Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

These sourdough Hawaiian rolls are incredibly soft and flavorful. Enjoyed plain dolled up as a slider, these dinner rolls are a great addition to your meal rotation.

As spring time is right around the corner, these soft and fluffy sourdough Hawaiian rolls are an absolute must. And if you have kids, they will love these dinner rolls.

Sometimes if can be difficult to encourage a family to eat more whole grains in their diet, but when the look is approachable, they are even more fun to eat! 

Recently, we tried to make these as bunny rabbits and they turned out as ‘fat cats’. Our kids ate them up so quick!

We enjoying these rolls at any time of year, though they tend to make their way to the dinner table quite often when the weather is chilly. We enjoy them with soup, spaghetti and even as sourdough pizza roll sliders. 

If you have ever had king Hawaiian rolls – this is a version made with sourdough and no commercial yeast. These make great sourdough king Hawaiian roll sliders, too!

These are also great by themselves or topped with butter and honey. Eating them ‘plain’ really allows the nutty flavor of whole wheat continues to shine through. And as an added bonus, they could not be easier to make.

These sourdough Hawaiian sweet rolls are made with a combination of whole grains (whole wheat flour) and all purpose flour, leading to a perfectly, soft roll.

Kitchen Equipment 

A few pieces of equipment can help ensure these sourdough discard hawaiian rolls are easy to make. If you decide not to use a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand.

• Stand mixer (we bought a refurbished Kitchenaid bowl lift mixer and love it!)
• Large mixing bowl
• Tea towel
• Pastry blender
• 9×13 Glass pan

Ingredients for Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

These sourdough sweet Hawaiian rolls ingredients are quite simple. Similar to a sourdough brioche roll, these sourdough discard rolls are easy to make. They are an enriched dough with butter, milk and egg. Pineapple juice is the main difference when making these rolls have the fantastic flavor we have come to know and love!

• Whole wheat flour
  • Whole wheat flour can be made fresh at home by using a grain mill or bought at the grocery store. A little bit of whole wheat flour goes a long way and provide a slight nutty flavor to the traditionally sweet rolls.
• All purpose flour
  • All purpose flour or bread flour provide pillowy and soft sourdough dinner rolls. It also provides the structure we know and love in dinner rolls 
• Butter
  • Unsalted butter provides moisture to the sourdough Hawaiian roll dough. If using salted butter, please leave out salt from dough.
• Pineapple Juice
  • Pineapple juice provides the authentic sweet, pineapple flavor within Hawaiian rolls. Without this, the Hawaiian rolls would not taste right. We have tested this recipe with canned pineapple juice, though it should work with fresh pineapple juice too.
• Egg
  • Using one egg within this recipe provides a little extra protein and adds to the soft texture.
• Milk
  • Milk is a great addition to these rolls for moisture. Alternatively, you could use water in the dough.
• Sourdough Starter
  • The sourdough starter (either as active sourdough starter or sourdough discard) is the key to helping this dough rise. The wild yeast will ferment the dough without the use of commercial yeast or an additional leavening agent.
• Vanilla Extract
  • This aids in the overall sweet flavor of the rolls.
• Sugar
  • White sugar is used within this recipe to provide additional sweetness to this dough.
• Salt
  • Salt is included within this recipe to increase the depth and flavors present within this recipe. If you use salted butter, leave the additional salt out of the recipe.

It is optional to top these rolls with roasted garlic, Parmesan, or fresh herbs and spices like chives, sage, rosemary or thyme. This recipe also makes a great base for meat and cheese sliders.

How to make Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

Short Fermentation (IE Bake within 15-20 hours / no bulk fermentation in fridge).

To make sourdough hawaiian dinner rolls, start by adding all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Having room temperature eggs and melted butter helps the dough come together easier.

If using a stand mixer, stir first by hand until the mixture comes together. Allow it to sit for 15-30 minutes before turning on the mixer to knead the dough. This step will allow the dough to autolayse and reduce the kneading period.

Knead the dough using your hands or the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer. Knead until you can take a piece of dough and stretch it like a windowpane. With time, it will not stick to the sides of the bowl as it comes together.

This will take less time to come together in the stand mixer (about 10 minutes) than when kneaded by hand (about 15-20 minutes). Then, cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to and on the countertop until the dough has doubled in size.

As there is a bit of whole wheat flour in the dough, it may rise faster than a recipe with only all purpose flour. The general range for a countertop fermentation period for this amount of dough is 4-12 hours. The temperature of your home also influences this time.

The next day, or once it has doubled in size, place the dough on the countertop and shape into a rectangle or square by shaping the dough with your hands. Pull on the sides gently to stretch the dough to the desired size.

Use a pastry cutter, divide dough into equal pieces. The recipe will make about 24 large dinner rolls or 35 slider rolls, though you can make them larger or smaller depending on your preference. The King’s Hawaiian brand are closer to the slider roll size.

