Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)

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Lightly sweet and super fluffy Hawaiian sweet rolls are perfect with a little butter for breakfast, as dinner rolls, or buns for your burgers. Or turn these Hawaiian sweet rolls into french toast – the possibilities are endless!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Recipe | Little Spice Jar (1)

Okay, well, I guess I can eat hawaiian sweet rolls all day if I must. Because when these cuties are in the oven, that smell speaks to me. Game. Over.

I have a dysfunctional relationship with bread. And when I say it’s dysfunctional I mean it’s almost submissive. OKAY itis submissive. Mostly on my part. Bread says, eat me. I follow. In fact, that’s exactly what my relationship is like with all carbs. Sigh.

As of lately, we’re both obsessed with homemade Hawaiian sweet rolls. In fact, we’ve got our friends obsessed with this bread too! It’s contagious.

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2)

My favorite way of eating these hawaiian sweet rolls is from the inside out. Yes, that’s right. I eat the soft, pillow-like center and work my way outwards.

These rolls are just like the Kings Hawaiian rolls that are widely available in stores. I think i’ll go as far as to say *whispers* they’re a little bit better! (insert monkey-covering-his-mouth emoticon here)

A couple points I want to cover about this hawaiian sweet buns:

1. They’re perfect soft and delicious when fresh.
2. Perfectly toastable if you desire a soft inside with a crispy outside.
3. Totally French toastable.
4. Make them. Eat a few. Freeze the rest. Or eat the entire pan of rolls. Totally up to you!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Recipe | Little Spice Jar (3)

I generally feel super intimidated by making bread or rolls or buns or any other kind of bread products. So these homemade Hawaiian sweet rolls were kind of a ‘big dill’ for me.
I’ve made these rolls a few times now and every single time I’ve had success. I’ll share the tips I’ve used and try to make the directions as clear as possible for you because I want you to make these rolls. In fact, you have to make these rolls.

Is there anything worse than waiting for your dough to rise, punching it down, and baking it into small, dense, rocks? I think not. I absolutely hate it. And it’s a major reason why I don’t bake bread often. CONFESSION: Hi my name is Marzia and i’m afraid of baking all yeast bread products. But this is a winner! I’m never letting this recipe go. Not ever.

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Recipe | Little Spice Jar (4)

I seriously wish that your screen was scratch and sniffable. Because words can-not describe how mindblowingly delicious these hawaiian rolls smell.

If you are not a bread maker, don’t freak out. I’m going to baby-step walk you through this process. Even if you are slightly weird and have no interest in eating bread, or toasting it and smothering it with butter, or frying up these Hawaiian rolls dunked in my creme brulee french toast mix, just do it for the smell. For reals. You won’t be sorry.

Yield: 12 jumbo rolls or 24 regular sized

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Ingredients

1/3 cup milk, warmed (warm for 30 seconds and let cool for 2 minutes before using)
1 tablespoons of active dry yeast (see note*)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
An 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, NOT drained (about 2/3 cup)
4 cups + 1 cup all purpose flour (or bread flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the tops:

1 egg
1/4 cup water

Instructions

DOUGH: In a measuring cup or a small bowl, mix together the milk and yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Place the milk and yeast mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the oil, butter, sugar, eggs, and pineapple and mix to combine. Add the 4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Waiting until each 1/2 cup is fully incorporated before adding more. Depending on where you're located and how humid your weather, you may need to add that extra 1 cup of flour. Your dough should be sticky to the touch, and it should hold for a few seconds on the dough hook. If it's sticking to the walls of the mixer, add that 1 cup in. Remember, it should be sticky, but not gooey. Add the salt. Knead for about 10 minutes, in the machine. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
PREP: Oil a 9x 13-inch pan. Punch the dough down and divide into twelve equal balls for jumbo rolls and 24 balls for Hawaiian king-sized rolls. Place in a well buttered dish and let rise again until doubled, 1 hour.
BAKE: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Beat together the egg and water for the top and brush the tops of the risen rolls with the egg wash. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are nicely browned. Serve warm with additional butter.

Notes

If you purchase your yeast in small envelopes, you'll need more than 1 packet. Each packet contains 2 1/4 teaspoons. So you'll need an additional 3/4 teaspoon to make the 1 tablespoon. (1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons)
Recipe adapted from Yammie's Noshery

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originally published on Jun 25, 2014 (last updated Nov 18, 2020)

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