Homemade Hawaiian Rolls are sweet and fluffy rolls that you can make at home and skip the grocery store! They have the same texture and flavor of store-bought rolls and you will be blown away by how delicious they are. The melt-in-your-mouth rolls are great on their own or perfect for burgers and sandwiches. I use them all the time for my slider sandwiches like my Cheeseburger Sliders and Ham and Cheese Sliders.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Potato starch— Be sure to use potato starch (not potato flour). Potato flour includes flavor, fiber, and protein, while potato starch is pure flavorless starch. Starch helps keep rolls soft, moist, and fresh by absorbing liquid. Starch actually slows the process of bread going stale! It is perfect for soft dinner rolls. You can find Potato Starch here. If you don’t have potato starch on hand, you can substitute the following: corn starch; arrowroot powder; rice flour; or tapioca starch.
Pineapple Juice: Pineapple juice is added to homemade Hawaiian rolls to give them their distinct sweet and slightly tangy flavor. It also helps to tenderize the dough and adds moisture to the rolls, making them softer and fluffier.
How to Shape the Dough
After the dough has risen for a few hours, it’s time to shape the rolls and put them in a greased 9×13-inch pan. There are a couple of ways you can make your 16 rolls.
- First, gently punch down the dough to deflate it. One strategy you could use is to gently roll the dough into a log on a clean surface.
- Then, use a bench knife or stiff spatula to cut the log of dough into equal-sized pieces. If you have a kitchen scale, now would be a wonderful time to use it to get the rolls as similar in size and weight as possible. You could also continue to divide the dough in half, and in half again, etc., until you get 16 pieces.
- To roll the pieces of dough, simply roll them in your hands, making sure you form a smooth top surface of each roll. Place the rolls into the greased pan and cover them with plastic wrap to allow them to rise for about an hour.
How to Store Hawaiian Rolls
To store homemade Hawaiian rolls, allow them to cool completely and then place them in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. You can keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them fresh for longer, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can I Freeze Hawaiian Rolls?
Yes! To freeze homemade Hawaiian rolls, allow them to cool completely and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the wrapped rolls in a resealable freezer bag and label the bag with the date. You can freeze the rolls for up to 2-3 months. To thaw the rolls, remove them from the freezer and let them come to room temperature for about 1-2 hours.
More Bread Recipes
Hawaiian Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- ½ cup (125 g) pineapple juice, canned
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 58 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup (67 g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk, with white reserved
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the yeast, water, and pineapple juice. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, eggs, egg yolk (remembering to reserve the egg white), and vanilla, mixing until combined. (Some butter clumps are okay.)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture, beating with the paddle attachment for about 3 minutes at medium-high speed. Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl.
- Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes at medium speed. If you notice the dough is too sticky, add a little flour.
- Round the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl to rise (about 3 hours).
- Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Gently punch down on the risen dough to deflate it. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. (You can do this by continuing to divide the dough in half until you are down to 16 pieces. Or, roll the dough into a log and use a bench knife or stiff spatula to cut it into 16 pieces.)
- Round each piece into a smooth ball and place it in the greased pan, evenly spaced.
- Cover the rolls with a piece of greased plastic wrap and let them rise for an hour. They should be nice and puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F when the rolls are just about done rising.
- Add 1 tablespoon of water to the reserved egg white to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the tops of the rolls.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls reach an internal temperature of 190°F.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool a bit before turning them out onto a wire rack.
Video
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Hi do you have a recommendation for a substitute for pineapple juice? As I am allergic to pineapple… was hoping could bw replaced with say orange juice perhaps?
I don’t in this recipe. However, you could make these: https://iamhomesteader.com/texas-roadhouse-rolls/
You are awesome 🙋 😍🙏 and I am hoping to get a chance to see other meals
I don’t have a stand mixer & my hand mixer doesn’t have a dough hook attachment. Suggestions on the best way to make without? The timing of mixing, kneading, etc.?
Thanks!
I work with iambaker and am happy to help out with questions!
Hi, Gael! If you don’t have a dough hook attachment, I recommend kneading the dough by hand. For reference, for every 8 minutes kneading with a dough hook, you will knead by hand for 25 minutes. A quick test to check if your dough is ready is to stretch it. Take a small piece of dough, stretch it, and check for translucency. If it is translucent, it’s ready to go. If the dough breaks when you stretch it, it requires more kneading. Yes, it’s a workout, but it will be worth it!
Hi Amanda! I am from El Salvador. I like your recipe.
What is potato starch and where/how do I get it? I can’t wait to try this delicious looking recipe!
There is information in the blog post covering that. 🙂
This recipe looks awesome! Is it safe to use fresh pineapple juice in place of canned? I happened to pick up a pineapple yesterday, and then came across this post 🙂 Thanks!
Yes, you can!
Can I replace pineapple juice with milk or water?
Thank you very much.
is it possible to use the Idaho potato instant mashed potato flour?
I have not tried that substitution so I can’t speak to its effectiveness.
Hi Amanda, came across your Hawaiin Roll recipe and thought my family would like this. One question : could I double this recipe and make half and freeze the other half for a later time ? If so, how long can I freeze them for before I have to use it ?
And just wanted to say also, I love your recipes, have not come across any that I was disappointed in, nor my family, who are my best critics !! Thank You for sharing ..
Hi Lynda! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂
So, I do freeze them! I like to freeze them fully baked. Allow them to cool completely. Remove from pan. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. (If they are not cooled it won’t work as moisture will form inside the plastic wrap and cause freezer burn.) Then wrap it again in foil or freezer paper or in an airtight plastic bag. Write the date on your bread before sticking it in the freezer and try to use it within six months.
Does anything change with rapid rise yeast?