Sourdough Hawaiian rolls are a soft, fluffy, sweet roll with a delicious pineapple flavor and classic sourdough tang. These make the best dinner rolls, or you can use them to make mini sandwiches.
Probably one of the easiest bread recipes ever and also one of the tastiest. You simply dump all the ingredients into a stand mixer, allow the mixer to knead, let the dough rise, shape, rise again and bake.
No folding and stretching. Just mix until stretchy right in the stand mixer.
Hawaiian rolls are one of our family’s favorite sweet sourdough rolls (it’s a tie between these and sourdough brioche, which is quite similar).
If we are out of town or traveling and we need to stop by the grocery store to get some bread, we will grab Hawaiian rolls rather than white bread. It is just so much more delicious.
Hawaiian rolls are a great way to feed a crowd. For an easy dinner, I love having this sourdough Hawaiian bread on hand to make ham and Swiss rolls. Slice the rolls in half, add your ham and cheese, top with the other half, then bake until gooey.
The perfect combination of sweet and savory.
Tips:
- Make sourdough Hawaiian bread – Usually, we make these into rolls, but you can also make this recipe into a loaf. Just make 6 larger dough balls and bake in a bread pan, rather than in a 9×13. Bake for about 25 minutes.
- Make sure your sourdough starter is super active and bubbly for best results.
- If you find yourself with risen dough, but don’t have time to shape and rise again before baking, you can stick it in the fridge until you have time. This slows down the fermentation process, allowing you a little extra time.
- New to sourdough? Check out how to make a sourdough starter here, and see the list of terms you may need to know.
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Why you will love this recipe:
Simple: This recipe couldn’t be easier. Add all the ingredients straight to the stand mixer and let it do all the work. Allow it to rise, then shape the dough, rise again and bake.
Super delicious: Is there anything better than super soft, fluffy, buttery sweet rolls?
Perfect for mini sandwiches or appetizers: These rolls make the best vessel for ham and Swiss sandwiches or sliders. Yum!
FAQ:
Are Hawaiian rolls the same as brioche?
They are similar since Hawaiian rolls and brioche are both enriched doughs, meaning they include eggs and/or butter. The main difference is that Hawaiian rolls are sweeter and include pineapple juice to give them a super yummy flavor.
How is Hawaiian bread different from regular bread?
It includes pineapple juice and more sugar compared to regular bread.
What is special about Hawaiian bread?
It is sweet and fluffy with a slight pineapple flavor.
What’s the difference between Hawaiian rolls and regular rolls?
They are an enriched roll, meaning that they include butter and eggs. Regular rolls usually do not. Hawaiian rolls also include pineapple juice to give them that tasty, sweet, pineapple flavor.
Why is it called a Hawaiian roll?
Because they originated in Hawaii in the 1950’s. It is actually a twist on the Portuguese sweet bread, which also has a slight pineapple flavor even though pineapple isn’t listed on the ingredient list.
Ingredients
- Pineapple Juice – Canned or bottled will work the best.
- Milk
- Sugar
- Sourdough starter – Make sure it is nice and bubbly. Discard or immature starter will not work for this recipe.
- Butter – This needs to be softened so it can easily be incorporated. Butter that is too hard will just leave you with chunks.
- Vanilla extract – Store-bought or homemade.
- Egg
- Salt
- All-purpose flour – Nothing fancy here. Plain ol’ all-purpose flour will work. Fresh milled or store bought.
Egg wash
- Egg yolk
- Water
Tools you may need:
Measuring cups and spoons
9×13 baking dish
Bench scraper (optional but useful)
How To Make Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
Add all of the ingredients (except the egg wash) to the stand mixer with a dough hook.
Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes.
Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tight lid.
Allow to rise overnight. About 8-12 hours.
Divide dough into 18 even rolls and place in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled. This rise will take about 1-3 hours depending on the temperature of your home.
Once the dough has doubled, create the egg wash and brush over the dough.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 until the rolls are golden in color.
Cool.
Storage:
Store in an air-tight container. Use within 3-4 days for best results. Or freeze for up to 6 months.
Baker’s Schedule:
12 PM: Feed sourdough starter.
8 PM: Create dough and allow it to ferment overnight, covered.
8 AM the next day: Take dough and roll into 16 rolls. Place in a baking dish covered and allow to double in size.
10 AM: Bake and allow to cool before serving.
How To Use Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls:
- Ham and Swiss
- Pulled pork
- Mini hamburgers. Growing up my aunt made the best sliders with these rolls. She would brown ground beef with seasonings and onions. Slicing the rolls in half, she would add ground beef, top with pickles, and then replace the other half of the rolls and bake.
