Hawaiian Bread Soft Sandwich Style
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This Sandwich Style Hawaiian bread is soft, fluffy, slices like a dream, and makes excellent sandwich bread or dinner bread, as is or toasted.
In this post I have lots of tips and tricks for turning out this perfect sandwich bread. If you’d like skip the tips, the printable recipe card is further down the page. Keep scrolling or click on the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top.
How to Make Soft Hawaiian Bread In Bread Machine For Sandwiches
Over the holidays, I bought myself a bread machine. I had one years ago, a little cheapie model, and enjoyed using it. As technology has changed so much on these wonderful little appliances I was able to get a drastically better model, with a convection oven feature, for the same price I paid for my cheapie one all those years ago (around $100).
My hope was that this would not end up being one of those appliances that I used a few times and then set aside as a high tech dust collector and I gotta tell ya, this thing has impressed all of us. It now ranks up there in terms of use with my Electric Kettle, 6 quart Slow Cooker, and Bunn Coffee Maker. The model I chose was the Cuisinart CBK-200 2 LB Convection Bread Maker. If this isn’t available currently you will see similar models recommended.
Lightbulb Moment: Soft loaf Hawaiian Bread Was Born
I immediately tried a classic bread recipe and it was wonderful, but it wasn’t the soft loaf bread we so often think of when we want to make sandwiches. I happened to have a package of Hawaiian rolls on the table and thought to myself “I wonder if it is possible to make a bread like that in a bread machine?“. Thus began my quest!
I came across a recipe online and used it as my starting point, but altered some of the ingredients and measurements in order to yield better results..
Ever since developing this recipe, my family has gone through a loaf a day of this bread. And we’re going on a month now!
This Hawaiian bread is soft, fluffy, slices like a dream
It makes excellent bread for your favorite sandwich or dinner bread. This soft Hawaiian Bread also is fabulous toasted with melted butter. YUM!
To make this Hawaiian Bread recipe, you’ll need:
- Pineapple juice
- Olive Oil
- Bread Flour
- Milk
- Egg
- Quick Rise Yeast
- Salt
- Sugar.
Important tips and information to note about this recipe:
- This makes a 2 pound loaf. Make sure you don’t add any extra yeast, measure it on the light side if anything, or it will rise too much.
- I use the light crust setting on my machine and tell the machine it is making a 1 pound loaf to prevent over browning. This is something specific to my machine.
- Your ingredients are best if they are room temp, rather than cold. I store my pineapple juice in the fridge so make up for this by measuring it out, microwaving it for thirty seconds (just to take the chill off) and then testing the temp to make sure it is just warm and not hot.
- I can’t speak to warming ingredients without offering a little warning: you don’t ever want anything to be too hot when adding it to yeast as it will kill the yeast. So heating my pineapple juice is truly just enough to take the chill off. I do use an egg straight from the fridge. You could easily skip heating the pineapple juice if you like, it’s just something that I do.
- Yeast is important. I have a personal preference just through experience. I have had a 50/50 success rate with Fleischmann’s (the yellow packet) but I have yet, in all of my years of baking, to have any problem whatsoever with Red Star. So that is the brand I go for and I use the Red Star Quick Rise yeast in this recipe – and suggest you do the same in order to have the same results. I prefer the jar rather than the packets because it is easier to measure out and store in my fridge. Plus, when you use as much as I do it just makes more sense and is more cost effective. Having said that, there are all sorts of variables that can affect yeast and it may be that Fleischmann’s is the be all end all at your house and works like a charm every time – if so go for it. Get what is familiar to you and whatever you have the most confidence in. For me, that is Red Star.
When you have a bread machine, making this bread is simply a matter of measuring the ingredients.
How to Make Hawaiian Bread Soft Sandwich Style
Scroll for Step By Step Instructions:
- All you do is measure out your ingredients and place them in the bread pan in the order that they are listed in the recipe.
Then, let the machine do it’s stuff. On my machine, for this two pound loaf of bread, I select light crust and one pound loaf because that lessens the cooking time and gives me the color I want on my crust. On your bread machine, you will likely choose light crust and two pound loaf. I’ve just learned how to make this puppy accommodate me by manipulating it a little bit. 🙂
The machine mixes everything up until it forms a dough ball, like this.
