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Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls ~ A lightly sweet roll flavored with pineapple juice for a hearty, fluffy, homemade treat that comes together in minutes. Terrific topped with ham, hot pepper jelly and your favorite cheese.
Not only has Christmas come and gone with lightening speed, 2014 is about to expire never to come again. We steam-rolled from Thanksgiving to Christmas and now we have another milestone holiday centered around celebrating with family, friends, food and drinks. If you’re looking for a New Year’s recipe – you may want to take a closer look at these lovely rolls. Have you ever had Hawaiian Rolls from the Deli department of your grocery store? These copycat homemade Hawaiian rolls pair perfectly with left over ham, cheese and hot pepper jelly to make a pretty terrific slider. Made with unsweetened pineapple juice, the fluffy rolls have a lightly sweet tropical flair that makes them distinct and versatile.
Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are made with a simple yeast dough that comes together easily in a stand mixer.
Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are made with a simple yeast dough that comes together easily in a stand mixer.The hands-on time is very short with the yeast doing all the work.
Once risen the dough is formed into 15 individual balls and placed in a 13×9 inch pan.
Brush each dough ball lightly with an egg and water mixture before the final rise.
Once risen bake the rolls for 20 minutes.
Can you freeze Hawaiian Sweet Rolls?
These Hawaiian Sweet Rolls can be frozen fully baked or refrigerated over-night before the second rise. That makes them perfect for gatherings and events – like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve!
Do you have family or friends that eat gluten-free only? You might like to try this recipe for Pull-Apart Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls for a gluten-free option.
Why not impress your guests with homemade rolls this New Year’s? They really don’t need to know how easy they are to make and bake. With the lightly sweet overtones, ham and hot pepper jelly really compliment the fresh baked rolls.
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Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- ½ cup warm milk 100-110°F
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 2 whole eggs lightly beaten
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active-dry yeast
- 4 ½ cups unbleached bread flour
- 1 egg for brushing on prior to baking
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the pineapple juice, warm milk, melted butter, sugar, yeast and salt.
- Blend until mixed then add the 2 lightly beaten eggs. Mix until incorporated (may be somewhat curdled).
- Remove the paddle attachment and exchange for the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour ½ cup at a time until all flour is incorporated.
- Increase the speed to medium and blend for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and holds together in a ball.
- Place the dough ball in a lightly greased large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free location for about 2 hours or until dough is double in size.
- Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Remove the dough to a clean surface and cut into 15 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball pulling the sides down and tucking them under to the bottom of the dough ball.
- Place each ball in the prepared pan.
- Once all 15 dough balls are formed, brush each roll with 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and store in a warm, draft-free location until risen and almost doubled in size - about 1 hour.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
- To refrigerate unbaked rolls, form dough into balls as in step 7, then refrigerate until ready to bake. Allow the rolls to come to room temperature at least 1 hour before brushing with egg wash and baking. Proceed with step 9.
- Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat
Nutrition
Looking for more roll recipes? We love our Easy 90-Minute Rolls, and these Quick Whole Grain Oat Rolls and Rustic Old Fashioned Potato Rolls too!
We hope you have a wonderful happy New Year! We’re planning some new recipes, a few sinful desserts, and a couple of adventures for you in 2015! Thanks so much for being part of the SRFD family! Blessings to you and yours.
Tricia
Libby
These were delicious and amazing with pulled pork. The left over rolls tasted great with a little warning up in the microwave.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Libby. I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Pulled pork sliders sound terrific about now 😋
Rene
This are yummy and easy if not strange ingredients. However they really only are good right out of the oven. Not moist after they cool down. The reviews warned of this.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Rene.
Dana Carstensen
These rolls tasted nothing like Hawaiian rolls but they were very good !I followed the directions exactly but they came out a little too thick for Hawaiian rolls, more like a traditional dinner roll.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Dana. Glad you enjoyed them.
