This homemade gluten free Hawaiian bread is tender, sweet and incredibly soft. Check out that amazing texture - and it's not just GF, but dairy free too!
The recipe was inspired by those delicious slices of Hawaiian sweet bread that you find in the grocery store with a hefty price tag! It’s a recreation of all that goodness but at less than half the price. And it’s so amazingly tender that you might just take the storage tips below and make another loaf for later (It freezes incredibly well!).
And because I like to keep things as easy as possible, this recipe uses my gluten free flour mix, which is our signature flour mix. It’s a mix I worked with and tweaked until it produced consistently good results. There’s the right balance of starches and flours so it can be used in recipes from biscuits to breadsticks. The recipe for it can be found here: Gluten Free Flour Mix.
What makes this Hawaiian bread so good?
It’s no surprise that gluten free breads are tricky. They aren’t as forgiving as gluten breads and need the right balance of everything to produce a bread with the perfect texture and taste. This bread was especially challenging as the pineapple juice was a unique flavor – too much and it’s way too tangy, too little and it’s too sweet. I can confidently say that this version mimics the storebought bread to a T. It’s tender, not crumbly and super soft. It's really THAT good!
Can I use another gluten free flour mix?
Possibly, but this recipe was developed using my GF flour mix. Another mix may work, but just be sure to use the same amount in weight.
That’s a lot of yeast – is that correct?
Yes! While 1 Tablespoon sounds like a lot, it’s needed for the bread to rise adequately.
Can I use real butter in the recipe?
Absolutely – the butter I use is a dairy free butter because I need dairy free, but if you can tolerate dairy, use the real butter! No other changes to the recipe needed.
Tips for the Best Gluten Free Hawaiian Bread
The Ingredients
There are a few notes about the ingredients that will ensure a delicious, tear-apart- tender, loaf of bread:
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature, except the warm water.
- Measure the flours by weight and not cups. I add cups just to get an idea of how much it will roughly translate to, but use a scale to measure the flour for the most accurate measurements. (Accuracy is very important in GF baking!)
- Separate the third egg with an egg separator tool. And just leave the egg white in the bowl for brushing over the loaf later.
Mixing
Once the yeast has proofed, add in the rest of the liquid ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and let it mix for a full minute to really incorporate everything.
Adding the flour
Another really nice thing about this recipe is the flour mixture – once it’s mixed, you just dump it all in the liquid mixture and push start. The important thing to keep in mind is to mix the batter for the full 3 minutes. It should look pale and fluffy when the mixing time is up.
Rise time
Once you’ve smoothed the batter out, cover the pan with a light towel and let it rise for 30 minutes total. At about the 25 minute mark, turn your oven on to heat to 325 F.
Pro tip: Watch the rise time being careful not too exceed 30 minutes total. Over rising can lead to the loaf falling or overflowing in the oven and making a huge mess.
Baking
The bake time will be about 45 minutes total. Your loaf may need an extra minute or two, but 45 minutes should do it. Check the loaf at around the 35 minute mark, if it’s getting to brown for your taste, cover it with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Storage
Storing this Hawaiian bread involves 3 things – a sharp bread knife, wax paper and a gallon size plastic bag.
Start by slicing the entire loaf with a sharp knife. Then place small pieces of wax paper in between each slice. Stack the bread and place the entire loaf into a plastic bag and seal it well. Then simply remove slices as needed and toast them from frozen. As delicious as the day they were made!
For an amazing loaf of gluten free Hawaiian bread, check out the recipe below and if you’re not on our email list yet, make sure to sign up at the bottom of the recipe card!
Sweet Gluten Free Hawaiian Bread
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon instant yeast also called fast acting
- ¼ cup water warmed slightly
- ¾ cup pineapple juice one 6 oz. can
- ¼ cup non dairy butter melted
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk, white reserved
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 260 grams gluten free flour mix about 2 cups
- 17 grams potato flour about 2 Tablespoons
- 12 grams coconut flour about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 Tablespoon psyllium husk powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast and water. Set aside for 5 minutes to proof.
- Add in the pineapple juice, melted butter, brown sugar, 2 eggs and 1 yolk and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute, until fully combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour mix, potato flour, coconut flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the bowl.
- Turn the mixer up to medium and mix for 3 minutes, until the batter looks fluffy and pale.
- Meanwhile, prepare an 8” x 4.5” baking pan by spraying generously with cooking spray.
- After the dough is done mixing, scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Cover the pan with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
- At the 25 minute mark, preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Mix the reserved egg white with a dash of water and use a pastry brush to spread over the dough.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on top. You may need to cover it with foil at the 40 minute mark.