Now that dough ball is going to rise, then your machine will knead it again and let it rise again. After the last kneading, my machine beeps to let me know that I can remove the stirring paddle inside if I would like and then it rises a final time and bakes, beeping when there is a loaf of bread ready for me.
After the bread is finished, I immediately remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool completely on my countertop.
How to Make Perfect Slices of Bread
Once your bread is done there are a few tips to having pretty slices like you see pictured here.
Don’t cut the bread while it is warm. This is easier said than done. I will happily confess that there have been more than a few suppers where my kids just tore into the loaf. It was delicious. BUT, if you want this for a sandwich bread or to have nice, pretty slices, you have to let it cool at least two hours before cutting.
I prefer to let my bread cool and then put it in a bread bag or container to cut the following day. I tend to have one loaf that is cut and one that is going to be cut the following day most of the time.
What knife do I use to create the perfect slices?
I tried a few bread knives, even ordered some special just for this, but I have found that if I want perfectly uniform, straight, beautiful slices like the ones pictured, the only way to get those is by using an electric knife. I spent about $20 on one years and years ago and it’s just brilliant. The blades are dishwasher safe but I usually just give it a quick wipe down each day and then wash them fully once a week or so as long as I’m only cutting bread.
So at last, for me, an easy and soft homemade bread perfectly suited for sandwiches, dinner bread, or anything else I can come up with is now just a matter of measuring out the ingredients. If you have a bread machine, I hope you’ll try this one soon. If you have been thinking about getting a bread machine, maybe this will push you over the edge. Click here to look at the one I have on Amazon.
If you don’t have a bread machine and decide to adapt this recipe please report back and let us know what you did and how it worked out. I am only offering the instructions on how to make it in a bread machine because I have never made this recipe any other way. If you would like to try your hand at homemade yeast bread without a bread machine, check out my Jordan Rolls recipe by clicking here.
Printable recipe below!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1 egg
- 2.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 level tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt I use Kosher
- 3 level cups bread flour I use Pilsbury Bread Flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 level teaspoons quick rise yeast
Instructions
- Place ingredients in bread pan in order listed.
- Insert bread pan into bread machine and set to light crust, two pound loaf.*
- Check after a minute or two and see if dough looks too dry. If so, add another tablespoon of milk. If dough looks too wet, add a tablespoon or two of flour.
- Allow bread machine to work. As soon as bread is done remove and allow to cool completely before cutting. Store in airtight container or bag. See post for helpful tips on baking and cutting bread.
Notes
Nutrition
You may also like these bread recipes:
Shortcut Amish Friendship Bread!
Tina’s Zucchini Bread – and a funny story
Keto Cornbread Recipe – Southern Plate
I made the bread and it is beautiful. My family loves the consistency and the smell, but we thought it had a strange after taste. It was sort of like it had been too close to the potpourri. Do you think it is just the pineapple juice that I used? We love Hawaiian bread. Suggestion??
How odd. That is the only thing I can think of that it would be. Perhaps try changing up the brands you use until you figure it out.
I made this bread in my bread machine, and changed my outcome a little. After the first rise I rolled it out and put pecans sugar and cinnamon on it, then rolled it up and formed a wreath. I let it rise the second time then baked it. I can’t make these things fast enough everyone wants one. Thanks for the recipe! I was wondering if anyone has tried it with ginger in it too. Also I have made quite a few and can’t notice any difference if you put all the liquid in first.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I made it yesterday and we cut this great bread today. Thanks again and we need more wonderful bread machine recipes. My husband said, “This was the best bread I had every made in my bread machine!” I have to agree with him!
I am so glad to hear it was a hit!!!
I have the same bread machine as Christy (just an older model). I used this on my first attempt and I don’t know if it is because we get different flour and yeast in Canada but my dough was so huge it overflowed the bread machine pan and baked up funny. After trying the bread that was cooked I decided to do it again with my mixer. Placed all ingredients in my stand mixer attached with a dough hook. I let it start to combine and it was quite sticky. I ended up adding 3/4 cup more flour and after the kneading let it rise for an hour. This dough rose huge as well. I gently deflated the dough, shaped it and ended up putting it in a 10×5 inch pan and let it rise for a second hour. This still was huge. When I make this again I will split the dough in two and make two 8×4-1/2 inch pans. I baked it at 375F for 30 minutes. The bread came out light as air and super soft. Didn’t get a huge punch of sweetness but it would work nicely on any sandwich. I will definitely make this again and might even add raisins next time. I truly nice recipe that I am glad I tried a second time.
