Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (Portuguese Sweet Bread Rolls)
Our Hawaiian Sweet Rolls recipe makes light and fluffy dinner rolls that are slightly sweet and perfect for eating alone or stuffing with your favorite sandwich filling.
If you're in the States, you're probably familiar with the bright orange packaging of King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls.
They are known and loved for their light and fluffy texture and slightly sweet flavor. So, what's the deal with these Hawaiian rolls?
Are they actually Hawaiian, or is it some kind of gimmick to make people feel like they're eating their way to a tropical island?
The origin of King's Hawaiian sweet bread
A little reading on the King's Hawaiian website tells us that their bread began in the 1950s with a baker in Hilo, Hawaii. This baker was inspired by traditional Portuguese bread.
The Portuguese bread, pao doce, is commonly made into loaves. However, it seems that the baker who started the King's brand decided to make this popular bread into a pull-apart roll form.
Portuguese Sweet Bread - Pao Doce
Portuguese immigrants began coming to Hawaii in the later 1800s and continued through the early 1900s. These immigrants came primarily from the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira. Because of this, you find a heavy Portuguese influence in Hawaiian cuisine.
Portuguese sweet bread is a rich bread made with eggs, butter, and milk. Traditionally the Portuguese served it for Christmas and Easter, but it is now common to find year-round.
Our Hawaiian sweet rolls recipe
These rolls are essentially a basic rich and sweet dough. They use milk, butter, eggs, and a good amount of sugar to achieve a roll with a rich butteriness, a pronounced sweetness, and a light and airy texture.
The rise time is the key to these fluffy rolls. You need to make sure the dough doubles in bulk at each rising stage. (And all the eggs and butter can make it a bit sluggish to do so.)
So, don't skimp on the rise time, and these rolls will deliver the fluffy texture that you're craving!
How long do Hawaiian sweet rolls last?
Because of the rich nature of these rolls (and the lack of preservatives like the packaged kind), they are really best eaten within 24 hours of baking. That is when they are in their prime. Soft, fluffy, so satisfying.
After 24 hours, they do start to dry a bit. And they definitely should be eaten within a couple of days for the best freshness.
If you do have some that last longer, they refresh well if heated for a bit in a toaster oven or oven on low.
Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
- ¼ c milk
- ¼ c (4 Tbsp) salted butter
- ¼ c water
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ½ c sugar (plus 1 teaspoon for activating the yeast)
- 2 eggs
- 3 -4 c unbleached all purpose flour, divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoon water (for brushing)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter, until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool to around 90F.
- In a large bowl, mix the water with 1 teaspoon sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let set for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
- Add the cooled milk mixture, sugar and 2 eggs to the yeast mixture. Mix to incorporate.
- Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add the salt and another cup of flour. Mix until blended.
- Continue adding flour, a little at a time until the dough comes together. (You may not use all the flour.)
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth, but not sticky. Add flour as you knead to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.
- Once your dough is kneaded, place it in a clean, greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let the doug hrise in a warm place until doubled, roughly 2 hours.
- Punch the dough down and let it rise again until doubled, roughly 1 hour.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Punch down your dough and divide it into 12 even pieces (roughly 2.5 oz each). Shape the pieces into tight balls and arrange them evenly in your greased baking dish.
- Beat one egg with 2 tablespoon water. Gently brush the rolls with the egg wash.
- Let the rolls rise a final time until puffy, 45 minutes – 1 hour.
- Near the end of rising time, preheat your oven to 350F.
- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Let the bread cool in the baking dish on a wire rack.
Notes
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Just wondering why it wouldn't just be called Portuguese sweet bread? It was being made by the Portuguese in Hawaii long before the 1950's and Kings"Hawaiian"( which is Portuguese sweet bread). I am both Portuguese and Hawaiian and proud to be both. If I made poi in Portugal would it be Portuguese poi? Or just poi.
Hi Akoni. Yes, you are correct, as we discuss in the article. It is Portuguese sweet bread, made into rolls. Our goal is to help people to learn about the cultures of the world through food, and so here, someone who had only known this bread by the name Hawaiian sweet rolls would discover a bit about the history and origin.
These shouldn't be tagged under Portugal. \
These are awesome - but this is emphatically a Hawaiian recipe. Inspired by a traditional Portuguese recipe, sure. But Massa Sovada this is NOT.
Yes, the dish was created by a Hawaiian using Portuguese influence. Thanks for your note!
I will try these. I'm commenting because it is refreshing to find a recipe site which talks about the history of the food, instead of the site owner's kid's last tooth falling out or husband's hemorrhoids.
Great site, thank you 🙂
Thanks Elizabeth! We're so glad you enjoy our content!
The sweet roll sweet bread and malasada 's was brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants it's not indigenous to Hawaii, I can only guess they call it Hawaiin for it's the company's name, because it definitely not Hawaiin!
Hi Heather! You are correct! If you read our article, we do dive into the Portuguese origins of this bread. Enjoy!
King's hawaiian bread and portugese sweet bread which Hawaiian sweet bread is based on both contain no pineapple juice. Where did this ingredient come from?
Hi Rory. While it is true that neither Portuguese sweet bread or the store bought King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread contain pineapple juice, if you search for any copycat recipe for King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread you will find that nearly all do contain pineapple juice. The juice is a natural way to add the sweetness and slight tang that comes from chemical and artificial additives in the store bought bread.
Much better than the Kings Hawaiian Copy Cat recipe~!
Thanks Peg!
I hadn't heard of these before. They look delicious, will have to give them a try
Thanks! They make a wonderful dinner roll or sandwich bun!