My new recipe for Gluten-Free Hawaiian Bread teaches you how to make bread with sweet Hawaiian flavors. This is a must-make recipe if you have missed fluffy, sweet bread since going gluten-free. I share all of my tips and tricks to help you make the best bread.
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Get the taste of Hawaii in your own kitchen by making a loaf of this tasty gluten free Hawaiian bread. If you have been looking for a copycat of the popular King’s recipe, this loaf has the same flavor as King’s Hawaiian Bread!
This delicious gluten free Hawaiian bread recipe will make your whole family happy. Because of this, you may want to make a double batch so you have leftovers for sandwiches or French toast! You can make this recipe into one loaf of bread or lots of sweet Hawaiian rolls. It is wonderful to serve with a holiday meal. I have included the directions below for making rolls instead of bread.
The dough gets its unique flavor because it is sweetened with pineapple juice. The juice also makes the yeast really active, making the bread so fluffy! If you use Cup4Cup, this bread can be made in a bread machine.
If you love to bake bread, I have lots of incredible gluten free bread recipes to try. If you prefer making bread in your bread machine, my Gluten Free Bread Machine recipe gets rave reviews!
I made this Hawaiian bread this weekend. I had Cup4Cup on hand, so that’s what I used. It’s really tasty!! I almost started to cry as I’ve missed bread so much & have not been thrilled with any GF commercial bread. I mean, they work, but they’re not exciting. This GF Hawaiian bread recipe is top notch and Sandi has done all of the leg work to ensure the loaf comes out tasting well. I’m hooked!! My husband, who doesn’t have to eat GF, thinks the bread is fantastic! I’ll make this bread weekly, if not more. I can’t believe how good it tastes!”
Andi C., Blog comment
Allergen Information:
This gluten free Hawaiian Bread recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. If you need a dairy-free option, use vegan butter. I have not tested any egg replacers.
🔑 Sandi says: Sometimes Amazon does sell out of the Authentic Food’s Steve’s Bread Blend for a few days every now and then. If Amazon doesn’t have this flour in stock, check VitaCost and the brand’s website. One of the three will always have it in stock!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with Authentic Foods Steve’s Gluten-Free Bread Blend and Cup4Cup flour blends. Note that Cup4Cup has dairy and needs moisture modifications, as listed in the recipe. I have not tested any other flour blends in this recipe. If you try another blend, you will need a lot more flour. Steve’s blend uses less flour than other blends. Read Why Gluten Free Flour Blends Vary for more information on why each blend performs so differently.
- Active Dry Yeast – Be sure to use gluten free yeast. Red Star “Platinum” is not gluten-free!
- Eggs – Use size large room temperature eggs.
- Unsalted Butter
- Pineapple Juice – Any brand is fine to use. I used canned pineapple juice that I found at Trader Joe’s.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used Oatly Oat Milk to test this recipe. Any non-dairy milk or regular milk will work.
If you love using Authentic Foods Steve’s GF Bread Blend Flour, I have pulled together all of my incredible baked recipes using Steve’s GF Bread Blend so you can find them all easily!
Bread Baking Tips:
- For best results, use flour that is made to work with yeast. Many 1:1 blends don’t work with yeast. You can find this information on the bag or the brand’s website. This is a good Guide to Gluten Free Flour Blends that work with yeast.
- Rise the bread in a warm environment. I recommend preheating an oven to 200º F, then turning off the oven. This provides a nice warm spot to rise the dough.
- Note the different liquid/dry ingredients notes for Cup4Cup modifications in the recipe!
- For more tips, check out my Gluten Free Bread Troubleshooting Guide.
If you are interested in bread baking, check out my Bread Baking Tools recommendations. You may also love this Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread recipe.
