I was going to cut recipe in half, but decided to make full batch just to be safe.  Knowing it was going to be twice the amount needed for the 6 inch rolls.  Was just curious if I could freeze and they would still proof down the road.

Have you ever stored this dough for later use?

Not this particular recipe. I've only made this once. I freeze the loaves after baking. What were you thinking of doing?

Hope they come out close to your last batch.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for 2, six inch Cheese steaks for dinner!

Unless I am just not seeing FMT rolls as they really are, this batch was a fail as far as trying to duplicate what I see in his photo.  I can guarantee if you smash down one of these rolls, it will not bounce back.  It is not to say that it is not light in side, it is, but the outer top is more like a dinner roll.  And I think if you presented this to someone as that they would be please, but that is not what I am looking for.  And an Amoroso or a Hoagie roll I buy at RD or even here at our local Martins is not crusty on the top.  They are soft all over, even on top and they would bounce back.  I have no idea why this is happening.  I guess I will try again tomorrow and mix even longer.  I think the rise and proof are figured out, but I really have no idea how to keep the outside of the bread moist.  Just to be on the safe side, even though my yeast says it is OK, I will go buy new stuff tomorrow!

Time for more bread pudding!

I guess I did not score them, so will do that tomorrow and see if that might be a factor.

I found this on King Arthur web site.
Don't know if it will solve your problem or not...
In this article they are trying for the crispy crust, not a soft one, but explains how to make it soft.

"Once the bread is baked, turn off the oven. Transfer the bread from pan (or stone) to a middle oven rack. Crack the oven door open a couple of inches (a folded potholder works well here), and let it cool right in the cooling oven.
Your goal: avoid condensation.

How does this help keep bread and other baked goods crisp? As the bread (or crackers, or cookies) cools, any leftover moisture in its interior migrates to the surface. If that moisture reaches the surface and hits cool air – e.g., typical room temperature – it condenses on the outer crust, making it soggy. If it hits warm air (your still-warm oven), it evaporates – leaving the crust crisp."

What type of flour did you use?

In what stage is the dough in the pictures with the plastic wrap on? Right after shaping? 30 mintues after shaping?

And how much time between those pictures and the pictures with the plastic off?

Giant (local chain) enriched bread flour.  The photo with the wrap is after about a 45 minute proof, the one without the film is about a minute later and is about 2 minutes before it goes in the oven.

From what I have been reading on a few bread forums, I might try much higher heat, shorter bake time and add water, 3 things I though were aids to a hard exterior.  Nothing like experimentation!

I did this really quick and xxxxxx portrait mode video.  This bread has been in the freezer for a week. I let it thaw on the counter and then smashed. It was even springy-er if that's a thing when fresh.

https://youtu.be/opJXyCWo6To

I wouldn't change a whole lot of variables if you think this is what you are after. I would just work on your mixing technique more than anything else.

I agree that for round 2 I will try kneading more.  I felt like it was pretty close to the dough in the video, but will go a tad longer next time.  If I come up with the same results then, might try a few other things!

The structure in the bred in the last video looks different than in Bentley's bread.

My rolls came out the same way kind of course and crumbly, nothing mike Woman's bread when she made it. Hers was almost silky smooth from what I remember, she made rolls like in my thread, but hers would almost pull apart in thin sheets. It is hard to explain. It was great toasted, mine falls apart when I toast it.

 Unfortunately by the time I was old enough and wise enough to pay attention to how she made her bread, she had switched to using the frozen dough because of her health issues.

I am going to try again sometime but knead it more and maybe more gently, thinking that the crumbly part comes form not developing a good gluten structure. I never tried the window pane I know mine would not have done that.

At it again today.  Made a video of the "slap & fold" technique, after doing mine and looking at the video again, I see I am no where near where they are.   I realize they have much larger pieces, but theirs is much smoother.  So again, maybe not enough mixing.  I did change 2 things, I added 2 more ounces of water, taking the hydration from 58% to 65%.  And I went with half bread flour and half all purpose flour.  It is in the rise stage right now, I think I am going to go with 90 minutes instead of 60.

Slap & Fail...Slap & Fail...

They are now proofing before baking!  Unless there is some great success, this is probably it for awhile!  Even I can afford a $3 pack of rolls!