Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like Hawaiian bread?
Yeah, me either. While more than just fine served warm and topped with butter, this enriched and slightly sweet bread is a delicious tableau for a whole host of other concoctions. Think bread pudding. Think French toast.
When TD decided to try out pulled pork on his Big Green Egg for Memorial Day Weekend, I knew it was time to try my hand at these Southern California mainstays. I’ll admit it felt a little like taking on Goliath considering we live in the city that calls itself home to the King’s Hawaiian headquarters. But as you know, I like to live on the edge.
First things first–can you guess the secret ingredient? Think Hawaii.
Nope…not coconut but close: pineapple. Makes perfect sense.
These rolls are really fun to make (and not because the stand mixer does most of the work) but give them time. The enriched dough has both eggs and butter in it, meaning the first and second rise will be on island time.
I couldn’t find an original recipe from King’s so used one from King Arthur Flour instead. The recipe calls for a couple of tablespoons of potato flour. Despite following my own rules and reading the recipe through days in advance, I forgot to pick up potato flour so I just omitted. I don’t think it made a noticeable difference but just to be safe, I’ll include next time and report back.
If sliders in any form are on your Fourth of July festivities list, consider trying your hand at a homemade version of these summer icons. They’ll make your guests feeling like royalty (sorry, I couldn’t help it).
King’s Hawaiian Rolls
from King Arthur Flour
makes 16 buns
Ingredients
Sponge
- 1/4 C all purpose flour
- 1 TBS instant yeast
- 2 TBS water
Dough
- 1/2 C pineapple juice, canned
- 1/4 C (4 tablespoons) softened, unsalted butter
- 1/3 C brown sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, white reserved
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 C all purpose flour
- 2 TBS potato flour
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
Directions
- For the sponge: In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the sponge ingredients. Allow the sponge to rest for 15 minutes.
- Add the pineapple juice, butter, brown sugar, eggs and yolk, and vanilla to the sponge mixing until well combined.
- While the wet ingredient mix, in a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, potato flour, and salt before adding to the liquid ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients to wet dough in stand mixer.
- Beat with the flat beater for about 3 minutes at medium-high speed; then scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes at medium speed. It may have formed a very soft ball, but will probably still be sticking to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough isn’t coming together, add a tablespoon or two of flour.
- Lightly grease a large bowl; round the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl. Cover, and let rise until very puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan.
- Gently deflate the dough. Divide it into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball. Space the buns in the pan.
- Tent the dough gently with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in the pan for 1 hour, until it’s nicely puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon cold water, and brush some onto the surface of the rolls; this will give them a satiny crust.
- Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 190°F on a digital thermometer.
- Remove the rolls from the oven, and after a few minutes, turn them out onto a cooling rack.
- Serve warm. Store leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
for ingredients: What is the sponge?
The sponge is just a little bit of dough that gets the yeast going. The remaining ingredients are added to it.