- After it’s finished baking, let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the pan and lay it on its side and let it cool an additional 15 minutes. Then flip to the other side and cool an additional 15 minutes.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- The amount of yeast is correct.
- Make sure to weigh the ingredients rather than measure by cups.
- Use our gluten free flour mix for best results.
- The rise time should be 30 minutes total. Begin preheating the oven at the 25 minute mark.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing into it.
Nutrition
Next check out: Golden Gluten Free French Bread (Dairy Free Too!)
And don't miss these delicious recipes:
LadyJ
OMG my heart literally skipped a beat when I read the subject of the e-mail! This is the bread recipe I have been waiting for!!!! I can't tell you how many times I have wished to have a recipe like this to recreate my favorite bread in a GF recipe. BLESS YOU - you have just made my day. I can't wait to get home tonight so I can try this bread. You are the BESTEST !!!! = )
C.J. Brady
Awww. Thanks for the kind words!
Enjoy it!
Susan
Is it possible to make Hawaiian rolls out of this bread recipe?
Christine
Hi Susan,
Thanks for asking - so I've tested it in a regular 9 inch cake pan and they did not turn out. I did not test them in a muffin pan, which might work out better. If you try it, I'd be curious as to the results!
Hope that helps!
~Christine
Jacqueline
This recipe is amazing. I think I need to have a longer rise time as my loaf came up a little (maybe an inch) short - but the flavor and texture are outstanding. I put pics on IG. We recently tried a commercial GF Hawaiian bread that was pretty disappointing, but this one hits all the right notes. I would like to figure out how to do this as a muffin/roll for the holidays.
Christine
Hi Jacqueline,
So glad you enjoyed them! I haven't tested it as rolls, but in a muffin tin they should work beautifully - just watch the baking time - start checking at 25 minutes. 🙂
~Christine
Nuniek
Looks Yummy. I Will try this one.
Christine..... Can I use veg oil Instead of vegan butter?
Can I use Honey Instead of sugar. What Is the measurement If I can replace with honey.
Christine
Hi Nuniek!
Thanks for asking - so for the vegetable oil, yes. It should work just fine. For the honey - I have not tested it but it would be increasing the liquid slightly so I would worry about it affecting the texture of the bread. If you try it, let me know!
~Christine
Kerry
Wow! At last...a GF bread that is not heavy and has airholes in it and is pliable....so thrilled to find it! I even forgot the butter but it turned out beautifully. Also used a commercial GF flour as that's what i had and wanted to use it up. Still perfect...Thank you.
Christine
Hi Kerry,
Oh wonderful - so glad you enjoyed it! Makes my day 🙂
~Christine
Terri
Can I use real butter instead of non dairy butter?
Christine
Hi Terri,
Yes, absolutely.
Christine
Angie
Why are you using both psyllium husk and xanthan gum in this recipe. I always thought you use one or the other.
Christine
Hi Angie,
So this loaf needs a little more binder than just the xanthan gum - I like xanthan gum because you typically don't need to use a lot of it. But in this recipe, I found it needs a bit more binder. But a caveat to xanthan is it will sometimes give a chemical taste to the baked good. So I used psyllium husk to offer more binding properties instead of upping the xanthan. Long explanation but that's the reason 🙂
Christine
Deb
Can I substitute something else for the coconut flour? Thanks.
Christine
Hi Deb,
Thanks for asking. So the coconut flour is a unique flour...it has so much fiber in it, it's hard to substitute.
BUT there's only 17 grams of it so there's hope! Reference this flour substitute chart https://zestforbaking.com/guide-to-gluten-free-flour-substitutes There's really no close substitute that matches it's fiber and protein content exactly but arrowroot is most similar in the ratios.
That's the closest one I'd recommend. 🙂
Christine
Deb
Thanks Christine. I was looking at the chart yesterday and was surprised at the huge fiber content in coconut flour. Just wondering, does the coconut flour provide any flavor in the bread or is it just there for the fiber?
Christine
Hi Deb,
It is a really high fiber flour, and it's also very absorbent. That's why the recipe only calls for a small amount.
It does function as part of the flour combination in this recipe. Coconut flour has a wonderful flavor, in this bread recipe in particular.
So definitely not just for fiber, but part of a tasty flour combination.
Christine
Dawne
I made this Hawaiian bread last night. I was out of white flour, so I subbed Sorghum flour for it and it turned out great, very delicious and soft.
Thank you so much for the delicious recipe. I can see this loaf won't last long.
Christine
Oh I'm so glad you enjoyed it Dawne. 🙂
Thanks for sharing about the sorghum flour sub!
Christine
Dawne
I meant white rice flour in the message above. No way to edit it. 🙁
Christine
Thank you - I didn't even catch the missing word!
Thanks for updating!