Mix and warm the wet ingredients. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, allow to cool before adding buttermilk, pineapple juice, brown sugar, vanilla, and coconut extract.
1 stick melted butter, ¾ cup pineapple Juice, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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.
4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, ½ teaspoon sea salt
Mix. Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixing speed on low and slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture.
Add the eggs. Continue mixing while adding the 2 eggs and egg yolk. A sticky dough will begin to form.
2 eggs, 1 egg yolk
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.
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.
Rising The Dough: This can be done a few different ways. 1. On the counter. Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen time will vary. Expect rising time to take 1 to 2 hours. 2. Use your oven as a proofing drawer. If your oven has been preheated to 200℉, turn OFF your oven and place the covered dough inside. Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Make sure the dough is doubled in size.
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.
Pineapple Curd
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 corn starch, ½ cup granulated sugar, 4 egg yolks, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
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]
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.
Stir in the butter, a little bit at a time, until it is fully melted and mixed in.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
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.
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.
Pineapple Caramel
Combine. Add the drained pineapple and sugar to a saucepan.
1 can crushed pineapple, ½ cup sugar
Heat. Bring mixture to a boil and watch carefully.
Caramelize. The sugar will start to melt and then turn and light amber color.
Stir occasionally as the mixture thickens and turns to a deep golden color.
Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the cream cheese. Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Beat until soft.
Add the reserved pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple a few tablespoons at a time. Beat in between each addition. Stop when the consistency of the icing is to your desired thickness.
reserved pineapple liquid
Assembly and Baking
Increase the oven temperature to 350℉
Turn out the dough. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a counter. Using your hands gently press the dough into a rectangle.
Add the filling. Spread the rolled-out dough with the pineapple caramel and pineapple curd. Roll and seal.
Cut the rolls. Using dental floss cut the roll into 12 equally sized rolls.
Place the rolls into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Prepare for rise #2. Generously butter the tops and sides of each roll. Place a clean, damp lint-free kitchen towel over top. of the rolls and
Bake. Return the risen rolls to the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Or until the internal temperature of the rolls at the center is 200℉. *Oven temperatures vary so always use a probe thermometer to test the internal temperature of bread and baked goods.
Let the rolls cool before icing them with the cream cheese frosting. [note 3]
RECIPE TIPS
Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls: To make a batch of Hawaiian sweet rolls that are not fashioned as pineapple rolls. Simply use this dough. Do the first rise. Then you will cut the dough into 12 equally sized pieces. Roll them into balls and place them in greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover them and let them rise until they doubled in size. Bake @ 350℉ for
Thickening the pineapple curd. Use only canned pineapple juice. Fresh pineapple juice will not thicken due to the acid
Pineapple Glaze: If you would like a lighter icing for these sweet rolls, pineapple glaze is a great alternative to the cream cheese frosting. (Whisk together 1 cup of confectioners sugar + 2 to 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice.)
Bake the pineapple rolls the next morning. Follow the recipe up "prepare for rise #2. Put the covered sweet rolls in the refrigerator overnight, before rising the second time. In the morning. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let them rise for about an hour. I usually set them on a baking sheet on top of my oven while the oven is preheating. The extra warmth helps give them a boost to rise just a little bit faster.