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.
To freeze, should I do the first rise and then freeze them after I form them into their roll shape? Thank you!
Do the first rise and then freeze!
How long can they be refrigerated after shaping before they must be baked?
Up to 5 days!
Lisa, if I want to leave rolls in refrigerator for 5 days, do I let the rolls rise first before placing in refrigerator? Once I take them out, do rolls need to come to room temperature or can they be baked immediately?
I would let them rise the first time before putting them in the fridge and then I would pull them out and have them do a smaller, second rise for about four hours on the countertop before baking them.
Thank you! I’ve learned so much from you. You are truly remarkable, Merry Christmas!
Turned out amazing, even after being in refrigerator for 5 days! Thx Lisa, Merry Christmas!!!
These are WONDERFUL!!!!!!
My house is so cold, so my initial 8-12hr rise, my dough didn’t do much. I let it sit for another 5ish hours and thought maybe if I cut them into balls they’d rise …… still no. I baked 4 that I had extra and they were so hard and dense. I was getting worried. My husband built a fire and I set them near and let the rolls sit over night again, and they rose!!!!!
I just ate my first one and am SO happy with how they turned out. My first ever dinner roll, and my tester before Thanksgiving. I cannot wait to show these off, and know now what to do with my next batch.
I truly don’t know if it made a difference, as this is my first dinner rolls, and really bread in general. But I did mini stretch and folds on each roll, hoping that maybe it’d add the layers and flakeiness – I really have no idea if it helped or not, but I’m doing it again with my next batch. They remind me of the Hawaiian rolls you’d buy in stores, I am so so so excited to share.
Thank you for such a great recipe!!!
These came out so good that my husband and I hi-fi each other thank you for the recipe. My question is, can I freeze them and pull them out and thaw them for individual meals later?
Would over mixing cause my dough to not rise? It’s been close to 12 hours and it doesn’t seem to have moved.
Followed the recipe exactly and I know my starter was ready. Only difference is I made two matches separately and then combined the dough in a bigger bowl with my hands because I thought it would be too much dough for the mixer.
I’m not new to sourdough just new to using a stand mixer. The directions said 10-15 minutes so I did it for close to 10 but the dough seemed to be really soft and fragile. It honestly looked done at 5 minutes but I wanted to follow the recipe. I figured the only thing over mixing would do is make it lighter and fluffier?
I’m going to try and let it continue to rise throughout the day in a warmer spot in the house but I’m still shocked it didn’t move at all.
Overmixing the dough could cause that. It will also cause your dough to become more gluey. You want it pulling away from the bowl and for it to pass the window pane test!
Definitely did this trying to follow the recipe. Just set a timer and walked away. I doubled it too, so I thought it would be safe on the 15 minute side. Is there any saving it? Was making for thanksgiving here in Hawaii!
I plan to triple this to make for the 3 thanksgivings I’ll be attending this year
Will they still be good if I bake them Thursday for Friday and Sunday dinners?
Can you substitute orange juice? I am allergic to pineapple:(
Probably. I haven’t tried it to know for sure
Hi Lisa. I have no idea what I did wrong. I fed my sourdough yesterday and it was super active and bubbly when I took out what I needed for tge Hawaiian Rolls. I did everything according to the recipe and let the dough sit on the counter covered. Then at around 11 am I divided it up into 15 balls and put them in the 9×13 pan, which is how many you did in the video (5 rows of 3). In your descriptions you mention 16 rolls and also 18 rolls so I followed the picture.
Anyways mine turned out so heavy and no where near as soft and fluffy like yours look or like the texture of the actual Hawaiian rolls you buy in the store. What could I have done wrong?
Hmmm it’s always hard to tell without being there. Did the dough double during the bulk rise and again after you shaped? Was the dough kneaded enough to pass the windowpane test? Those are typically things that make it really fluffy.
Maybe I didn’t knead it enough. My Kitchen Aid was getting really hot so I tried kneading by hand. I tried stretching it and it would break off before getting really thin, so probably not. It did rise pretty good during the bulk rise, but after shaping them they spread out but didn’t raise up high. They taste really good, but I don’t like how heavy they are. I’m sure it was something I did wrong. I’ll have to keep trying. I’m new to this, so I’m still learning. Love your explanations on your YouTube videos! I’ve been learning so much from you!
Even though my Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls didn’t turn out, due to a mistake I made, I made use of the rolls I made by making some delicious Blueberry Bread Pudding. I told my husband I wouldn’t be able to duplicate it if I tried since it was made with defective Hawaiian Rolls and I would have to make the same mistake with those. 😅😂
Hi Lisa, can you tell us if the pineapple juice you use in the recipe is stuff from the store aka pasteurized or is it fresh from a fruit?
Thanks!
What I see in her picture if from Aldi!
Yes, it is pasteurized.
Can you make these rolls without the pineapple juice or what would the substitute be for pineapple juice?
I haven’t tried any substitutes, but I would think apple juice would give you a similar result. It just may change the flavor a bit. Let us know if you try it!