Homemade Hawaiian Rolls With A Sweet Honey Glaze

These soft and sweet homemade Hawaiian rolls are topped with a honey butter glaze that beats store-bought rolls any day!

I’ll admit it, there’s something so tempting about those store-bought King’s Hawaiian rolls. You know the ones in the bright orange package that always sell out right before the holidays. They are soft, fluffy, and have an amazing flavor.

However, nothing can compare to the smell and taste of freshly-made rolls pulled right from the oven. There’s also nothing that compares to the simple ingredients that go into making these sweet rolls!

These homemade Hawaiian rolls turn out just as fluffy as the store-bought and, but are taken over the top with a sweet honey glaze that you apply right after baking. Enjoy the rolls as-is for the perfect side dish, or turn them into amazing sliders or other mini sandwiches.

The best part of all is that they are super simple to make! Try it once and you likely won’t go back to those orange plastic wrapped rolls again!

How To Make Homemade Hawaiian Rolls With Sweet

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients  

The ingredients for these Homemade Hawaiian Rolls are separated into three different groups, but don’t let that overwhelm you. They are very simple to make using ingredients that you likely already have on hand in your pantry or refrigerator.

Rolls

• Milk – You can use any type of milk for this recipe, but try to avoid using skim milk. We usually use 2% because that’s the type of milk we have on hand.
• Pineapple Juice – This is the “secret” ingredient that helps to provide the rolls with that tropical sweetness. Be sure to grab a 100% fruit juice so you can be sure to get the full flavor punch (and without any unnecessary ingredients).
• Yeast – Use fresh yeast so your rolls get nice and fluffy.
• Honey – The honey helps to add even more sweetness to the recipe.
• Granulated Sugar – You can use either brown sugar or granulated sugar for the recipe. Both will help to wake up the yeast and provide the rolls with a hint more sweetness.
• Salt – The salt helps to cut through a bit of the sweetness.
• All-Purpose Flour – We use unbleached flour when baking, but any all-purpose flour works just fine.
• Eggs – Allow your eggs to come to room temperature before using.
• Butter – Use salted butter if you have it. This will help to cut back even more on the sweetness and balance out the flavors. If you use unsalted butter, just add a pinch more salt.

Egg Wash

• Butter – Use either salted or unsalted melted butter.
• Egg White – Mixed with the butter, the egg white will help to provide a nice, shiny glaze on top of the rolls prior to baking.

Honey Glaze

• Honey – Trust me, don’t skip on the honey glaze! This is really what helps to take the homemade rolls over the top of the store-bought ones!
• Butter – Again, you can use either salted or unsalted melted butter here.

Instructions For Homemade Hawaiian Rolls

In a microwave-safe small bowl or a measuring cup, add the milk and pineapple juice. Heat the mixture in a microwave until the liquid reaches a temperature of around 105 to 115º Fahrenheit. Alternatively, heat the mixture in a small saucepan on your stovetop if you prefer.

Don’t worry if the liquid is a little lumpy after mixing and heating. That is totally normal. Just don’t allow the liquid to get too hot since that can kill the yeast.

Once the liquid is warm, add in the yeast and honey. Set the mixture aside for 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast is nice and foamy. If your liquid still isn’t foaming after the 10 minutes are up, your yeast might be old or your liquid was too hot. Try again with new yeast.

Combine The Dough Ingredients

While the yeast is doing its thing, whisk together the sugar, salt, and 3 cups of the flour in a large bowl or a stand mixer. Add in the yeast mixture, eggs, and melted butter. Mix everything on a low speed until it is well combined.

Most likely, your dough will be extremely wet still at this point. If it is, add the additional cup of flour, half a cup at a time. If the dough is still sticky to the touch after the fourth cup of flour, add a few tablespoons more, mixing well after each addition.

It should be a well-formed dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The key is to get a dough that is slightly tacky to the touch (not sticky), but that bounces back after it is lightly pressed. It should be smooth and soft in texture. Once you reach that consistency, continue to mix or hand knead for 3 to 4 minutes on low speed.

Rise & Divide

Remove the dough from the mixer and place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and allow it to sit in a warm location until it has doubled in size. This usually takes about an hour. I like to place my dough in our oven with the “bread proof” feature on to help speed up the process a bit.

While you are waiting for the dough to double in size, butter or grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish or pan. Set it aside.

Once the dough has doubled, divide it into 12 equally-sized pieces. I am not good at eyeballing this, so I like to use my kitchen scale. Take the total weight of the dough and divide it by 12. Try to get pieces of dough that weigh about that amount. (This is similar to the older one I have – Product Link: Ultrean Food Scale.)

Form the dough into smooth, round balls and place them in the prepared baking dish in three rows of four. Cover the dish and allow the rolls to rise for about 30 to 40 minutes or until they have puffed out slightly and the sides are touching.

Egg Wash & Baking

While the rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Right before you are ready to put the rolls in the oven, mix together one egg white and the melted butter in a small bowl. Brush the tops of each bun with the egg wash.

Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rolls are slightly browned on top. Remove the rolls from the oven.

Now this is where the rolls are taken over the top! In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter and honey to make the honey glaze. Brush this on the hot rolls. This will create a beautiful glaze on the top and add a touch of extra sweetness.

Serve the rolls warm for the best flavor and to really notice the tropical flavors. They work great for making sliders or as a perfect side to complement dinners like Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Angel Chicken Pasta, or Oven Baked Ribs.

Store any cooled leftover rolls in a plastic bag or sealed container. Warm before serving if desired. Enjoy!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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