Hey! I’m so sorry you had problems. You know bread can be temperamental and there are so many variables. The thing about me making this is, I use the exact same yeast, flour, etc each and every time and make it in my kitchen in Alabama. I’ve made it enough that I have learned to keep all of the variables the same so I know what works for me. I can only imagine that Canada and a different yeast and environment would require tweaking. I have had my bread rise far too much twice and each time was then I got busy and didn’t take my time to measure out the ingredients properly – this is only what happened to me and I am not in any way saying it is what you did. I have learned to slow down and be as exact as possible – especially with my yeast 🙂 I used a heaping teaspoon once and won’t make that mistake again! lol
I’m glad you got it worked out though!
This looks like a great recipe! I grind my own wheat (easier than it sounds with a grain mill). Do you have any idea what I would use for bread flour?
I have a wheat grinder – manual and electric, as well as several cases of wheat! The only problem is that I have never actually done that :). I was saving it for a rainy day. I’m afraid I don’t have any advice from experience to offer you but hopefully someone will come along who will. I would think you’d grind your flour fine and add some amount of vital wheat gluten to reach the rising power of bread flour.
Ok, folks… I have no intentions of ever owning a bread machine ’cause I LOVE to knead bread. LOL I REALLY DO !! So, I used Christy’s recipe the ‘old fashioned’ way and was VERY happy with the results. So, for those of you who are wondering if it is worth giving a try, GO FOR IT !! I did use 2 and 1/4 tsps. yeast, but next time I will just use 2 tsps. and I did have to use a little more flour, maybe 1/4 cup because it was a little sticky, but those are the only changes I made. I would definitely make it again (and again !!) I also want to use this recipe for cinnamon rolls. I’ll bet they are gonna turn out great. I baked it at 350 degrees for 35 min. and tented the loaf with foil after 15 min. OH !! And instead of getting a big jug of pineapple juice, I just bought a 20 oz. can of pineapple chunks and poured off 3/4 of a cup of juice since I have a small family. I highly recommend this recipe !! Thanks, Christy 😀
Thank you so much for sharing Debbie!!! Those that do not have a bread machine are going to love you even more!!!
Did you mix in the order given or did you heat juice up and put yeast in the warm juice first then mix into the dry ingredients as you would when making regular dough.
I am making this without a bread machine as well. I found I had to use about 3 1/2 cups of flour as the dough was a bit sticky. That could simply have been because it’s raining here today though! The bread is still in the oven so I can’t attest to actual taste. I’m baking at 350 as well. My grocery store was out of pineapple juice, so I used a pineapple/coconut punch drink as a substitute. If the hubby likes this bread, I see me making it quite often! I’ll update with taste results and baking time when it’s out of the oven.
Thanks for what seems to be an awesome recipe Christy!!
I had one of those DAK bread machines years and eyars ago, and we adored it, but there were quite a few little things to learn along the way – use only absolutely fresh, high-quality yeast, use hard winter wheat flour, not my favorite soft White Lily, put the ingredients into the container in reverse order (hey, it worked better for us that way).
One day the thing was vigorously kneading the bread and it kneaded right off the counter. Sent it back to be fixed and the company folded.
Bought another and we enjoyed homemade bread for a few more years, but the kids grew up and went off to college and got all health concious. Maybe I need to get that bread machine out again.
Oh my goodness, glad you were able to find another one!!
Hello Christy,
I have made several things from your recipes and loved them all. Still make the “Radio Show” recipe, can’t stop eating it. I love Hawaiian roll anything so i will be making this also.
I bought the same break maker as you are using when they first came out and have had it for a few years and it has never failed me, works the same as the first day i used it and i also love it. I am now 78 years old and the very last of our family, no relatives. From Georgia, Trail of tears originally, i think the Shelton Museum is still there about the event. It brought back so many memories when i was young and got on one of our horses and got thrown off and woke up on my back with the horse no where around. When you got thrown it brought back what i had forgot and i laughed myself silly over it but you could have been hurt worse. I have always referred to you as the “Horsy Lady” after that happened. Thanks Christy for all you do with the column. When i look back from when you first started, ‘you have come a long way baby’. Respectfully, Darr