Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

When I planned my menu for my Dad's Birthday Party, I envisioned a large, soft roll, reminiscent of the amazing King's Hawaiian Rolls that you can get at the store. You know, a little sweet, but so soft and delicious. I knew it would be great with pulled pork, not to mention other savory sandwiches.

 The more I looked for an online version, the more I realized this was going to be an experiment. The first batch were pretty good, but when I tweaked the second batch?

 

 Jackpot!

 These guys are so soft, so delicious. Just sweet enough to enhance the flavor of your favorite sandwich, but not so sweet that eating one warm and buttered would remind you of dessert.

 

My son inhaled one right out of the oven, and they were raved about by my whole family, in fact, they are still talking about them nearly a week later!

 I was so incredibly happy with them that I plan to divide them into smaller portions and use them as my Thanksgiving Dinner rolls. Don't let the size of the dough fool you, either, they rise substantially, which I am sure was part of the reason they were so soft and amazing. These guys stayed soft for days after baking, too - even the ones I pre-sliced for sandwiches!


If you enjoy the ones from the store, try these...I'll bet you'll like them even more!

Servings Yield: 

12  large rolls or 24 smaller dinner sized rolls

cost per serving: 

.16 per large roll .08 per dinner roll

 

Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

• 3 c. flour
• 3/4 c. pineapple juice
• 1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. milk - warmed to 105-110 degrees
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 pkg yeast (I used rapid rise yeast)
• 1 egg beaten (for egg wash before baking)

 

add all ingredients to your bread machine and place on dough cycle 

check after 5 minutes - dough should be tacky to the touch:

• if it's too wet - add 1 to 2 tbsp flour
• if it's too dry - add 1 to 2 tbsp juice or milk

if you are not using a bread machine: knead the dough until pliable, adding extra flour as needed, about 7-10 minutes, then cover and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes, then proceed below

once cycle is complete, turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 8 equal parts *

shape into a rope about 1 inch in diameter and 7-9 inches long

tie a knot with the dough and tuck the ends into the center, placing the seam side down

cover and allow to rise for 1 hour

brush with egg wash and bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes, until browned

*if you're making dinner rolls instead of sandwich rolls, at this step, divide into 24 equal pieces, shape into balls, placing seam side down on a baking sheet and allow to rise, covered, for one hour, and bake as directed above.