Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

Let me just preface this whole recipe review by saying, this recipe was strange.  I have no idea what possessed me to think that it was a good idea to make rolls from such a strange combination of ingredients, but I will say that after the final product emerged I have determined it won't happen again. 

While the flavor was there, the texture was not.  These little rolls are supposed to be light and airy with a sweet taste to them. These were heavy and dense, very very dense.  A packaged variety can be  found in most grocery stores and they are a family favorite in my house. When Br1 requested hamburgers for dinner Sunday night I had the "brilliant" idea of serving sliders; you know little the burgers served on rolls with a variety of different toppings and are so delicious you want to eat at least three?  I didn't want to buy slider buns/rolls at the store so I went searching for a recipe.  I stumbled on this and thought the sweet flavor would pair nicely with all the savory ingredients in the burgers and toppings. 

The recipe met my two main requirements, easy and cheap.  But as soon as I started mixing, I knew something wasn't right.  The measurements seemed off as I need two extra cups of flour to make a bread like dough, and when left to rise for the first time it didn't raise hardly at all even with the vast quantities of yeast and the extra hour of time I allowed the dough to rise.  But, still, I trudged on...surely it would all be OK right?  Wrong!  I formed the rolls, allowed double the time for a second rising, which didn't help because they still didn't rise enough, and then baked for three times the amount listed.  The final result, tasty little rocks.  Not great for sliders, but we made them work and most of us ended up just eating the insides without the bun.  Next time, I will make the five minute trip to the store and just buy the Hawaiian Rolls from my deli counter...lesson learned!

Hawaiian Sweet Bread

Recipe Source: Viking Range Corporation

18.5-ounce package yellow cake mix

5 cups all-purpose flour
4 packages active dry yeast
2 cups pineapple juice, at room temperature
1/2 cup hot water
Flour for dusting the work surface
1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine

Combine cake mix, flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer bowl. Add the pineapple juice and hot water, and beat for 2 minutes. Cover and let rise in the bowl for 45 minutes.

Dust a clean work surface with flour and knead the dough for several minutes, working in additional flour if the dough is sticky.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sandwich rolls: Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch log and cut each log into 8 pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place on silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes, until almost doubled in size. Brush with the melted butter and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Hawaiian bread: Divide the dough into thirds, place in buttered loaf pans and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Brush loaves with the melted butter and bake for 35 to 40 minutes for bread loaves, until top is golden.

Dinner rolls: Divide dough into fourths. Roll each fourth into a 12-inch log and Cut logs into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place on silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes, until almost doubled in size. Brush with the melted butter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes 16 sandwich rolls, 3 loaves, or 24 dinner rolls.

Total Cost $2.18
Cake Mix $.25
Yeast $1.33
Juice $.50
Butter $.10