We like to shape our rolls smaller as we regularly make sliders and feel the ratio of meat to cheese and roll is lacking if the rolls are much bigger.

To shape the rolls, wet your hands and shape. Use the counter to create tension on the rolls by cupping the dough and shaping it by pulling the dough balls towards you.

Note, the rolls will seem very small until they rise. Place the rolls into a prepared baking pan. We used a 9×13 glass pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper. 

Allow the dough to rise and complete a second rise (about 3-5 hours). The rolls are ready to bake within the oven when they have expanded and became quite fluffy. It is vital to this recipe to complete a long enough second proof or the rolls will seem dense!

To know when the dough has expanded enough, the exterior of the dough will no longer be tacky when touched and may even have a slight film across the top. They will have doubled (or even close to tripled) in size.

It is optional to add an egg wash or milk wash to the top of the dinner rolls before baking. Milk will not change the color but will create a glossy appearance. An egg mixture / wash will darken the top of the rolls.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the sourdough rolls for 20-25. 

The rolls are ready when the tops are golden brown in color. If using a kitchen thermometer, they will be 205-210 degrees.

Allow to cool slightly before eating. Option to top them immediately with melted butter and flaky sea salt. 

Alternately, enjoy these soft pull apart sourdough dinner rolls one they have cooled either by themselves, with butter and honey or jam. 

These can also be made into sliders or sandwiches for a great sourdough appetizer. If you like sliders, try these Sourdough Hawaiian Roll Sliders made with Swiss cheese and lunch meat. This is a great sourdough appetizer for football season and graduation season!

Extended Fermentation Schedule (IE bake in the future by slowing fermentation with a bulk fermentation period in the refrigerator)

If you would like to prepare these in advance, follow through the recipe through the countertop bulk fermentation time.

Once doubled in size, shape the rolls and place them into the fridge (covered) and bake later. Note, the longer the dough sits in the fridge the more sour the flavor of the rolls will become. 

It will take additional time for the dough to complete a secondary rise when removed from the refrigerator. It could take an additional hour or two. Follow the steps above in regards to secondary rise tips (IE when they are ready to bake) and notes on baking temperature and time.

Baker’s Schedule (Rolls ready by noon – perfect for dinnertime sliders)

5:00 PM (Day prior to bake) – This recipe is flexible with sourdough starter and does not need to be taken at ‘peak’. If you want to make a recipe with the start at ‘peak’, feed your starter 6-12 hours prior to baking.

Otherwise, you can use starter straight from the fridge. We tend to use starter straight from the fridge to fit with our current lifestyle and work schedules.

Begin by mixing the dough together by hand or kitchenaid mixer. Once complete, cover with a tea towel or lid and allow to rise on the countertop until doubled in size.

7:00 AM (Day of bake) – Shape the rolls and place in a 9×9 lined glass baking pan. If cooking in the morning, leave rolls out to complete the second rise.

• If baking tomorrow (or later), cover the rolls with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge until 3-5 hours prior to when you are ready to eat. The rolls will seem small at this time and will get larger in size as they complete rise.
• If you do place the rolls in the fridge, they will take longer to complete a secondary rise as they warm up to room temperature.

10 – 11:00 AM* (Day of bake) – Bake the rolls and allow to cool before enjoying or making into sliders.

• *This time may differ if your rolls are taking longer to rise. If they were in the fridge, it will take longer for them to rise on the countertop (3-5 hours) depending on the temperature of your home.

4:00 PM – Start preparing cooled rolls into sliders.

Helpful tips to make easy sourdough Hawaiian rolls

• If baking to be eat warm / hot at a meal

If baking to be hot at a meal, consider allowing the dough to complete a second rise 3-5 hours prior to when you would like to eat. The rise time will differ depending on how cold the rolls are. If they came out of the fridge and are rising, it will take longer.

• Fluffy Rolls

To achieve fluffy rolls, ensure the second rise length of time is long enough. If the dough does not rise for long enough, they will be dense. We want to achieve those perfect rolls!

• Same Day sourdough rolls

This recipe does NOT use commercial yeast, therefore they can not be made in the morning and baked by dinner time due to the two-step rise required.

How to store Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

Store the sourdough whole wheat dinner rolls on the counter for up to three days within a plastic bag or airtight container. Place in the fridge for up to a week.

To freeze leftovers, allow to cool completely before placing in a ziplock bag or airtight container. Leftover baked rolls can be frozen for up to 6 months. 

To freeze rolls before baking, place them in the freezer after they are shaped (before the secondary rise).  For ease of baking, put them on a similar dish to what you are baking them in. It will take a longer period for them to complete a secondary rise from the frozen stage. 

Have you tried these delicious Hawaiian rolls? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!