And filling as you wish…this one has roasted red peppers and whipped ricotta:

A giant sandwich made on a large roll.

This one is an Italian combo:

A giant sandwich on a cutting board.

Both are delicious and great for a party:

Sliced sandwiches on a board.

The recipe doubles well, too:

Two overnight sandwich rolls, just baked on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
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Giant sandwich roll dough, halved on a cutting board.

Giant Overnight Sandwich Roll

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5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Total Time: 18 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 1 giant loaf 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Like a cross between a baguette and ciabatta but without any of the fuss, this giant roll is perfect for sandwiches of all kinds. It’s made with a 4-ingredient no-knead dough and emerges from the oven with a crisp yet thin crust and a light, airy crumb.

Notes:

  • I’ve made this with Petra 0102 flour, which has become a favorite for both bread and pizza, and King Arthur bread flour, which also works really well here. 

Equipment:

  • As always, for best results use a scale to measure. 
  • A DoughMate is helpful for storing the shaped sandwich roll as it proofs at room temperature for several hours. If you don’t have one, you can use a 9×13-inch container, but you’ll want to cover it with plastic wrap or another pan to create an airtight lid to prevent the dough from drying out. 
  • An X-large Sheet Pan is helpful for baking, especially if you plan on making a double batch and baking two loaves at once. You can use a standard half-sheet pan, too — if you do, you’ll stretch the dough diagonally across the pan when ready to bake. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (256 g) unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) instant yeast
  • 7/8 cups (205 g) cold water, tap is fine

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Stretch and fold the dough: Fill a small bowl with water. Using a wet hand, stretch and fold the dough by grabbing an edge and pulling it up and towards the center. Repeat this stretching and folding process, 8 to 10 times, moving your hand around the edge of the dough with every set of stretches and folds. As you stretch and fold, you should feel the dough transform from being sticky and shaggy to smooth and cohesive. 
  3. Let it rise: Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until it doubles in volume and the surface is covered with bubbles, 12-18 hours.
  4. Ball up: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using flour as needed, ball it up. Dust it lightly with flour.
  5. Proof: If you have a DoughMate, dust it lightly with flour. If you don’t, dust a 9×13-inch (or larger) pan with flour. Using floured hands, transfer the dough ball to the prepared vessel. Let it rest for 1 hour. Using floured hands, stretch it into a log. Cover the vessel and let the dough rest for 2 hours, or until the dough feels very light to the touch. 
  6. Bake: Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line an extra-large sheet pan (ideally) or standard half sheet pan with parchment paper. Dust the dough lightly with flour, and gently spread the flour across its surface. Using lightly floured hands, quickly lift the log from the vessel and transfer it to the prepared sheet pan, stretching it as you do — if you’re using an extra-long sheet pan, it should stretch the length of the pan (about 18 to 19 inches). If you are using a standard sheet pan, stretch it the diagonal length of the pan. Using lightly floured hands again, lightly dimple the log. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  7. Let cool: Remove the pan from the oven, transfer it to a cooling rack, and let the loaves cool completely or for at least 30 minutes on the sheet pan before cutting and serving.
  • Prep Time: 18 hours
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American