Remember King's Hawaiian Bread, you know, this stuff? If you're vegan and used to love Hawaiian bread, you'll know that it's full of eggs. This makes creating a homemade Hawaiian bread quite difficult, and a vegan version almost impossible. I really enjoyed it before I became vegan, and didn't even try to make an egg-free version because, so many eggs. But things have changed!
We have Aquafaba now. Chickpea brine whips up to fluffy meringue, so you can use it in some applications as an egg replacer. I experimented with making a vegan Hawaiian bread recipe, initially wary of replacing so many eggs, but it worked out perfectly! This bread has a soft, tender golden crust, with a sweet, fluffy interior. It's just like the real thing, so make some now and enjoy your favorite pre-vegan treats!
Making homemade Hawaiian bread is quite simple. You make a sweet, fluffy bread flavored with pineapple juice and a bit of ginger, and let it rise like any other bread. Then, pull a pan of perfection out of the oven a couple of hours later. I used pineapple nectar instead of juice because buying an aseptic box was more straightforward and economical than draining the juice from a can of pineapple, and the nectar was sweeter and a little thicker. And since aquafaba can also be used as an "egg" wash, you'll get that golden sheen on any baked good if you brush on some aquafaba before baking.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Hawaiian Bread
This vegan homemade Hawaiian bread recipe tastes just like King's Hawaiian bread. It's infused with pineapple juice and ginger for sweet, flavorful rolls.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup aquafaba, (liquid from can of chickpeas)
- 1 cup pineapple juice, canned (see note)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, (1 packet)
- 3 ½-4 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup melted vegan margarine
- 2 tablespoons aquafaba, (liquid from can of chickpeas)
Instructions
- Pour ⅓ cup aquafaba into a stand mixer equipped with a balloon whisk, or a large bowl.
- Add a splash of the pineapple juice to the aquafaba (the acidity will help the aquafaba foam).
- Start whipping the aquafaba in your stand mixer, or by hand with a whisk until a thick foam forms (see image to the left). You don’t want to whip it all the way to meringue, but it should appear to be a stable foam.
- Continue whipping while gradually adding the remaining pineapple juice, sugar, ginger, vanilla, and active dry yeast, alternating between the juice and sugar.
- Add 1 cup of the flour, then whip to combine everything.
- Switch to a dough hook, or a wooden spoon if you’re mixing the dough by hand.
- Gradually add 2 more cups of the flour, kneading or mixing after each addition.
- Gradually pour in the melted margarine as you mix (fat kills aquafaba foam, so don’t add the margarine until after you’ve added flour and formed a dough).
- Add the remaining flour, forming a soft dough.
- Knead in the stand mixer, or turn out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is combined. You don’t want to overknead this dough. It will be soft and a little sticky, but not wet.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, then let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, punch down the dough, then lightly knead. It’s okay if it didn’t rise much. It will rise more the second time, and become fluffy in the oven.
- Break off golf ball-sized pieces of dough, roll into a ball, and place in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat this until all of the dough is gone. Make sure there is some space between each ball of dough because it will expand.
- Cover, then let rise for 1 hour more.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the towel or plastic wrap from the pan.
- Take the remaining 2 tablespoons of aquafaba and brush aquafaba over each roll to create a sheen.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
Notes
- Fresh pineapple juice contains an enzyme called bromelain that can affect your bread dough and prevent the dough from rising properly. To avoid this, use canned pineapple juice, as the enzymes are killed during the canning process.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 612Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 123gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 15g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on seitanbeatsyourmeat.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
Enjoy your homemade Hawaiian bread!
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veganinbrighton
I hadn't heard of Hawaiian bread but now I'm desperate to try it. It sounds, and looks, amazing.
Jen
I am definitely making this! Yum!
MZ
Curious if this could be converted into a more authentic malasada recipe??
Alec
would this survive being made ahead of time and frozen?
Andrea
These did not rise once the balls were formed. Hoping for the best as I put them in the oven.
Kelly Peloza
Hi Andrea! How did the bread turn out? Enriched doughs usually don't rise as much as regular bread doughs before baking, but make up for it in the oven.
Andrea
They came out of the oven like little bread rocks. I don't think the acid in the pineapple juice enables the yeast to rise? I would make some adjustments to the entire process but they did taste good 🙂
Alicia
This turned out amazing! Tastes great.