Homemade Hawaiian Rolls

I haven't been sulking after Denver's Super Bowl loss.  All that much.  Actually, if you've been a Denver fan long enough to remember the heartbreak of Denver's Super Bowl losses in the late 80s and early 90s, well you've probably learned to effectively cope with the grief.  It's really all about compartmentalizing.   After you get past the initial shock that the team has lost it within the first 12 seconds of the game, you begin to the road to acceptance that it's going to be another one of those.  It get's easier with each blowout.

So homemade Hawaiian rolls.

There are a bazillion recipes out there for Hawaiian rolls--I found this recipe that the blogger said were the fluffiest rolls she'd ever made.  That's just a recipe begging to be made in my book.  Seriously, these are the fluffiest, softest rolls I've ever made as well.  They are not as sweet as the store bought ones but that's a plus in my opinion.  

The sweetness in these comes from brown sugar and pineapple. That's definitely a good start to any recipe. 

I adapted the recipe to use coconut oil instead of olive oil because I am swimming in Costco sized coconut oil over here.  Knowing that there's dough rising on the counter almost ready to bake makes be absolutely giddy.  Is there any kitchen smell that's better? Okay, maybe cinnamon rolls.

When I make rolls I pull the dough around and pinch tightly at the bottom to make a ball shape.  I think I learned once that this forms a tension on the top of the rolls that helps them keep their shape (as opposed to just rolling them like you are rolling cookie dough).  

You can already tell just from the rising that these are going to be super soft and fluffy right?

These rolls are pretty fantastic filled with Hawaiian pulled chicken, but really, they're pretty fantastic straight out of the pan as well.  Try to eat just one. 

Homemade Hawaiian Rolls

adapted from Yammie's Noshery

Ingredients:
1/3 cup milk warm milk
1 packet instant dry yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil, plus additional 2 tsp for bowl and pan
4 tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup pineapple in juice
4 cups bread flour (all-purpose would also work)
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

For the tops:
1 egg
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan until warm to the touch or about 100-105 degrees.  Add yeast and let rest for 5 minutes. 
2. Add the oil, butter, pineapple, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and milk mixture to a mixing bowl and mix on low until combined. 
3. Add flour and knead for 10 minutes on medium speed and using dough hook. This dough should be  a bit sticky.   
4. Grease a large bowl with melted 1 tsp of coconut oil.  Add dough and turn to coat dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled (about 45-60 minutes depending upon your kitchen temp). Punch the dough down and divide into twelve equal balls. 
5. Grease  9x13 inch pan with 1 tsp coconut oil, roll dough into balls and let rise again until doubled (45-60 minutes). 
6. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Beat together the egg and water for the top and brush the tops of the risen rolls with the egg wash. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden browned.