Hawaiian Rolls

By golfrn9

These instructions are for making rolls, but you can bake two loaves instead. Just form each half into a ball and tuck it under, just as you would for the rolls (see step 4). Or make one loaf and nine rolls.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c. pineapple juice
• 2 pkgs active dry yeast
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 5 1/2 to 6 c. flour

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a very small saucepan or in the microwave, heat 1/4 c. of the pineapple juice to lukewarm (105 degrees to 115 degrees). Sprinkle the yeast over the juice and set aside until bubbling, about 5 minutes. (This is to check that the yeast is active. The mixture should produce fine bubbles; it will look foamy. If it doesn't start over with a fresh package of yeast)
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter. Beat in the yeast mixture and teh remaining 1 c. pineapple juice. Beat in 3 of the eggs, the vanilla, salt and ginger until well combined. Add 3 c. of teh flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour (about 2 1/2 c.) to make the dough easy to handle.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, using up to 1/2 c. more flour if necessary. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn greased side up. Loosely cover with a kitchen towle adn let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Dough is ready if you poke it an dthe indentation remains.)
4. Punch down the dough and divide in half. Divide one half of the dought into 9 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and pull the surface taut by tucking the dough in at the bottom of the ball. Place in a greased 9-inch round cake pan, tucked side down. Continue until the pan is filled. Repeat with teh other dought half. Cover the rolls and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, lightly beat the remaining egg. Brush over the rolls and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of sugar. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.