Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard)

After making my sourdough brioche bread a few weeks back, I was inspired to make one of my favorite sweet bread recipes: Hawaiian rolls! I love the delicious Hawaiian rolls you get at the store (King’s Hawaiian is the kind they sell near me, a particular favorite of mine!) and wanted to recreate it with my sourdough starter.

 

And let me tell you – these little sweet rolls make the perfect bite for breakfasts, brunches, sliders, and toast!  The sweetness of the Hawaiian rolls is a fantastic flavor and will really level up your bread game. Whether you are new to sourdough baking or a seasoned pro, this a great recipe to make with sourdough discard.

• Sourdough Starter Discard: you can buy sourdough starter here, or I have a great guide on how to make your own in one week!
• Pineapple Juice: the pineapple juice gives this Hawaiian bread it’s distinctive sweetness.  You can use fresh pineapple juice, but I used the juice that is packed in this canned pineapple (which is 100% juice, so it’s perfect!).
• All Purpose Flour: I normally use King Arthur organic all purpose flour for all my baking recipes, I love the consistency and texture of the crumb this flour produces. If you are gluten free, then a gluten free flour would be a nice substitute in this dish.
• Granulated Sugar: I like this organic sugar for my recipes, it has a really nice texture in this bread, I’d recommend Anthony’s organic sugar for baking.
• Active Dry Yeast: I stocked up on this active yeast which I always find plenty of uses for in my kitchen! Active dry yeast is great for overnight breads and this easy quick bread recipe too! Sourdough starter has naturally occurring yeast, but I like to add some volume with a packet of dry yeast too.
• Milk
• Butter, can be plant based – if you don’t have fresh butter on hand, this butter powder is actually amazing! I’ve baked cookies with it, and I really like having some butter in the pantry in a pinch.
• Eggs
• Water

What Baking Equipment Do I Need?

• I use this extra large silicon baking mat to roll all my dough on. It’s super simple to use and easy to clean up (and doesn’t get flour all over your counters, highly recommended. There are a lot of baking mats, but this one is the largest I could find (2 x 3 feet!) and keeps the counters mess free… I absolutely love it!
• I love these glass Anchor batter bowls, I store all my doughs and my sourdough starter in these!
• For these, I find these 2 glass Anchor loaf pans do the trick! I prefer glass to aluminum, and have gotten great results with these pans.
• I’ve also compiled a list of my favorite sourdough baking equipment here on Amazon!

One of the BEST Pantry Bread Recipes

These Hawaiian sweet rolls with sourdough starter recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards. You probably have a lot of these ingredients on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate.

I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep on hand. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple recipes on TheHerbeevore.com here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!

This may look like a complicated recipe because it has a lot of steps, but believe me this is a simple and easy bread to bake! It’s actually easier than my normal sourdough recipe because you don’t have to knead it.

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter, flour (start with 4 1/2 cups), sugar, active yeast, and salt. Mix well to combine, and make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
2. Add melted butter, milk, and egg to a bowl, scramble well with a fork until combined. Add the egg mixture to the center of the flour well. Pour the warm water over the egg mixture. With a large spoon, mix well to combine all ingredients into a dough. Dough should be sticky and thick. If your dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and place bowl in the refrigerator overnight (8 to 12 hours).
4. The next morning, grease 2 8×8 loaf pans. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface.
5. Divide dough into 2 equal sections. And then divide each of those sections roughly into 9 equal parts. Each of those 9 parts will become one roll. I used my hands to roll the dough into balls, then placed them in the 8×8 in baking dish. Each baking dish should have 9 rolls. Cover, and allow dough to rise in the baking dishes in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size (mine has taken up to 4 hours on colder days).
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water) and place in oven to bake for 22 to 28 minutes. Top should be brown, but if it starts to look burnt, then cover with foil and continue to bake.
7. Allow buns to cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing.

Dietary Modifications

• To make these sweet rolls vegan: substitute the eggs, butter, and milk for plant based varieties. I’ve actually made this Hawaiian bread with almond milk before and it tastes great!
• To make dairy free: use plant-based milk and butter.

More Fun Sourdough Discard Recipes We Love!

Sourdough Bagels Recipe (Vegan)

Vegan Sourdough Muffins with Blueberries

Sourdough Garlic Naan Recipe (Vegan, Dairy Free, Egg Free)

Vegan Sourdough Croutons with Garlic & Herbs

Sourdough Starter Pizza Crust Recipe (Vegan, Dairy Free)