Homemade Hawaiian Rolls Recipe
Fluffy, flavorful and lightly scented with pineapple and vanilla, these rolls make the best sliders or the perfect companions to any plate lucky enough to have them. I like to slather them with my homemade salted vanilla pina colada butter (see note).
- Yield: Makes 24 to 30 rolls
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4.5 teaspoons active yeast (takes about 2 packets)
- 1.5 cups pineapple juice (or pineapple mango juice)
- 2/3 cup sugar, divided (I like to use coconut sugar, but granulated is great)
- 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened or at room temperature, plus more for brushing
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Butter or spray two 9-by-13-inch pans and set aside for now.
- Either in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop, warm the pineapple juice to “lukewarm,” or 105 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm juice, yeast, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Allow this mixture to bloom for about 5 minutes (it will activate and look foamy).
- When that’s happened, add the soft butter, vanilla, eggs, and the rest of the sugar. Mix on low to combine.
- Switch to the dough hook and add the flour. Mix on low-medium low so the dough comes together. You can continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is just un-sticky enough to handle (it will be pretty sticky, though). I usually use about 5.6 to 6 cups total. Knead for two minutes.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm-ish place to proof for 2 hours.
- Punch the dough down and divide it into small, roll-sized portions (I get about 24 rolls), or you can make larger ones – it’s really up to you. Space the rolls evenly apart in the two prepared pans and again, allow them to proof/rise for about an hour so they grow in size.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- Bake your rolls until deeply honey-golden on top and done all the way through, about 16 to 20 minutes (depending on size). If they start to get too dark on top before they’re cooked through, just lay a sheet of foil over top to stop that.
- Brush them with melted butter right away when they get out of the oven, and enjoy warm.
Notes
- For the pina colada butter I mentioned above, just mix together a stick of salted room temp butter, the seeds of one vanilla bean, about 2 to 3 teaspoons of pineapple juice, and 1 tablespoon cream of coconut. Stir until well blended and then adjust as needed (I like to add a pinch of salt). Refrigerate a little if needed, but serve soft.
- Re: Salt: If you’re using Diamond crystal salt (as opposed to Morton, for example), you’ll want to use twice as much … it’s a less saltier salt.