Copycat King’s Hawaiian Bread Rolls

Name: Copycat King’s Hawaiian Bread Rolls
Prep time: 180 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 205 min
Ingredients: 2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; 1/2 cup warm milk ((110F)); 3/4 cup pineapple juice; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/3 cup melted butter, cooled; 1 large egg; 1-1/2 teaspoons salt; 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 egg white (lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water); 2 tablespoons honey

By Sarah On March 6, 2015 | Updated: August 25, 2022

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Love King’s Hawaiian bread rolls? Once you try them homemade, you’ll never go back to storebought again. They’re so easy to make and have many make ahead options!

Love King's Hawaiian bread rolls? Once you try them homemade, you'll never go back to storebought again. So easy to make and so soft inside you won't be able to stop eating them! @WholeHeavenly

Let’s make some King’s Hawaiian Bread Rolls homemade today! Worth every carb, I promise.

And undoubtedly the ULTIMATE way to make a slider, a lunch sandwich, or just enjoy some homemade rolls hot from the oven.

I know the ease of packaged King’s Hawaiian sounds pretty enticing a lot of the time, but TRUST ME! These rolls are so easy to make, use basic ingredients, and are worth every second of effort.

And let’s be honest: the base of a sandwich is so SO important! These buns make for the ultimate mini sliders and soon you won’t be able to imagine your life without ’em!

These King’s Hawaiian Bread Rolls feature…

A perfectly soft and fluffy texture inside
A golden honey-glazed exterior
REAL pineapple juice in the dough that gives these rolls their well-known King’s sweetness
Several make ahead AND freezing options

Making the King’s Hawaiian Bread Rolls

(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)

Making the Dough

This dough can be made either in a stand mixer or by hand in a mixing bowl if you don’t have a mixer!

Start by dissolving yeast in milk that’s been heated to 110F (careful not to let the milk get any hotter than 110F or you’ll kill the yeast!)

Mix pineapple juice, sugar, melted and cooled butter, an egg, and salt into the yeast mixture then begin adding flour until a soft dough forms (if dough seems too sticky, add additional flour by the tablespoon until dough comes together)

If you’re using a mixer, knead the dough on medium speed several minutes until dough is smooth and elastic when stretched.

If you’re making the dough by hand, turn dough onto a floured surface and knead several minutes until dough is smooth and elastic when stretched.

Form the kneaded dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl turning once to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

Baking the Rolls

Punch the risen dough down and divide into 12 even portions. Roll each dough portion out into a smooth ball and place in a greased 9×13 baking pan.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise one last time until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Very gently brush the rolls with a honey egg wash and bake them at 375F until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

I recommend storing these rolls sealed at room temperature and enjoying within 3 days. Keep reading for make ahead options!

Make Ahead Options

Option 1: Let dough rise overnight. Make and knead the dough per recipe instructions. Omit rising the dough on the counter and instead place in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in fridge or up to 12 hours.

The next morning, let dough sit out on counter (still covered in the bowl) for 30 minutes before shaping, letting them rise a second time, and baking as recipe directs.

Option 2: Freeze baked rolls up to 2 months. I recommend freezing them the day you baked them to preserve freshness (make sure they’re fully cooled before freezing) Thaw, reheat, and serve warm.

These rolls are seriously SO incredibly soft, perfectly sweet, and the perfect canvas for any sandwich you dream up.

Has there ever been a more glorious sight in the history of breadmaking? Not possible.

Get ready to constantly crave a sandwich when you have these rolls around!! It’s a good thing, trust me.

Looking for sandwich inspiration to try with these rolls? Check these recipes out!

Watch these Hawaiian bread rolls made step-by-step on Google web stories!

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