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!
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!
- Grilled Blackened Chicken Sandwiches
- Barbecue Chicken Sliders with Peach Scallion Slaw
- Instant Pot Pineapple BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Watch these Hawaiian bread rolls made step-by-step on Google web stories!
Copycat King’s Hawaiian Bread Rolls
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
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
Instructions
- In the bowl of a large stand mixer attached with a dough hook OR in a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand 5 minutes then mix in pineapple juice, sugar, melted butter, egg, and salt until combined.
- Add 3-1/2 cups flour to liquid mixture and mix until dough pulls away from sides of bowl (if dough seems too sticky, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time until dough is smooth and tacky)
- If using mixer, knead dough on medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. If making by hand, turn dough onto a floured surface and gently knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a large greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
- Punch risen dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Roll dough pieces into smooth balls and place in a greased 9×13 baking pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled.
- Remove plastic wrap from pan and gently brush rolls with egg white and honey. Bake rolls at 375F 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let rolls cool in pan at least 15 minutes, then remove from pan and serve warm.
Courtney Jennings says
I love this recipe! have a bread maker and love making rolls and breads for my family so this year I was thinking of trying Hawaiian bread rolls for Thanksgiving. Do you think this recipe would work well in a bread maker or should I just opt to mix and knead it by hand?
Sarah says
Hey Courtney! I’ve never tried this recipe in a bread maker, so I’m unsure of exact methods to do so. I personally would recommend using a mixer as the recipe calls for. 🙂
Sharon says
Not very close to Hawaiian rolls. Save the time and buy a package. These are ok.
Paul says
Can this recipe be doubled without a problem?
Sarah says
Yes! Make sure you bake them in two 9x13s.
Allan says
The mixture didn’t rise. Followed the recipe to a T. If i may ask, what pineapple juice did you use.?
Sarah says
I used canned pineapple juice, Allan. I’m so sorry to hear that you had issues with this recipe. Perhaps your yeast was older? Or your liquid was a bit too warm and killed the yeast?
Monicq says
I hate to tell you, but Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls are based off of a Portuguese recipe literally translated they’re called “ little milk breads” ( rolls) or milk bread when in loaf form. There is nothing pineapple ( or tropical) about them!
I share your enthusiasm, however, as I cannot stop eating them either. May I suggest a trip to Portugal, Anywhere in the greater Lisbon region you will find many bakeries that fake daily and there are several variations of the little milk bread’s not to mention all of the sweet desserts as well!
Jeanne says
I made these today but was disappointed as they are heavy and do not resemble The Hawaiian roles from the store. Will try a different recipe.
Tria says
I made this the other night and it was an absolute hit, so much so that I want to make it for work. Can I prep the rolls the night before and refrigerate it and bake it in the morning?
Sarah says
Yes, absolutely! I would suggest following the recipe through shaping the rolls and then shape them, put them in the pan as directed, refrigerate them overnight and then bake the next morning. 🙂
Chris Banks says
Used this recipe because you can’t get these rolls in the UK and it’s amazing, thank you very much
Lori says
I’m making them for the first time and wondering how far apart to space them in the pan. There seems to be too much pain for the number of rolls.
Sarah says
I generally do not space these rolls out at all and put them directly next to each other so they bake dinner roll-style.
Brandon C says
Made these earlier and they came out perfect. Great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Sarah says
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know, Brandon. 🙂
Elana Gomberg says
I want to try using this dough to make a braided challah bread. Have you ever tried this and do you think this would work? The dough seems like it would make a really sweet challah, which is what I’ve been looking for! Thx.
Sarah says
I’ve never tried making this dough into challah bread, but it would definitely work! I would recommend following the instructions for the first rise then shape the dough into the braid, let it rise 30-45 minutes, then bake 20-25 minutes at 375F. Good luck!
Beth says
I’d love to make these but allergic to pineapple. Do the original have pineapple in them? Suggestions for a non acidic alternative? Thanks
Sarah says
Hi Beth! You can leave the pineapple juice out! I would recommend using 3/4 cup extra warm milk in place of the juice and increasing the sugar by 2 tablespoons. Good luck!
gina says
I made this recipe and it came out perfect. rolls came out of the oven and I couldn’t get them cooled fast enough to eat. they were fluffy, sweet and delicious!!! the dough made 12 huge rolls. If you want smaller rolls I suggest you plan on 15 to 18 rolls. Not that I minded the bigger rolls, which meant I didn’t have to back for seconds which I did anyways cause they were so good. Great Recipe, thanks for sharing
Sarah says
That’s amazing to hear, Gina! So glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Patti says
This recipe is amazing! I am a pastry chef and have been looking for a good Hawaiian bread recipe and this is it! The dough only had to rise once before making the rolls and I made them a little bit smaller so I got 18 out of this recipe. This is a keeper! Wish I could post a photo!
Tara says
Came out perfectly. The dough was quite easy to manage and the flavor was great. Excellent recipe. Thanks!
Sarah says
Fantastic to hear, Tara! Thanks for reporting back. 🙂
Charlie Kujawa says
Hi,
My wife is celiac and I’ve been looking for a good recipe to convert to gluten free for her. This looks like a good option for that. Gluten free flours typically don’t have the elasticity of their wheat counterparts though so breads are a bit of a challenge. Do you have any advice for me as I work out a gluten free conversion of this recipe?
Charlie Kujawa
Sarah says
Hi Charlie! For a gluten-free version, I’d recommend using the flour brand Cup4Cup – it’s a 1:1 sub for all-purpose that I’ve heard works very well!
Charlie Kujawa says
Thanks, Sara!! I’m familiar with that brand and will give it a go!!
Best always,
Charlie