These homemade Hawaiian dinner rolls are so soft and fluffy, a little bit sweet, and so easy to make! You will love these Hawaiian buns!
These homemade Hawaiian dinner rolls are amazing. A little bit sweet, super soft and fluffy, and absolutely delicious.
And they’re super easy to make. They’re perfect as a roll to serve with dinner with some butter, to make into sandwiches or baked sliders, or to have for a snack with some butter and honey. We loved these Hawaiian buns!
If you’ve never made homemade dinner rolls before, don’t worry, it’s really not that hard! These homemade dinner rolls are a very easy, basically foolproof dough to start with if you’ve never made bread before.
But these Hawaiian sweet rolls are very easy to make too. The dough is a bit softer and stickier than regular bread dough, as it’s enriched with eggs, sugar, and butter. But as long as your work surface and your hands are oiled, it will be just fine.
Why aren’t my dinner rolls fluffy?
When dinner rolls don’t turn out light and fluffy, it’s often a result of adding too much flour to the dough. The amount of flour that is needed can change based on a variety of factors, such as humidity.
That is why there is often a range in the amount of flour needed for bread dough. Start with the lower amount and then add more as needed.
The dough for these Hawaiian sweet rolls is fairly soft, and a bit sticky, but it shouldn’t be so sticky that you can’t roll the dough into buns. When there’s enough flour added, the dough should clear the sides and bottom of the bowl when it’s mixing with the dough hook.
You can also pinch a piece off in your hands to see if you’ve added enough flour. You should be able to roll the piece into a ball without leaving a bunch of residue on your hands. But it should still feel tacky to the touch, not dry at all.
What is special about Hawaiian rolls?
Hawaiian dinner rolls are soft and fluffy and a little bit sweet. They’re a bit different than other dinner roll recipes as they are sweetened with both pineapple juice and brown sugar.
They are also enriched with both butter and eggs which makes them similar to brioche buns.
Soft, sweet, fluffy, buttery, and absolutely delicious!
How to make Hawaiian Dinner Rolls:
- Make sure not to over flour the dough, or your rolls may not be as fluffy. Start with the lower amount of flour and add more as needed if the dough isn’t clearing the sides of the bowl.
- These Hawaiian buns freeze beautifully. Let the cool completely and then freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight plastic bag.
- This recipe can be halved easily if you only want to make 12 Hawaiian buns instead of 24.
- If you’re new to making bread, I have a step by step tutorial on how to make bread that can help with any questions you may have.
Here are some more great bread recipes for you:
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- White Bread Recipe
- Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
- Homemade Breadsticks
- Soft Flatbread Recipe
Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
These homemade Hawaiian dinner rolls are so soft and fluffy, a little bit sweet, and so easy to make! You will love them!
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
For the dough:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 5-6 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Stir together the flour, yeast, and water for the sponge.
- Cover the bowl tightly and let the sponge sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a whisk, combine the melted butter, pineapple juice, brown sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla.
- Change the whisk attachment to the dough hook, and add the sponge, 5 cups of all purpose flour, and the salt.
- Mix on low speed to combine the ingredients. The dough should come together and clear the sides and bottom of the bowl. If it’s not clearing the sides of the bowl, add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it does. If it still has dry bits of flour, add a bit more water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it is soft and smooth.
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes by machine, or 10 minutes by hand.
- Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl, cover tightly, and let it rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until it has doubled.
- Punch the dough down, and divide it into 24 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round ball. The easiest way to do this is to roll it under your hand on an oiled countertop, keeping the side of your hand flat on the countertop, until it forms a smooth ball.
- Place the shaped dinner rolls on a large, oiled, rimmed baking sheet. Alternatively, you can use two oiled 9x13 inch baking dishes.
- Cover the shaped dinner rolls, and let them rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the egg whites and water in a small bowl, and brush the egg wash on the tops of the dinner rolls.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown, and have an internal temperature of 190F.
- Remove the rolls from the pan immediately and place them on a wire rack to cool.
- Store the dinner rolls in an airtight plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Notes
As with any yeast dough, the amount of flour needed can change depending on a number of factors. Start with 5 cups of flour and then add more if the dough is not coming together and clearing the sides and bottom of the bowl. This is a very soft dough, and will be a little bit stickier than your typical bread dough. Try not to over flour the dough though, as the rolls won't be as light and fluffy if you do.
Source: Adapted from King Arthur Flour.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 dinner rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 5.4gSaturated Fat: 2.9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 291mgCarbohydrates: 29.5gFiber: 1gSugar: 5.2gProtein: 5.1g
Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.
Esther
Thursday 15th of September 2022
I made jello using crushed pineapple and had a cup of pineapple juice left over, so tried this recipe. It is fantastic and every person that tasted the dinner rolls gave it a hearty thumbs up! Thanks for sharing this!
Stacey
Thursday 15th of September 2022
So glad you liked them!