Hawaiian rolls have always been one of my favorite store-bought rolls. But, I prefer to make homemade rolls and breads instead of getting store-bought, so I created this recipe when a friend asked me to bring Hawaiian rolls to Thanksgiving dinner.
I had to make a few tweaks from the way I make my regular dinner rolls for these. I might actually go back and make a few changes to that recipe based on this one, mainly to make a few things easier. One of the main differences is how sticky the Hawaiian roll dough can be. It should still be stretchy and pliable, but it will be stickier than regular roll dough because of the pineapple juice and sugar.
Hawaiian rolls are great to serve as a side along with a main dish or soup. They’re also great to use for sliders!
Homemade Hawaiian Rolls Recipe Notes
Pineapple Juice
This recipe calls for canned pineapple juice at room temperature. I have not made this recipe with fresh pineapple juice, so I don’t recommend making any substitutions here. If your juice is refrigerated, you can microwave it for a little bit to get it to room temperature. I recommend checking the temperature to make sure it's no warmer than 100 degrees F so it doesn't kill the yeast.
Flour (Type and Amount)
Use bread flour. I haven’t tried this recipe with all-purpose flour or any type of gluten free flour, so I’m not sure how that would turn out.
Amount of flour sometimes needs adjusting. Usually this recipe uses 4.75 cups of flour, but I've had a couple of times when I've needed up to 5 cups plus 1 tablespoon. Start with 4.75 cups. If the dough remains sticky after all flour has been incorporated and it's been kneaded for about 3 minutes, gradually add some more. I usually do 2 tablespoons at a time, allowing it to incorporate and knead for a couple of minutes in between.
This dough is too sticky and needs more flour. Notice how the most of dough looks almost like a thick cake batter.
This dough has the right amount of flour. Dough in a Hawaiian roll recipe will still be a tad sticky at the bottom due to the sugar content (stickier than traditional dinner roll dough), but it's pliable and for the most part sticking together to form a dough mass around the dough hook.
How to Shape the Rolls
I shape rolls by taking each portion and stretching the sides down and under several times until a ball forms, then place seam side down in the baking dish. King Arthur Flour also has a tutorial with a slightly different method here.
I line my baking dish with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each direction across the pan, to make removing the rolls easy. I brush some butter onto the pan before placing the parchment to help it stay in place while I'm shaping the rolls.
Cool the Rolls in the Pan
This step is important. Removing the rolls before they're cool enough can cause them to seem doughy. It's best to place the pan on top of a wire baking rack if you have one.
Storing Homemade Hawaiian Rolls
These can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for several days. If you're keeping them longer than that, they can be frozen. Frozen rolls can be thawed in the microwave for about 30 seconds. I recommend re-warming thawed rolls in the oven.
Ingredients/Shopping List
- Bread flour
- Canned pineapple juice
- Milk
- Yeast
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla
- Kosher salt or sea salt
Hawaiian Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook and paddle attachments
- Baking dish(es) (glass or ceramic recommended)
- Kitchen scale (highly recommended)
- Kitchen thermometer (highly recommended)
- Basting brush (recommended)
- Parchment paper (recommended)
Ingredients
Dough
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (1 envelope)
- ¾ cup milk warmed to between 100 and 110℉. (Whole or 2% milk recommended.)
- ¾ cup canned pineapple juice room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to no warmer than 100℉.
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla
- 4¾ to 5 cups bread flour plus more for dusting work surface
Rising and Baking
- 4 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Add yeast to stand mixer bowl. Pour warm milk over the yeast and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. The yeast should get a bit foamy looking. (See notes for troubleshooting if it did not.)2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast, ¾ cup milk
- Add pineapple juice, melted butter, sugars, kosher salt, eggs, and vanilla. Stir on low using the paddle attachment until ingredients are mixed.¾ cup canned pineapple juice, ½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1½ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 eggs, 1½ teaspoon vanilla
- Gradually add about half of the bread flour. I usually add it about 1 cup at a time to prevent flour from flying everywhere.4¾ to 5 cups bread flour
- When about half of the flour has been added, swap the paddle attachment for the dough hook.
- Gradually add the remaining flour.
- When all flour is fully incorporated, increase mixer speed to 2. Check it about 3 minutes in. At this point, the flour should be bunching up around the dough hook and should not look like a sticky cake batter. If more than half looks more cake-batter-like, it's likely more flour is needed. (See photos in the beginning part of the post for photos with examples.) If more flour is not needed, continue to knead the dough on speed 2 for another 7 minutes and skip to the Let the Dough Rise portion of this recipe.
- If more flour is needed, add it 2 tablespoons at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate and process for about a minute after each addition until the dough bunches around the dough hook, looks stretchy, and there isn't a lot sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Once the dough is the right consistency, return the mixer to speed and and allow the dough hook to knead the dough for another 7 minutes.
Let the Dough Rise
- Melt butter (1 to 2 tablespoons) and use a pastry brush to grease a large mixing bowl.4 tablespoon butter
- Transfer the dough to the large greased bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place the bowl in a warm area, free of drafts, and the let the dough rise for 1 hour. Dough should double in size.
Shape Rolls and Rise Again
- Grease baking dish(es) with melted butter. Line baking dishes with parchment paper.
- Dust a work surface very lightly with flour. Punch down dough. Divide into portions weighing 75 grams each. If you do not have a kitchen scale, portion the dough into about 18 equal-sized pieces.
- Shape the rolls by stretching the sides of the dough and attaching it to the bottom. (Or see tutorial video linked in the beginning of the post.)
- Place rolls into the baking dish about 1 inch apart.
- Place the baking dish(es) in a warm area, free of drafts, to let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Bake and Cool Rolls
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Beat together 1 egg with 2 tablespoons of water.1 egg, 2 tablespoon water
- Brush each roll with the egg wash.
- Place baking dishes in the oven. Bake for 18-25 minutes until the tops of the rolls are golden brown. Rotate baking dishes halfway through if your oven has hot spots.
- Remove from the oven and place baking dishes on a wire cooling rack. Allow the rolls to cool in the baking dish for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the rolls from the pan by lifting the parchment. Transfer rolls individually to the wire rack to continue cooling if not eating immediately.
Notes
