May | 2024 | Bewitching Kitchen

I have always flirted with the idea of baking these from scratch. This type of bread is popular in Brazil, although they don’t go as Hawaiian, they are just called pão doce, which translates as “sweet bread”. The shape, size, and taste is very similar, but the Brazilian concoction originates from Portugal. I adapted a recipe from Molly Yeh, the key component in this dough is pineapple juice, so go get some right away!

HAWAIIAN SWEET ROLLS
(adapted from Molly Yeh’s Girl Meets Farm)

390 grams all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
2 + 1/4 tsp instant yeast (1 package)
1 + 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
160 grams pineapple juice, slightly warmed warmed (about 2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoons honey
1 large egg plus 2 yolks (egg white saved for egg wash later)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
Flaky salt, for sprinkling

Add the flour, yeast, kosher salt and turmeric to a mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low to combine. Add the pineapple juice, brown sugar, honey, whole egg and yolks and vanilla. Increase the speed to medium and mix to form a somewhat stiff, shaggy dough, about 3 minutes. With the mixer running, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding more. Once all of the butter is added, mix on medium-high to make a smooth, glossy, somewhat-wet dough, 10 to 12 minutes. Oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Punch the dough down and divide into 12 equal pieces. Butter a quarter sheet pan. Form each piece into a ball and roll on the counter encased in your palm to tighten up the ball. Lay the balls in a 3-by-4 grid in the buttered pan. Cover loosely and let rise until puffed but not quite doubled, about 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350F. When the rolls have risen, beat the reserved egg whites with a splash of water and brush over the rolls. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until puffed and a deep golden brown; start checking at 20 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove to cool completely sitting on the rack.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These are not only adorable to look at but dangerously delicious. Soft, not too sweet (I cut the sugar a bit from her original recipe), and the salt on top should not be omitted. They go well with pretty much anything, savory or sweet. What is even more important in our case, is that they freeze well, and defrost quickly. So after enjoying a couple on the day I baked them, I placed them in a bag in the freezer and whenever convenient, in a few minutes we had a delicious Hawaiian roll ready for us…

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The recipe used for the shells is my default that you can find here. Simply divide the batter in three portions and use the colors of your choice. For the Ruby Red Ganache Macarons, I used yellow, green and plain batter. For the Neapolitan Version I used brown, pink and plain. I added a small amount of cocoa powder to the brown component. Decorations were all made with fondant and a silicone mold, later painted with luster powder and vodka.

RUBY RED GANACHE AND JAM MACARONS

220g ruby red chocolate
80g heavy cream
pinch of salt
mixed fruit jam (store bought is fine)

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until bubbles form around the edges. Pour over the chocolate, add a pinch of salt, cover and let sit for five minutes. Whisk gently at first, continue whisking until the chocolate is fully dissolved. If necessary, place in the microwave at 50% power for a minute. Reserve at room temperature for 1 hour or place in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

Fill the shells with a small dollop of jam and a circle of ganache around it. Proceed as normally, keeping macarons overnight in the fridge to mature.

The jam is a nice contrast with the sweetness of the ganache and the shells. We love this brand of jam, or I should say Phil loves it, I don’t eat jam that much, prefer to use it in recipes such as this one…

Moving on…

STRAWBERRY GANACHE MACARONS

230g white chocolate, finely chopped
80g heavy cream
1/4 tsp strawberry natural flavor (I used Olivenation)
a drop of pink food color
1 tbs strawberry jam (store bought is fine)

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until bubbles form around the edges. Pour over the chocolate, cover and let sit for five minutes. Whisk gently at first, continue whisking until the chocolate is fully dissolved, then add the jam. If necessary, place the bowl in the microwave at 50% power for a minute. Reserve at room temperature for 1 hour or place in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

Fill the shells with a small dollop of ganache and keep the macarons overnight in the fridge to mature.

ENJOY!

to print both recipes, click here

Adding a little drop of pink food gel is a good idea, otherwise the ganache tends to have a pale brownish color. Ganache fillings pair well with fruit, so both recipes today take this approach, and they are perfect for Springtime.