Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Hawaiian Sweet Bread Rolls Recipe. Soft, fluffy Hawaiian rolls enjoy a kick of sweetness from the pineapple juice, brushed with butter and baked to perfection. You’ll never want to buy the store-bought version again.

Brushing freshly baked Hawaiian Sweet Rolls with butter

These melt-in-your-mouth rolls are fruity, fluffy, and a hundred times tastier than the store-bought version. Besides, you just can’t beat the mouthwatering aroma of homemade bread fresh from the oven.

I must admit that bread rolls are my favorite part of dining out. Sometimes, I skip the main course and just eat the delicious, fresh-baked buns until I’m stuffed. It may not be good for my waistline, but I can’t help it! You understand, right?

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

Slathering an insanely good Hawaiian sweet roll with butter

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

Ingredients you'll need to make Hawaiian bread rolls
  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

Activate yeast, mix wet ingredients, add flour

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)
Knead the dough, let it rise, make the rolls, brush with egg wash, let rise again, and bake

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.
Brushing hot from the oven Hawaiian sweet rolls with melted butter

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.

A basket full of mouthwatering Hawaiian sweet bread rolls

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

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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

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Soft, fluffy Hawaiian rolls enjoy a kick of sweetness from the pineapple juice, brushed with butter and baked to perfection. You'll never want to buy the store-bought version again.
Makes about 12-24 rolls
4.91 from 10 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon (9g) active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) warm water (105-115℉/40-45℃)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) milk (105-115℉/40-45℃)
  • ¾ cup (150g) brown sugar
  • 6 ounces (170g) unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • teaspoons (7-8ml) vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (170g) crushed pineapple, drained
  • 3¾-4 cups (450-480g) flour (bread or all-purpose flour)

Egg Wash (for brushing top)

  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk

Instructions

  • In a stand mixer, combine 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water and the yeast. Mix well and let sit until dissolved for about 5 minutes. (You can also mix and knead by hand.)
  • Meanwhile, 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.
  • Lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla extract, then add them to the butter mixture. Dump everything into the yeast mixture.
  • Add the pineapple, and mix on medium-high using a dough hook until well combined.
  • Then add 3¾ cups of flour and mix the dough for about 8 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add as little flour as little as possible to make a soft dough.
  • Or turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes.
  • 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.
  • Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Place them in a greased 12-inch round pan. Or you can make bread by shaping the dough into a log and settling it seam-side down into a greased loaf pan.
  • Whisk the milk and egg yolk, then brush the rolls or bread with the egg wash. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours. You can refrigerate for up to 24 hours; they will rise slower and taste amazing.
  • 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.

Tips & Notes:

  • If your yeast becomes foamy when activating, it should be good. If it doesn’t, toss it and get fresh.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
 

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1roll| Calories: 231kcal (12%)| Carbohydrates: 37g (12%)| Protein: 5g (10%)| Fat: 7g (11%)| Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g| Monounsaturated Fat: 2g| Trans Fat: 0.2g| Cholesterol: 39mg (13%)| Sodium: 91mg (4%)| Potassium: 79mg (2%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 9g (10%)| Vitamin A: 220IU (4%)| Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)| Calcium: 23mg (2%)| Iron: 2mg (11%)

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53 Comments

  1. I loved these and so easy to make just be careful when adding pineapple to drain really well otherwise it’s too wet. Making this recipe again this Saturday for my daughters and grand daughters, dividing them into 12 pieces they were to big for me so doing them a little smaller this time .. but Thanks for this recipe I LUV IT

  2. After Pre heating at 350F after you place in the shaped bowls in the oven do you reduce the heat to how many Degrees F. Thanks

  3. Hello! I just saw this on your Instagram page. Totally LOVING it! My question is can I swap out the milk for almond milk or coconut milk. Kindly advise. Thank you.

    1. Welcome to the blog! Yes, you may replace the milk with almond or coconut milk. Enjoy! 🙂

  4. I just mixed these and my batter was like cake batter. I have added about 3 cups more to make it kneadable. I doubt it will rise. I am very not happy. I reduced butter to 1/4 cups, used homemade crushed pineapple 3/4 cups. Everything was followed to a T. What could have gone wrong

    1. Sorry to hear about this, did you use U.S standard measuring cups? Me thinks that is the culprit. I have made this recipe several times and it does work.

      1. Mine was the same….. Im in England but the measurements are relative.. Surely…I don’t know.. Anyway, I added more flour a s my fingers are crossed

    2. It is the fresh pineapple. Look online to see how to heat the pineapple so the enzymes don’t damage the gluten. 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Could you please teach me how to increase(double, triple…etc) a recipe without changing its consistency? I have tried to and horribly failed at it before.
    Thank you.

  6. 5 stars
    I love these! I also doubled them . They keep well in the ice box, reheat just fine. My family says they have an almost sour dough flavor. Thank-you!

  7. THANK YOU!!! I have tried so many recipes trying to get one that actually tastes like hawaiian bread. I just put them in the oven and the dough tastes AWESOME!!!

  8. 5 stars
    Have made these rolls several times now and the entire family loves them!! I double the recipe and freeze a couple dozen at a time and use them for pulled pork sandwiches. These freeze perfectly and reheated are just like when they first come out of the oven on baking day.

    1. Glad to know it has become a family favorite. Thanks for the feedback- greatly appreciate!

4.91 from 10 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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