Hawaiian Rolls

4.63 from 48 votes
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Hawaiian Rolls - soft and sweet rolls recipe made with pineapple juice. Homemade Hawaiian buns are easy to make with simple ingredients and fail-proof.

Hawaiian rolls are sweet rolls with pineapple juice.
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Hawaiian Rolls Recipe

Hawaiian rolls are pillowy soft, fluffy and lightly sweet rolls from Hawaii, thanks to the use of pineapple juice and brown sugar. These King’s Hawaiian rolls are made famous by a bakery on the Big Island.

The pineapple flavor is subtle, but it gives these Hawaiian sweet rolls that familiar flavor we all love.

These Hawaiian rolls will become your new go to roll recipe for dinner as well as holidays such as Thanksgiving!


How To Make Hawaiian Rolls

Hawaiian rolls, top down photo.

The recipe begins with a sponge. The extra time allows for the dough to properly ferment and naturally mature the flour.

This step produces more depth of flavor and a lighter and fluffier texture.

I used a stand mixer to mix my dough. This is a very sticky dough and I added a few more tablespoons of flour to help the dough come together towards the end of the kneading process.

I divided the dough into 15 pieces, 3 across and 5 down.

Before baking in a 350 degree oven, brush the buns with an egg white mixture. This will give these sweet rolls a satiny and soft crust.


What To Eat Hawaiian Buns With

Soft and sweet Hawaiian rolls, fresh off the oven.

The most popular way to enjoy Hawaiian rolls is to make Hawaiian roll sliders.

You can fill these buns with Hawaiian Kalua pork, pulled pork, ham and cheese, chicken salad or egg salad.

These rolls can also be used in bread pudding; you can also cube them and bake them into croutons.


Baking Tips

  • Use room temp canned pineapple juice. Fresh pineapple juice contains enzymes which will destroy the gluten.
  • This dough can be shaped into 6 hamburger or hot dog buns.
  • Equal amount of corn starch can be substituted for potato starch.
  • You can reduce the amount of brown sugar for a less sweet version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze Hawaiian rolls?

Yes, you can freeze fully baked rolls for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temp and reheat at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Can I use active dry yeast?

Instant yeast is preferred for this recipe. The instant yeast will produce a higher-rising bun. If you do use active dry yeast the rising should be 30 minutes longer with both rises.

How many calories per serving?

Each Hawaiian bun is only 68 calories.

Hawaiian rolls, ready to be eaten.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Serve the buns with butter or your favorite preserves, or make them into sliders.

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4.63 from 48 votes

Hawaiian Rolls

Hawaiian Rolls – soft and sweet rolls recipe made with pineapple juice. Homemade Hawaiian buns are easy to make with simple ingredients and fail-proof.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 15 buns
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Ingredients  

Sponge

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 2 tablespoons water

Dough

  • 1/2 cup canned pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup softened, unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, egg white reserved
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons potato flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Instructions 

  • For the sponge: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sponge ingredients. Allow the sponge to rest for 15 minutes.
  • Add the pineapple juice, butter, brown sugar, eggs and yolk, and vanilla, mixing until well combined. Whisk together the remaining flour, potato flour, and salt before adding to the liquid ingredients.
  • Mix and knead until the dough is cohesive and smooth; it'll be very sticky at first. Beat with the flat beater of your stand mixer for about 3 minutes at medium-high speed.
  • Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes at medium speed. It may have formed a very soft ball, but will probably still be sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
  • Lightly grease the mixing bowl, round the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl or measure. Cover, and let rise until very puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
    Hawaiian Rolls
  • Lightly grease a 9" x 13" (23cm x 33cm) baking pan. Gently deflate the dough. Divide it into 15 equal pieces. Round each piece into a smooth ball. Space the buns in the pan.
    Hawaiian Rolls
  • Cover the dough gently with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in the pan for 1 hour, until it's nicely puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
  • Mix the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon cold water, and brush some onto the surface of the rolls; this will give them a satiny crust. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the inside is cooked through.
    Baked Hawaiian Rolls in a baking pan.
  • Remove the rolls from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and turn them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm with butter or your favorite preservers.

Video

Notes

You may store leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

Nutrition

Serving: 15buns, Calories: 68kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 204mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





45 Comments

  1. Alison says:

    Where is the recipe?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Hi Alison, thanks for letting me know. The recipe card was accidentally deleted. I have added it back!

    2. Alison says:

      5 stars
      Thank you! Love the recipe and was sad I hadn’t saved it.

  2. Liza says:

    Hi,can I use potato flakes from the instant mashed potatoes,instead of buying potato flour?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Liza, that’s probably not a good idea. Instant mashed potatoes contain a lot of additives, which would definitely give you a different result for the rolls.

  3. Madelynn says:

    Can the Hawaiian Rolls be made with gluten-free flour?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      It can, just adjust as needed. Many references for gluten free Hawaiian rolls online to help.

  4. Penny says:

    Can you use bread flour with this recipe?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I think so!

  5. Brandy says:

    Hello, if I use active dry yeast, should I bloom it in warm water? Or can I just use it exactly how the instant yeast is and just let rise for extra time as directed?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Please check the instructions of your yeast.

  6. Grace Fuller says:

    Very light and fluffy!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome.

  7. Annemarie says:

    These rolls turned out beautifully! Perfectly tender crumb and lovely flavor. One change we made was we used 1/4 cup sourdough discard and 3/4T active yeast, proofed in 2T water in place of the sponge and followed directions exactly from there. So true, these will be our go to dinner, breakfast, lunch, snack rolls!

      1. Bev McCarthy says:

        Is potato flour a must? I have never used it in anything before.

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Please follow the recipe, it gives the slightly chewy texture.

      2. Darlene Shields says:

        Can this recipe be used for a loaf of bread?

        1. Bee Yinn Low says:

          Yes you can try!

  8. Peter says:

    1/4 cup flour is 32 grams, not 28. I used your 28 to calculate 2 3/4, which came out to be 308 instead of the correct 352. I guess this is why my dough was closer to a pancake mix than that in the picture…

  9. Caroline Depcik says:

    I do not have a stand mixer with a hook. Can it be made with with hand mixer with the swirly hooks?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I think it’s fine. You can also knead with hand after that.