These soft buttery golden brown Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are close your eyes, and smile delicious. They’re light and fluffy, slightly sweet and have the perfect ultra-pillowy texture that I look for in any dinner roll.
What Kind of Flour Should You Use for Hawaiian Sweet Rolls?:
I have made and tested this recipe with all purpose flour, bread flour and a blend of all purpose and bread flour and I can honestly say that they all came out delicious! Use what you have!
Here’s How to Make the SOFTEST Hawaiian Sweet Rolls:
{printable version with measurements below}
FOR TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN SWEET ROLLS: Heat milk to 110°-115°F. Add 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar and add yeast. Set aside for about 10 minutes to let the yeast activate (it should rise and get foamy).
FOR SOFT DINNER ROLLS: (If using water instead of pineapple juice) Measure and combine milk and water and heat to 110°-115°F. Add 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar and add yeast. Set aside for about 10 minutes to let the yeast activate (it should rise and get foamy).
FOR TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN SWEET ROLLS: Meanwhile, add egg, pineapple juice, brown sugar, remaining white granulated sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt flakes to your stand mixer and combine ingredients.
FOR SOFT DINNER ROLLS: Meanwhile, add egg, brown sugar, remaining white granulated sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt flakes to your stand mixer and combine ingredients.
- Once yeast has activated add it to your stand mixer and combine with other ingredients.
- With stand mixer on the lowest speed setting, begin adding flour one spoonful at a time. The dough will start out sticky, but as it continues to mix it won’t be. Knead the dough with your stand mixer for 5 minutes after all flour has been added.
- After it’s kneaded the dough for a few minutes cover your stand mixer’s bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- While the dough is resting lightly grease a 12×18 or 9×13 nonstick rectangle pan or dish.
Shop My Favorite Kitchen Essentials for this Recipe!
click photos for links!
- After you have given the dough time (15 minutes) to rest and rise a bit remove it from mixing bowl, evenly divide it and roll it into a ball or rounded square shape.
I typically weigh and roll dough into 24 even 38-39 gram portions, but you do not need a scale for this step just try to keep the sizing even! *(if you want bigger rolls feel free to change your portion size, but anticipate a different bake time!)
- Evenly space rolls on prepared baking dish leaving room for them to proof and expand. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap or wet towel and leave it to rise in a warm area for 2 hours. This proofing time is essential for rolls to become airy and light, so don’t cut it short!
- (Set a timer for an hour and a half to preheat your oven. This gives your oven half an hour to preheat while bread is still proofing*) Preheat the oven to 375° F with convection on.
- Rolls should double in size and be touching. Whisk 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of cold water together in a small bowl. Brush egg wash on the rolls lightly coating all the visible areas.
- Transfer rolls to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until the top of bread looks evenly golden brown across the top.
- Optional* while bread is baking melt and brown a couple tablespoons of butter to brush across rolls when they come out of the oven!
Looking for some other delicious recipes? Check these out!
click photos to link to recipe!
EAT & ENJOY!
Tag @bingeworthybites on Instagram and hashtag it! #bingeworthybites
Looking for MORE recipes? Don’t worry, I gotchu. Try DoubleTree’s signature chocolate chip cookie, sea salt caramel apple [oatmeal] cookies, perfect Fall pumpkin muffins, or my favorite pumpkin roll delight!
*This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Nonstick Rectangular Pan, 9 x 13 inch or 12 x 18 inch https://amzn.to/3cdP2A3
Ingredients
- ½ cup room temperature pineapple juice OR warm water (110°-115°F) *use pineapple juice for traditional hawaiian sweet roll or use water for a soft dinner roll - both taste great!
- ½ cup warm milk (110°-115°F)
- 2¼ tsp Redstar active dry yeast (2¼ tsp = 1 packet)*
- 3 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup butter, softened (⅓ cup of butter = 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon)*
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
- 3¾ cups all purpose flour (OR bread flour)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp cold water (for egg wash)
Instructions
- FOR TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN SWEET ROLLS: Heat milk to 110°-115°F. Add 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar and add yeast. Set aside for about 10 minutes to let the yeast activate (it should rise and get foamy). FOR SOFT DINNER ROLLS: (If using water instead of pineapple juice) Measure and combine milk and water and heat to 110°-115°F. Add 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar and add yeast. Set aside for about 10 minutes to let the yeast activate (it should rise and get foamy).
- FOR TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN SWEET ROLLS: Meanwhile, add egg, pineapple juice, brown sugar, remaining white granulated sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt flakes to your stand mixer and combine ingredients.FOR SOFT DINNER ROLLS: Meanwhile, add egg, brown sugar, remaining white granulated sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt flakes to your stand mixer and combine ingredients.
- Once yeast has activated add it to your stand mixer and combine with other ingredients.
- With stand mixer on the lowest speed setting, begin adding flour one spoonful at a time. The dough will start out sticky, but as it continues to mix it won't be. Knead the dough with your stand mixer for 5 minutes after all flour has been added.
- After it's kneaded the dough for a few minutes cover your stand mixer's bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- While the dough is resting lightly grease a 12x18 or 9x13 nonstick rectangle pan or dish.
- After you have given the dough time (15 minutes) to rest and rise a bit remove it from mixing bowl, evenly divide it and roll it into a ball or rounded square shape. I typically weigh and roll dough into 24 even 38-39 gram portions, but you do not need a scale for this step just try to keep the sizing even! *(if you want bigger rolls feel free to change your portion size, but anticipate a different bake time!)
- Evenly space rolls on prepared baking dish leaving room for them to proof and expand. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap or wet towel and leave it to rise in a warm area for 2-3 hours. This proofing time is essential for rolls to become airy and light, so don't cut it short! (Set a timer for an hour and a half to preheat your oven. This gives your oven half an hour to preheat while bread is still proofing*) Preheat the oven to 375° F with convection on.
- Rolls should double in size and be touching. Whisk 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of cold water together in a small bowl. Brush egg wash on the rolls lightly coating all the visible areas.
- Transfer rolls to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until the top of bread looks evenly golden brown across the top.
- Optional* while bread is baking melt and brown a couple tablespoons of butter to brush across rolls when they come out of the oven!
- Eat & enjoy!
These look so good! I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong…I’ve had a lot of trouble with this recipe so far. The first time they turned out flat and the dough remained sticky with the amount of flour listed here and then they sunk even lower when I brushed with the egg wash. This time I added more flour and everything seemed to be going fine until the egg wash again. I brushed as lightly as I could, but the whole pan of rolls deflated after I brushed them with the wash, after they had just risen beautifully for 2 hours. Any tips? Would love to see a video tutorial of something like this.
Hi Teresa!
Thank you! These rolls are one of my favorites and I would love to help! It sounds like the dough is just over-proofing! Over-proofing happens when dough has proofed too long and the air bubbles have popped (or pop when you go to apply the egg wash). You’ll know your dough is over-proofed if, when poked, it never springs back. It sounds like your dough is just proofing a lot faster than mine! The best way to judge it is by periodically poking the dough as it rises and checking the bounce back. You can rescue over-proofed dough though – Press down on the dough to remove the gas, then reshape and reproof it.
You will know if it is under proofed if you poke it and it immediately reshapes itself. I will definitely try and film a step by step video on it soon! Please let me know if this helps! ❤️