- Chicken parmesan sliders: Add cooked chicken and a little tomato sauce, top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese, then bake until gooey.
- Fried chicken sliders: Use my sourdough fried chicken recipe and create mini sandwiches.
- BLT
Find More Sourdough Roll Recipes:
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup starter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 cups all Purpose Flour
Egg wash
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients (except the egg wash) to the stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Knead until smooth and elastic. About 10-15 minutes.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tight lid.
- Allow to rise overnight. About 8-12 hours.
- Divide dough into 18 even rolls and place in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled. About 1-3 hours depending on the temperature of your home.
- Once the dough has doubled, create the egg wash and brush over the dough.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 until the rolls are golden in color.
- Cool.
Notes
- Make sourdough Hawaiian bread: Usually, we make these into rolls, but you can also make this recipe into bread. Just make 6 larger dough balls and bake in a bread pan rather than in a 9×13. Bake for about 25 minutes.
- Make sure your sourdough starter is super active and bubbly for best results.
- If you find yourself with risen dough, but don’t have time to shape and rise again before baking you can stick it in the fridge until you have time. This slows down the fermentation process allowing you a little extra time before needing to make.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I absolutely loved the way these came out as batch baked buns, so this week I tried it as a loaf. Unfortunately, after 30 min in my oven (risen, golden brown and lovely on top!) there was still a large circle of raw dough in the center of the loaf. It will be sweet, delicious toast, but I’m wondering – a hotter oven? A preheated, stone loaf pan? Two smaller loaves? Sad it didnt turn out, the flavor is SO GOOD
I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them. I would think a maybe bake them at 350 for a longer bake time. If they start to get too dark, you could cover it with foil. Two smaller loaves would also work.
Since there is egg in the dough does it need refrigerated over night?
That will depend on your level of comfort. I do not refrigerate during the bulk fermentation. If you want to refrigerate it, I would say allow it to ferment at room temperature for a few hours and then place in the fridge. It will take much longer to rise if placed in the fridge.
If I allowed mine to ferment 2 hours and then put in the fridge, then pull it out and ferment another 2 hours before breaking them into 18 rolls, would that be long enough fermenting? Would it be bad if I just tried it? I’m trying to find a happy medium between my comfort and time to get these baked and I’m new to all this.
Timing can always be tricky. That may be ok to do. If I’m going to refrigerate sourdough I usually let it bulk ferment at room temperature until doubled, shape and then refrigerate for 12-15 hours or longer. This seems to work best for me.
These are so delicious! They quite as beautiful looking as yours but so good. Thanks for sharing your recipes. I love that you have them all on your blog as I’m not on social media but love your podcasts and YouTube videos.
Hello! My dough did not come out smooth at all. It’s really sticky and not rising 🙁 my starter was perfect and bubbly. It was pretty sticky after going in the mixer with the Dough hook. Any idea? Also does it go straight into the fridge – so no bulk ferment?
Just keep kneading until it is no longer sticky. It takes a really long time.
Hello
Can I use a plant based milk?
I don’t see why not. I have not personally tried this.
Hi love your site, when u state all purpose flour can I use gluten free flour?
Probably not. I’ve never tested it with gluten free flour, but I’m sure there would be a lot of adjustments to the recipe. Breads are challenging to make GF and usually cannot be converted 1 to 1 with gluten free flour.
The sourdough eats the carbs which produces the CO2 to make the bubbles. Its not impossible, but if you try to use GF flour you need some sort of carbs for it to eat to work. Hayden Flour mill makes a Gluten Free flour, but I can’t guarantee it would work, but a lot of people that think they feel bad when they eat Gluten find that eating a wholesome whole grain flour don’t have the same issues. You might check them out. But again, I can’t guarantee this recipe would work. Also, I have no idea how you make a sourdough starter without wheat.
My rolls turned out super dense! The flavor was there (and delicious) and we still ate them, but it almost seemed like they needed more time to rise? But I live in Southern California where it’s hot and humid and my house was 80 degrees and I gave the whole three hours to rise, so maybe the issue was my starter? Feedback is very much welcome! I’m new to sourdough and my starter is only about a month old and only seems to like whole wheat flour (her name is Astrid and she’s picky and finicky lol) Thanks!
