Soft and Sweet Hawaiian Sandwich Bread Recipe

We absolutely adore the sweetness and softness of Hawaiian rolls, and I've transformed that beloved texture into a sandwich bread perfect for slicing for toast or sandwiches.

In pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, I've started reducing the processed foods and added chemicals that my family and I consume. Bread, one of our household staples, was one of the top highly processed items. So, I took matters into my own hands, learned how to make it myself, and stopped buying it from the grocery store. I'm hoping my recipes will challenge the idea that making bread is difficult or time-consuming by sharing shortcuts and hacks that make it manageable, even with busy schedules.

👩‍🍳Get a free printable PDF recipe card for this recipe HERE.

Watch the video version of this recipe: Coming soon

To make everything as straightforward as possible, I recommend using a machine to knead your dough. Personally, I chose to use my bread machine, but a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook or kneading by hand for about 10 minutes will also work just fine.

Find the bread machine I use HERE.

This recipe can be made fully in a bread machine. Simply dump everything in, set it to the basic 2-pound loaf size with a light crust, and it will handle everything from kneading to baking the loaf. However, I must mention that the resulting loaf from this recipe tends to be quite large and not the standard size for sandwiches.

For that reason, I use the bread machine solely for kneading the dough. Once done, I remove it to shape and bake in Pullman loaf pans to achieve the perfect standard-sized sandwich bread.

Find the Pullman loaf pans I use HERE.

Ingredients

3/4 cup pineapple juice
2.5 TBS olive oil
1 egg
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp salt
4 cups of flour
2 tsp yeast

1 egg + 1/3 cup of water mixed together for an egg wash

Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients into your bread machine, KitchenAid mixer bowl, or into a large bowl if doing this by hand. If using a bread machine, set it to the dough setting so it will run through a keading and first rise cycle. If using a KitchenAid mixer or kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes.
2. Allow the dough to rise until double in size. My bread machine will also take the dough through its first rise. If making the dough manually, set it in a warm and moist environment to encourage a good first rise. I like to put a 13x9 glass dish of water at the bottom of my oven and set it to the "warm" setting for 5 minutes. Put a wet kitchen towel over the bowl of dough, and set it in the middle of the oven above the 13x9 dish. Check up on the dough every now and then until it has doubled in size. 
3. Once the dough has doubled in size, dump it onto your kitchen counter. If properly risen, it should not stick to the counter surface. Knead it into a ball and use a knife to cut it into half.  This recipe makes two mini loaves. 
4. Roll each piece of dough into a log and place it into 8-inch Pullman loaf pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. 
5. Place each Pullman loaf back into a warm and humid oven for its final rise. It will be ready to bake once it has doubled in size. 
6. Take the loaves out of the oven once they have doubled in size. Turn the oven to pre-heat to 375F. Keep the 13x9 dish full of water at the bottom of the oven. It will create steam as the loaves bake which helps make soft crust.
7. Apply an egg wash to the bread’s surface to keep it moist and prevent drying out. 
8. Lastly, cover the loaves with the covers that come with the Pullman pans, which not only prevent the bread crust from getting too hard or dark but also create a nice square shape. If your not using a Pullman loaf pan with covers, cut a piece of aluminum foil and tent it over the bread loaves. 
9. Once the oven reaches temperature, bake the bread loaves for 20 minutes. Then, remove the Pullman loaf pan covers and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the crust turns a lovely, light golden brown.
10. Remove the loaves from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely—this prevents a soggy crust by ensuring moisture doesn't get trapped.

You’ll find these slices of bread truly perfect, fluffy, and sweet with an unmistakable aroma. They have no preservatives, so they'll stay fresh for about 3 to 5 days, but trust me, you'll finish a loaf well before anything goes stale.

I like to use resuable bread bags which make my homemade bread last longer when stored in the pantry or I can make a lot of bread loaves and freeze them in the freezer. Find the same bread bags I use HERE.

Let me know in the comments below how yours turns out!