Hawaiian Bread

Portuguese immigrants baking bread in
Hawaii in the early 1900s.

There's a fascinating history behind this slightly sweet, yeast-risen bread: In the late 1800s, Hawaiian plantation owners used the Portuguese-held Madeira and Azores islands as a source of labor, often bringing over hundreds of workers along with their wives and children. This immigrant population introduced many Portuguese traditions to Hawaiian culture—including the ukulele and pão doce, or sweet bread.

In 1950, a bakery in Hilo called King's Hawaiian began making a version of pão doce, using pineapple as the sweetener. King's Hawaiian bread and rolls spread well beyond Hawaii and can now be found in supermarkets across the nation. On the West Coast and in Hawaii, the rolls are served along with meals. In other parts of the country, the loaves are often carved out and used as containers for party dips.

Hawaiian Bread

Makes 2 loaves
These instructions are for baking round loaves, but you could also bake these as 18 rolls (see below). Or make one loaf and 9 rolls.

11/4 cups pineapple juice
2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
51/2 to 6 cups flour

1. In a very small saucepan or in the microwave, heat 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice to lukewarm (105° to 115°F). Sprinkle the yeast over the warm juice and set aside until bubbling, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the 1/3 cup sugar and the butter. Beat in the yeast mixture and the remaining 1 cup pineapple juice. Beat in 3 of the eggs, the vanilla, salt, and ginger until well combined. Add 3 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour (about 21/2 cups) to make the dough easy to handle.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, using up to 1/2 cup more flour if necessary. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn greased side up. Loosely cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk. 11/2 to 2 hours.
4. Punch down the dough and divide in half. Form each piece of dough into a ball and pull the surface taut by tucking the dough in at the bottom of the ball. Place each in a greased 9-inch cake pan, tucked side down. Cover the loaves and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, lightly beat the remaining egg. Brush over the roll and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of sugar. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Hawaiian Rolls: Form the dough into 18 rolls. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and arrange 9 balls in each pan. Let rise and brush with egg as directed. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

[This article first appeared in the November 2007 issue of Hallmark Magazine.]