Haha. Astrid may need a little more time. When did you allow them to rise for 3 hours? Was it the first rise or second rise? Sourdough also takes more time to rise than active yeast. Did they double in side before you baked them?
As long as your sourdough culture is bubbly it should be fine. If you want good performing sourdough, I would highly advise you to buy a kitchen scale and accurate thermometer if you don’t have them. — they are cheap on Amazon and other places — to keep your sourdough culture thriving. Temperature and time are ingredients too. It makes it much easier, and you can make small adjustments for the temperature and time and objectively evaluate the results. If you don’t, you risk putting too much of your culture and it running out of food, or not enough an dit takes forever to be ready to use.
For me, I just once a week take 25g of my culture (toss the rest, but I kept the rest around when I first started, worried that it wouldn’t work — it does), put 100g of AP flour (sometimes I use whole wheat or rye or others just for fun, it always works) and 100g of 95-100F water, mix it up, leave it on the counter covered for 10-12 hours (I just do overnight) and pop it back in the fridge. If your house is really 80F overnight I would use cooler water, maybe 85-90F. This lasts for over a week, but I do the same every week just to keep it on schedule. That’s enough for me to make a few pizzas and a couple loaves of bread a week which is about all I normally have time for. If you need more, keep the same proportions and double or triple it. I feel bad if I have too much and have to throw it out, its like a pet, which I can see you feel the same way since you named yours. I would recommend you give it at a minimum overnight on the counter (it will work fine then) but I think the flavor improves with rest of the day in the fridge and not use it until the following morning. Keep in mind, this is for your culture, this is not a starter. I think you will find your culture is thriving if you do this, and not quite so temperamental. You stil need 10-12 hours for your starter to be ready to cook with.
That said, When I make a starter it usually grows to about 2-1/2 times is size by morning on the counter. Its bubbly, gooey and I like the smell although it is a bit sweet and alcoholic. When your first start it, it can smell disgusting, but I like the smell of a healthy culture. Use your culture (minimum overnight after feeding, but I like to give it some fridge time myself). So, the night before you want to bake you should make the starter. This calls for 1/2 cup (I definitely prefer weights) but I would dissolve about 25g of starter in 50g of 95F water, swish it around, put in 50G of whatever flour you prefer (it all works, just about flavor), mix it with a fork and leave it on the counter overnight covered. I used those 1 quart plastic deli containers, and the culture itself lives in a nice weck tulip jar. It should be more than double the space by morning and ready to use. Its going to get bubbly and increase its size, but the weight will stay the same (which is why I prefer weights)
Also, I hope you noticed that this recipie is a two-stage ferment — bulk fermentation in the refrigerator overnight, then shape and let rise another 3 hours. Hopefully this will help you make this recipie as good as it sounds. I plan to make it next week and I will put my own review up then.
By the way, if you are serious about making bread or sourdough or pizza crust or whatever, I learned how this all works reading the books by Ken Forkish. I don’t personally know him and I am not going to put a link that makes me any money as I think that makes it look like I am trying to make money of this — which I am not — so you will have to google him. He also has some great videos on YouTube. His books aren’t just recipe books, he expalains how it all works so you can make it taste the way *you* want. He includes some great recipies, but I have started changing them a bit to my own taste, which is the best thing ever. My neighbor came over a couple weeks ago for pizza and she said she didn’t see how I could make it any better, but I overheard her telling her husband today as they left that is was my best ever. Now to just improve on that!
Super excited to try this recipe and smoke a pork butt to go with it. It looks delicious. I’ll let everyone know how much starter I used (by weight) which I think will really help people more consistently make this recipe.
On the “overnight rise”, is it supposed to actually rise??
Yes, they should rise quite a bit.
I started the dough in mixer and after 15 still very sticky… added about 1/2 cup more flour still sticky 🙁 I’m in Florida with high humidity. I hope they turn out well I have them into a bowl to rise now. I noticed this with the sour dough rolls I made last week. I baked them anyway and it was very tasty but it was more like a rectangular cake! I cut into sandwich size and they weee a big hit… everything just seems a bit sticky 🙁 is it my starter or just humidity? I did have better luck in the winter months.? Any ideas appreciated. Love the site and love so many of the recipes. Thanks so much, GailMarie
It definitely could be your environment. It could need more time in the stand mixer. I usually find my sticky dough will come together eventually with enough kneading.
Followed the recipe exactly. These were so delicious!
Wonderful!
A definite must have recipe. Lisa you are a gem. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. My entire family enjoyed them even better than the store brought. May God bless you and your family!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed them.