Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Content… What Is It? Ingredient List How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Divine Bread Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

What Are Hawaiian Sweet Rolls?

Hawaiian sweet rolls are light, buttery, and slightly sweet dinner rolls with pineapple for an amazing tropical twist. Most recipes call for pineapple juice and milk, but quite a few have crushed pineapple.

I prefer the latter; trust me, you’ll barely taste the pineapple, and it adds a mouthwatering touch you won’t want to miss. To create this Hawaiian sweet rolls recipe, I added pineapple and brown sugar to my already trusted milk bread.

Ingredient List

1. Yeast gives the rolls a good rise for soul-satisfying fluffiness. Active dry, instant, and rapid-rise yeasts all work fine. Activate it with warm (not hot) water.
2. Milk provides the liquid to make the dough while contributing to a gorgeous golden brown while baking.
3. Flavors – Brown sugar, butter, pineapple, and vanilla extract enhance flavor for a Hawaiian comfort food flair.
4. Eggs do so much. They provide fat and structure, and the yolks give the bread an appetizing yellow hue.
5. Flour – All-purpose and bread flour both work fine for this recipe. Whatever you have on hand.
6. Egg Wash – A little milk and an egg yolk give the rolls a finishing touch with a shiny, golden exterior.

How to Make Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Make the Dough

• Activate Yeast – Combine 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water and the yeast in a stand mixer. Stir and let dissolve for about 5 minutes. (Yes, you can also mix by hand.) (Photo 1)
• Combine milk, butter pieces, sugar, and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for a few seconds, and stir. Repeat until the butter melts. If the mixture is over 115℉ (45℃), let it cool so it doesn’t kill the yeast and curdle the eggs. (Photos 2-3)
• Eggs – Lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla extract, then add them to the butter mixture. Dump everything into the yeast mixture. (Photo 4)
• Pineapple – Add the pineapple and mix on medium-high using a dough hook until thoroughly combined. (Photo 4)
• Flour – Add 3¾ cups of bread flour while mixing. Continue mixing for about 8 minutes. Stop kneading when the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add as little flour as little as possible to make a soft dough. (Photos 6-7)
• Knead by Hand – Alternatively, turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for 8-10 minutes. (Photo 7)
• Rise – Place bread dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size. Punch the dough down. (Photos 8-9)

Make the Sweet Rolls

• Make Rolls – Divide the dough into 12 equally-sized pieces and shape them into balls. Place them in a greased 12-inch round pan. Or you can make a loaf of bread by shaping the dough into a log and settling it seam-side down into a greased loaf pan. (Photo 10)
• Egg Wash – Whisk the milk and egg yolk, then brush the rolls or bread with the egg wash. Cover the bread rolls with a clean towel and let them rise for 2 hours. You can refrigerate for up to 24 hours; they will rise slower and taste amazing.
• Bake – Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, and they sound hollow when tapped (about 20 minutes). Remove from the pan and let cool. They’re absolutely delicious served warm.

Recipe Variations

1. Tropical Add-Ins – Add shredded coconut to the dough for an extra tropical burst. You can also add a small cube of pineapple to the middle of each roll while shaping them.
2. Dessert Rolls – Instead of egg wash, brush melted butter on the rolls and sprinkle with brown sugar and ground cinnamon before baking.
3. Hawaiian Pizza Rolls – Add chopped ham and grated mozzarella to the dough for more yum.

Tips and Tricks 

1. If your yeast becomes foamy when activating, it should be good. If it doesn’t, toss it and get fresh.
2. Make sure the water isn’t hot enough to kill the yeast. Dipping a clean finger in to check is a good hack if you don’t have a thermometer. If it feels hot, it’s probably too hot. Anywhere between 95℉ (35℃) and 115℉ (45℃) will be fine.
3. For fluffy bread, be patient and let it rise until it doubles in size. Taking longer to rise on cool days and less on warm, humid days is perfectly normal.
4. If your bread does not rise in an hour, try turning on the oven to warm for 10 minutes. Then, turn it off and let the dough rise in the oven.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

I love making a double or triple batch of these sweet Hawaiian rolls. They freeze great for 2-3 months in an airtight ziplock bag, and heating them back up in the oven for 5-10 minutes brings back all the freshness. They last a week in the fridge (properly stored) and 2-3 days in a bread bin at room temperature.

You can also freeze the dough, and when ready for fresh-baked bread, thaw the dough, knead, make the rolls, and bake.

What to Serve With Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Pair these delicate rolls with sweet potato soup or carrot ginger soup for a cozy, hearty weeknight meal. You can also enjoy Hawaiian sweet rolls for lunch. Pile on the pulled pork for a quick and tasty midday treat.

More Divine Bread Recipes to Try

1. Perfect Brioche Bread
2. Pull-Apart Garlic Bread Rolls
3. Potato Bread Rolls
4. Irish Soda Bread
5. Focaccia Bread

Watch How to Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”iSCHj7m3″ upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:36:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Hawaiian Sweet Rolls” description=”Hawaiian Sweet Rolls – Fresh and warm Hawaiian rolls; buns that have a kick of sweetness from the pineapple juice, brushed with butter and baked to perfection. You are never going  to buy store bought version again.”]
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This blog post was originally published in March 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video