Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
These fluffy sourdough hawaiian rolls are soft, buttery, and slightly sweet, with just the right amount of pineapple flavor and sourdough tang. Made with simple ingredients and naturally fermented overnight, they make the perfect homemade dinner rolls for holidays, family meals, sandwiches, or try my recipe on how to make hawaiian roll sliders. They’re especially delicious served warm with my recipe on how to make butter from raw milk, and they’re easy to make ahead when you need fresh rolls for a gathering.
Quick Look: Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 8 hours
- 🍳 Cook Time: 40 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 8 hrs, 40 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 15
- 📊 Calories: ~192 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Oven-baked in baking dish
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet with a mild sourdough tang and rich buttery undertones.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy – beginner-friendly, simple mixing, shaping, and baking.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft and fluffy – These sourdough Hawaiian rolls are tender, buttery, and slightly sweet with a delicious pineapple flavor and sourdough tang.
- Perfect for holidays – These homemade rolls are a wonderful addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any family dinner. If you love making your own bread, you may also enjoy my soft sourdough dinner rolls and softest sourdough sandwich bread recipe.
- Great for sandwiches and sliders – Their soft texture makes them perfect for easy sourdough rolls or you can use them alongside other homemade sandwich breads, like my sourdough hoagie rolls recipe
- Perfect for breakfast too – Don't let leftover rolls go to waste! Use them to make my sourdough french toast recipe or cube them up for my sourdough croutons recipe when they start to dry out.
- Made with homemade ingredients – I love using homemade butter in these rolls for extra flavor. If you enjoy making your own dairy and bread from scratch, these rolls fit right into a homemade kitchen.
- Easy to make ahead – The dough can be fermented overnight, making these rolls convenient for busy mornings, holidays, and family gatherings. You can also make a batch ahead of time and freeze the baked rolls for later.
Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients needed to make this recipe, see the recipe card below.
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How To Make These Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
Step 1: Mix and Knead the Dough. Add all ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or use a large mixing bowl. Add flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on medium speed for at least 5 minutes, or by hand for 10 minutes, until the gluten is well developed.
Step 2: Cover the bowl and let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for 8–10 hours or overnight. The next day, divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and shape each piece into a roll. Place the rolls in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Step 3: Cover and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size. You can also let them rise in the refrigerator for several hours if you're going to be away.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the rolls are deep golden brown. Brush the tops with butter and let them cool slightly before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3–4 days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the rolls for up to 6 weeks.
Tips for Making Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
- Use a stand mixer if you have one. The dough needs good gluten development, and the mixer makes kneading much easier.
- Watch the dough, not just the clock. The first rise may take more or less than 8–10 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Don't add too much flour. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky but should pull away from the sides of the bowl after kneading.
- Create tension when shaping. Roll each piece of dough on the countertop until the surface is smooth and tight. This helps the rolls rise evenly.
- Give them enough time to rise. The rolls should be noticeably puffy and close to doubled before baking.
- Use the refrigerator when needed. If you need to leave the house, the shaped rolls can rise slowly in the refrigerator for several hours.
- Brush with butter after baking. This gives the tops a soft, buttery finish and adds even more flavor.
- Don't waste leftover rolls. Use them for sliders, French toast, bread pudding, or homemade croutons.
- Freeze extras. Once completely cooled, place the rolls in an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls FAQs
Sourdough Hawaiian rolls are soft, slightly sweet dinner rolls made with sourdough starter and the flavors traditionally associated with Hawaiian rolls. They have a tender texture, mild sweetness, and a subtle pineapple flavor with the tang of naturally fermented sourdough.
Sourdough adds a mild tangy flavor and allows the dough to naturally ferment and rise. It also gives these Hawaiian rolls a slightly more complex flavor than traditional yeast-raised Hawaiian rolls.
Traditional sourdough rolls are usually made primarily with flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter, while Hawaiian sourdough rolls are enriched with ingredients such as pineapple juice, brown sugar, butter, and eggs. The result is a softer, sweeter roll with the characteristic Hawaiian flavor.
Sourdough Hawaiian rolls can be a great homemade alternative to store-bought rolls because you control the ingredients. The long fermentation also changes the structure of the dough, but these are still enriched rolls made with butter, eggs, and sweetener, so they are best enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.
The combination of naturally fermented sourdough and the sweet, tropical flavor of pineapple juice makes these rolls unique. They are soft and fluffy like traditional Hawaiian rolls but have the added depth of flavor from sourdough fermentation.
Not usually. These rolls have a mild sourdough flavor rather than a strong sour taste. The pineapple juice and brown sugar balance the natural tang of the sourdough and give the rolls their slightly sweet flavor.
Yes. The dough is perfect for an overnight fermentation, which makes these rolls convenient to prepare ahead of time. You can also slow the second rise in the refrigerator for several hours if needed.
Yes. Allow the baked rolls to cool completely, then place them in an airtight freezer bag or container. They can be frozen for up to six weeks.
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container or zip-top bag for 3–4 days at room temperature. They can also be refrigerated for up to a week.
These rolls are delicious served with butter alongside dinner, but they are also perfect for sliders and sandwiches. You can use leftover rolls to make French toast, bread pudding, or homemade croutons.
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Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer or large mixing bowl
- 1 9” x 13” pan or 14” cast iron skillet
- 1 measuring cups and spoons
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 Tea Towel
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter, active or discard
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
- 1 cup melted butter or other fat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups flour
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large mixing bowl. Add flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead in a stand mixer on medium speed for at least 5 minutes, or by hand for at least 10 minutes, until the gluten is well developed. A mixer makes this step easy while you work on other kitchen tasks.
- Place the lid on the mixer bowl, or cover with a tea towel and allow it to do its bulk fermentation, or first rise at room temperature for 8-10 hours or overnight, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- The next day, divide the dough ball into 15 equal pieces and shape them by rolling them around on the countertop to create tension on the dough, or shape by putting your thumb in the center of the roll and pinching the sides together. (See video below).
- Place it in a greased 9” x 13” baking dish.
- Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled. If you’re going to be out of the house, you can always raise these rolls in the refrigerator for several hours as well.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a deep golden brown.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with butter and allow to cool a bit before serving. These rolls pair well with sweet or savory. Enjoy them plain with butter, as mini burgers, or cube them for a delicious French toast bake or Hawaiian bread pudding.
- Store leftovers in a ziplock bag or other airtight container for 3-4 days on the countertop or a week in the refrigerator. These rolls can also be frozen for up to six weeks.
Notes
- Plan ahead: For noon rolls, mix the dough the night before. For evening rolls, mix in the morning for the best long-fermentation results.
- Let rise fully: Allow the dough to double in size—don’t rush the rise for light, airy rolls.
- Slow the rise: If needed, shape the rolls and let them rise in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Freeze baked rolls for up to 6 weeks. Thaw and warm in the oven before serving.
- Develop the gluten: Knead 5 minutes in a mixer or 10 minutes by hand. Use the windowpane test to check for proper gluten development.
- Smaller batch: Cut the recipe in half if desired.
- Use parchment: Line your baking pan with parchment for easy removal.
- Using discard: Sourdough discard can be used with a couple tablespoons of active dry yeast.
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