Sweet Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

4.56 from 9 votes

Sweet Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

Sweet sourdough Hawaiian rolls are delicious made with 100% wild yeast. These rolls are sweet and make the best sandwiches or dinner rolls. Sweet sourdough Hawaiian rolls will quickly become a family favorite! They take a little bit longer than a traditional roll, but are well worth the extra (mostly hands-off) time.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Rise Time11

Total Time11 50

Course: Appetizer, Bread, rolls

Cuisine: American, Hawaiian

Servings: rolls

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain (1:1:1 ratio, ready in 3-4 hours at 78-80ºF)

55 grams ripe and bubbly sourdough starter about 1/4 cup
55 grams all purpose flour about 7 Tablespoons
55 grams water about 1/4 cup

Sourdough Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

150 grams ripe and bubbly levain scant 2/3 cup
115 grams canned pineapple juice about 1/2 cup
60 grams milk about 1/4 cup
1 large egg about 50 grams
5 grams vanilla extract about 1 teaspoon
70 grams brown sugar about 1/3 cup
20 grams potato flakes see recipe notes, about 3.5 Tablespoons
8 grams salt about 1 teaspoon
400 grams bread flour 12.5% protein, scant 3 cups

Instructions

Levain (1:1:1, 3-4 hours until bubbly and active at 78-80ºF)

Mix together 55 grams of ripe and active sourdough starter with 55 grams flour and 55 grams water. Cover and let rise for 3-4 hours until levain has doubled in size, peaked and is airy and filled with bubbles.

Sweet Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

To the bowl of a stand mixer add levain, pineapple juice, milk, egg, vanilla extract, brown sugar, potato flakes, salt and bread flour. Mix until completely combined and the dough feels tacky (not super sticky) and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. I like to reserve about a cup of bread flour and add it in as the dough kneads together, making sure that I'm not adding too much flour to the dough.
Knead together for 8-10 minutes, adding the rest of the flour as needed, until the dough is soft and smooth. The dough should be tacky to the touch, not overly sticky. If it is very sticky, add a little bit more flour, about 20-30 grams at a time.
Bulk Fermentation: Put the dough in a container and cover. Set the dough in a warm, 78-80ºF place for 4 hours. Take the temperature of the dough as needed to maintain the dough temperature right around 78-80ºF (I use this bread proofer to keep my dough temperature consistent). If the dough is colder than this temperature, fermentation will move slower. If it's warmer, fermentation will move faster.
At the end of about 4 hours, the dough should be puffed up and feel elastic. If it doesn't feel this way, let it bulk ferment for another half hour and check again
Overnight Option: At this point, after the bulk fermentation has finished, you can cover the dough and put it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Proceed with the recipe the next day, shaping and proofing the rolls before baking.
Shaping: Dump the dough onto a countertop. Cut the dough into 9 equal pieces. Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter using your hand in a cupping shape (see video here) to seal the balls and create tension for the roll to rise. Place in an 8 by 8 pan, fitting the rolls snuggling next to each other in a 3 by 3 grid.
Proofing: Cover the pan with a dish towel and let rise in an 80-85ºF place until puffed up, doubled in size and risen, about 3-4 hours. Do not bake these rolls if they have not risen. Warm the dough up and let them rise longer.
Baking: Place a baking stone or baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to prevent the bottom of the rolls from burning. Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF. Brush the rolls with heavy cream or egg wash if desired. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until baked all the way through. Top with melted butter if desired and enjoy!

Notes

Update: Originally this recipe called for only 25 grams of milk. This was incorrect. It should be 60 grams of milk.

Pineapple Juice: I typically use canned pineapple juice from a can of pineapple chunks, but any canned pineapple juice will work. Do not use fresh pineapple juice as it will break down the gluten in the dough and cause a sticky mess.

Potato Flakes: Use good quality potato flakes that only have potato in them. Potato flakes makes these rolls extra tender and soft. You could also use softened potato, but may need to decrease a little bit of flour if you go that route.

Bread Flour: I almost always use a 12.5% protein bread flour for any bread that I am kneading. The higher protein content and properly activating the gluten results in a lighter/springy baked good. If you don't have bread flour on hand, you can add a Tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to all purpose flour to increase the protein content.

Nutrition