Yolanda Martinez
Where do I put the yeast so it can rise? In the warm milk or water.
Tricia Buice
Hi Yolanda. The yeast is added in Step 1 with the warm milk. Hope you enjoyed the rolls!
Jennifer
These are perfection! Soft texture and delicious taste. I’ll probably make these for Thanksgiving dinner.
Tricia Buice
Great Jennifer! So glad you enjoyed these delicious rolls. I bet your family will love them for the holidays!
John
I followed the recipe exactly. While I would have preferred the rolls to be sweeter, the texture was perfect. I will make them again but perhaps with added sugar of maybe ice them. I used a Wondermix .Very pleased with the crumb.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for trying the recipe John, and for taking the time to comment. We appreciate the feedback!
Mary Sawyer
These are so good! Only problem my mixer was not tough enough and I burnt it up! ??♀️ I made them into hamburger buns instead of rolls! ?
Tricia Buice
Oh no! Sorry about the mixer Mary 🙁 I love that you turned these into hamburger buns. I’ll have to try that! We appreciate you taking the time to comment 🙂
Gabriella
I was making this recipe for Thanksgiving because my husband’s family loves Hawaiian rolls and it’s a tradition for them. I am a master pizza maker so I am not new to handling dough. This dough is an absolute nightmare to work with and required A LOT more flour than the recipe called for. I am not in a humid environment. Even with a lot more flour out was a sticky mass to wrestle with and I could not make into rolls, had to make a big loaf essentially. I wasted a lot of expensive ingredients only to be frustrated and disappointed. I won’t be making these from scratch anymore.
Tricia Buice
Sounds like something went terribly wrong Gabriella. This well tested recipe has always worked for me. Sorry you were disappointed.
Donna
Do you have to use a stand mixer?
Tricia Buice
Hi Donna. No you do not. You are welcome to do the kneading by hand. Enjoy!
Elaine
Is it possible to use rapid rise yeast in this recipe?
Tricia Buice
Hi Elaine – sure! Just watch your rise times. I don’t think any other adjustments need to be made.
Kathie
This is a fantastic recipe! I’ve made them twice this week already, and will make another batch tomorrow. Thank you so much!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Kathie! So happy you enjoyed the rolls. We’ve been making tons of bread lately, too. Stay safe 🙂
Annese
OMG I made these today I didn’t have bread flour so I used all purpose flour and added 1/2 cup of sour cream to make up for the extra protean and they are delicious
Tricia Buice
That’s great Annese! Thanks so much for letting use know how these turned out for you. Great substitution!!! Enjoy 🙂
Elizabeth
Hi. So in reading your instructions you leave out a key step. In order to get the most out of the rise of your bread you need to proof the yeast using your warm milk and dash of sugar, let sit for about 10 min then move forward. If someone is not a breD maker they wouldn’t know to do that. I am making these today!
Tricia Buice
Hi Elizabeth. I didn’t leave that step out as it’s not part of this recipe. I have never done that step and they turn out great – but I often use that method for other breads and rolls. Hope they turned out great for you!
J Griffiths
They tasted good but centre ones were under baked even though I added 5 min to cooking time. Maybe because the dough was drier and more dense than I am used to. Next time I would add less flour and bake in bigger pan to allow for more spreading while They
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback. I’ve never had this trouble but pans and ovens bake differently. Spreading out on a larger pan sounds like a plan. The other thing could be the humidity where you are. Sometimes we need more liquid to achieve the proper dough. I’ve made these at different times throughout the years but never had a baking problem. Thanks again for trying the recipe.
Kimo Hickman
How difficult is this recipe without a stand mixer? Anything I should do differently to mix by hand?
Tricia Buice
Hi Kimo. These rolls are fine to be made by hand. It’s not more difficult, per se, just more manual work. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. That should do it!
Vicki LaBarge
Came out beautiful. Can’t wait to eat them.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Vicki! These are some of our favorites 🙂