Here is a photo of the bread baked with Cup4Cup flour blend. You may also love this easy Gluten-Free Challah Bread recipe.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Pour warm milk and sugar in a small glass bowl. Microwave it for 25 seconds to warm it. Test the temperature with a digital thermometer to ensure it is no hotter than 110º F. Stir to partially dissolve the sugar. Pour the active dry yeast into the milk. Let the yeast mixture sit for 5-8 minutes until it is bubbly.
Step 2: Partially melt the butter and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs and yeast mixture. Attach a paddle to the mixer and mix the wet ingredients at medium-low speed for 10 seconds.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients, including the flour and salt, to the
🔑 Sandi says: You only get one good rise with gluten free dough. It is important to shape and put the dough in the pan before you rise the dough. Trust me, it will make your baked goods a lot fluffier!
Step 4: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or use a gluten free baking spray to prevent the bread from sticking. Add the dough to the pan. I used a Pullman bread pan without the lid to bake my loaf. Cover the pan very loosely with plastic. This will prevent the dough from drying out in the warm oven.
For best results, place the pan in a warm place. I usually rise my dough in a preheated oven. (I preheat my oven to 200º F, then turn it off.)
Step 5: Let the bread dough rise for 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it because, depending on the flour blend used, you may need to proof it less. My dough proofed a lot faster than normal, and I think it was due to the pineapple juice in it.
Step 6: Remove the loaf pan from the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The actual baking time can vary depending on the size of your loaf pan and the material of which it is made. You can test your bread with a digital thermometer. The bread is finished baking when it is golden on top and has an internal temperature of 205-210º F.
Brush melted butter over the top of the baked loaf.
Step 7: Remove the bread from the pan after 5 minutes and place it on a wire cooling rack. If you used parchment paper, the bread is so easy to lift out! Let the bread thoroughly cool before slicing it. I cooled mine for about an hour.
Step 8: Cut the bread with a sharp, serrated knife on a cutting board. Enjoy! Use this bread for sandwiches, gluten free French toast, or with a meal.
Bread Machine Version
- Note: Authentic Foods Steve’s Gluten Free Flour Blend will NOT work in a bread machine. You must use Cup4Cup or another flour.
- Put the paddle in the base of the bread machine basket (pan?)
- Add the room-temperature eggs, pineapple juice, milk, and melted butter.
- Add the Cup4Cup flour blend (or another that works with yeast) on top of the liquid ingredients.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the top.
- Turn on the bread machine using a gluten-free setting. If your bread machine doesn’t have a gluten-free setting, do this: Use the “Home Made” custom cycle, programming in about 20 minutes. Mix, 45 minutes. Rise, 90 minutes. Bake.
Make Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls:
If you want all the flavor but in traditional Hawaiian rolls, here are the directions to make homemade Hawaiian rolls.
- Follow the directions in the original recipe until you have the dough formed.
- Remove the dough from the mixer bowl. Place the dough onto a silicone mat. Cut out sections of dough and roll them with your hands into a round dough ball.
- Place the gluten free dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined
cookie sheet . - Rise the rolls the same way you would rise the bread, covered loosely with plastic wrap. Remove the rolls from the warm oven when they have doubled in size.
- Bake the rolls at 350º F for 20-25 minutes until they are golden.
- Brush melted butter over the warm rolls.
- Serve the rolls warm.
How To Store Homemade Bread:
Store the leftover bread in an airtight container for a day or two. I highly recommend slicing and freezing the slices. Gluten free tends to spoil a lot more quickly. Freezing the slices is easy and the bread tastes freshly baked when you thaw them.
For more tips on storing gluten free bread, read my How to Store Gluten Free Bread tutorial.
Here is the baked version using Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, you can as long as you use Cup4Cup. See the bread machine directions above. The Authentic Foods Steve’s Gluten Free Flour Blend does not work in a bread machine.
I have not tested using rapid yeast.
If you can’t eat yeast foods, try my delicious Gluten-Free Yeast-Free Bread Recipe. It works with most 1:1 gluten free flour blends!
