Pineapple Sweet Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

These sweet rolls are made with Homemade Hawaiian King rolls. Then they are swirled with caramelized pineapple and pineapple curd. These fantastic Hawaiian style pineapple sweet rolls Are just the thing to bring some sunshine to your table.

King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls – these rolls taste like that, only better.

This Hawaiian sweet bread recipe is essentially a classic brioche that has a Hawaiian twist by adding pineapple juice, a little bit of ground ginger, and some coconut extract.

King’s Hawaiian Rolls are a sweet brioche-style bread. You can find King’s Hawaiian bread at most local grocery stores. This bread is sold as a round loaf or in packs of rolls. If you have ever eaten King’s Hawaiian rolls, you will know what I mean.

If you haven’t ever eaten these delicious rolls, I am so sorry because they are AMAZING!

Good news! Now you can whip up a batch of this sweet roll dough anytime you want.

Ingredients for Hawaiian Sweet Roll Dough

• All-purpose flour:
• Yeast:
• Pineapple juice:
• Buttermilk:
• Butter:
• Eggs:
• Brown Sugar:
• Flavor: dried ginger, vanilla extract, and coconut extract.

How to make Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

1. Melt the butter: In a medium saucepan. Once the butter is melted, remove the butter from the heat and add the buttermilk, pineapple juice, brown sugar, and vanilla and coconut extract.
2. Mix dry ingredients: In your mixing bowl, add 3 ¾ cups of flour, yeast, salt, and ginger.
3. Add the wet ingredients: With the paddle attachment on low, add the melted butter mixture to the mixer. Then add the eggs and the egg yolk one at a time. A sticky dough will form.
4. Switch to dough hook: Beat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the additional ¼ cup of flour if needed. The dough may still be sticky but do not add more than 4 cups of flour total.
5. Proof the dough: Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap—proof for about an hour and a half.

PRO-TIP: If it’s cooler than Hawaii where you live, you should proof your dough in the oven. Turn your oven to 200℉. Once it’s preheated, turn the oven off and place the covered dough inside.

Other ways to bake with this Sweet Dough

• Dinner Rolls: The dough for this recipe can be made by itself and then rolled into 12 to 14 dinner rolls. One of my favorite ways to eat these rolls is this a few slices of deli ham tucked inside. Yum!
• Loaves of Sweet Bread: Form the dough into one round loaf and bake either in a cast iron pan or a pie pan.
• Sweet Cinnamon Rolls

What else do you need to make Pineapple Sweet rolls?

Each roll is filled with sweet caramelized pineapple and pineapple curd.

Then, they’re baked to a golden-brown deliciousness!

The best part – the whole thing is topped with a tangy-sweet pineapple cream cheese icing.

All the steps for making sweet pineapple rolls

1. Mix and warm the wet ingredients. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, and allow to cool before adding buttermilk, pineapple juice, brown sugar, vanilla, and coconut extract.
2. Combine the dry ingredients into your mixing bowl. Combine 3 ¾ cups of flour, yeast, salt, and ground ginger in your mixing bowl. Whisk together to combine. Set aside the additional ¼ cup of flour to add only if needed.
3. Mix. Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixing speed on low and slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture.
4. Add the eggs. Continue mixing while adding the 2 eggs and egg yolk. A sticky dough will begin to form.
5. Switch to the hook attachment and knead the dough for 7-8 minutes. Do note that this is a very sticky dough. You want the dough to pull cleaning from the sides of the mixing bowl.*If the dough still seems too wet, add the additional flour a little bit at a time. Do not use more than 4 cups of flour in total.
6. Prepare for rise #1. Once the dough has been kneaded, form into a ball and place in a large metal or glass bowl that has been lightly greased. Cover the bowl with a clean, damp, lint-free towel or plastic wrap that has been sprayed with a little nonstick spray.
7. Rising The Dough: This can be done on the counter or by using your oven as a proofing drawer. [See the recipe card for complete details.]
8. Make the filling and the frosting. While the dough is rising make the pineapple curd, pineapple caramel, and pineapple cream cheese frosting. *You can also use just the pineapple caramel as a filling and leave out the curd.

Making the Pineapple Curd

1. Combine the ingredients. Add the pineapple juice, sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch to a large bowl and whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved.½ cup pineapple juice,2 tablespoons cornstarch,½ cup granulated sugar,4 egg yolks,¼ teaspoon salt
2. Thicken the curd. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. It should be the consistency of regular yogurt. This can take up to 10 minutes depending on the temperature. [note 2]
3. Strain. Remove from heat. If necessary, strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve to ensure that it is completely smooth. Remove the strained curd to the saucepan.
4. Stir in the butter, a little bit at a time, until it is fully melted and mixed in. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5. Chill. Cover the curd with plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap into the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until the curd is completely cold. The curd will thicken as it cools. 
6. Store. The curd will keep for up to 10 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator so you can easily make the pineapple curd ahead of time.

Making the Pineapple Caramel

1. Combine. Add the drained pineapple and sugar to a saucepan. 1 can crushed pineapple,½ cup sugar
2. Heat. Bring mixture to a boil and watch carefully. 
3. Caramelize. The sugar will start to melt and then turn and light amber color. 
4. Stir occasionally as the mixture thickens and turns to a deep golden color. 

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Beat the cream cheese. Place the cream cheese and the butter into a mixing bowl. Beat until soft. 
2. Add the powdered sugar. Continue to beat until the frosting is smooth.
3. Add the reserved pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple a few tablespoons at a time. Beat in between each addition. Stop

How to assemble sweet rolls

Roll out the sweet roll dough.

Spread with pineapple caramel.

Spread with pineapple curd.

Roll, and cut.

Place in a cast iron pan or in a 9×13-inch baking dish.

What if you want to bake your sweet rolls the next morning?

1. Follow the recipe up to the step where you place them in the pan that you will bake them in and then cover them with plastic.
2. Put the sweet rolls in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator in the morning and let them rise for about an hour. You can use the pre-warmed oven for this step.

PRO-TIP: My method for doing the morning rise to remove my sweet rolls from the fridge and then place the pan on a baking sheet. I set it on top of my oven whilie I am preheating the oven to the baking temperature of 350℉. I find that the heat from the oven is just enough to help the dough warm and rise perfectly. The rolls should be doubled in size before you bake them.

Hungry For More Breakfast Recipes?

When you’re in the mood for a lazy weekend brunch you can whip up a classic like fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes or tender French Crepes.