More Gluten Free Bread Recipes
- Fluffy Gluten Free Brioche
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Gluten Free Bread Made Without Rice Flour
- Holiday Gluten Free Stollen
- Pillowy Soft Gluten Free Honey Dinner Rolls
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Fluffy Sweet Gluten Free Hawaiian Bread
Ingredients
Yeast Mixture
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup sugar
Dough Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend * See notes!!!
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup pineapple juice
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter partially melted
Topping
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200º F and turn it off. This is where you will rise your dough.
- Pour the warm milk and sugar into a small glass bowl. Microwave it for 25 seconds to warm it. Test the temperature with a digital thermometer to ensure it is no hotter than 110º F. Stir to partially dissolve the sugar. Pour the active dry yeast into the milk. Let the yeast mixture sit for 5-8 minutes until it is bubbly.
- Partially melt the butter and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs, pineapple juice, and yeast mixture. Attach a paddle attachment to the mixer and mix the wet ingredients on medium-low speed for 10 seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients, including the flour and salt, to the mixing bowl. Lower the paddle and mix the flour into the dough. Start on low speed and increase slowly to medium speed. It will form a dough quickly.
- Note: you only get one good rise with gluten free, so rise the dough after you get it in the pan.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or use a gluten free baking spray to prevent the bread from sticking. Add the dough to the pan. I used a Pullman bread pan without the lid to bake my loaf. Cover the pan very loosely with plastic. This will prevent the dough from drying out in the warm oven.
- Let the bread dough rise for 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on the dough because you may need to proof it less, depending on the flour blend used. My dough proofed a LOT faster than normal, and I think it was due to the pineapple juice in the dough.
- Remove the loaf pan from the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The actual baking time can vary depending on the size of your loaf pan and the material the loaf pan is made of. You can test your bread with a digital thermometer.
- The bread is finished baking when it is golden on top and has an internal temperature of 205-210º F. Brush the one tablespoon of melted butter over the top of the baked loaf.
- Remove the bread from the pan after 5 minutes, and place it on a wire cooling rack. If you used parchment paper, the bread is so easy to lift out! Let the bread thoroughly cool before slicing it. I cooled mine for about an hour.
- I recommend waiting for the loaf to fully cool before slicing.
Notes
- I tested this recipe with Authentic Foods Steve’s Gluten Free Bread Blend flour and Cup4Cup. See the note below because Cup4Cup has different measurement adaptations you must use. I have not tested any other blends yet. I will update this as I test others. Note: this blend needs less flour than other blends; if you try another flour blend, you will most likely need more flour. For best results, use flour that is made to work with yeast. Many 1:1 blends don’t work with yeast. You can find this information on the bag or the brand’s website. This is a good Guide to Gluten Free Flour Blends that work with yeast.
- I have not tested this recipe with rapid yeast.
- You can use any non-dairy milk or regular milk in this recipe. I used Oatly Oat Milk in my test.
- To make this gluten free Hawaiian bread dairy-free, use plant-based vegan butter.
Cup4Cup Modifications:
- Use 1/2 cup milk.
- Add an additional 1/4 cup of Cup4Cup flour.
Bread Machine Version
- Note: Authentic Foods Steve’s Gluten Free Flour Blend will NOT work in a bread machine. You must use Cup4Cup or another flour.
- Put the paddle in the base of the bread machine basket (pan?)
- Add the room-temperature eggs, pineapple juice, milk, and melted butter.
- Add the Cup4Cup flour blend (or another that works with yeast) on top of the liquid ingredients.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the top.
- Turn on the bread machine using a gluten-free setting. If your bread machine doesn’t have a gluten-free setting, do this: Use the “Home Made” custom cycle, programming in about 20 minutes. Mix, 45 minutes. Rise, 90 minutes. Bake.
Make Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls:
If you want all the flavor but in traditional Hawaiian rolls, here are the directions to make homemade Hawaiian rolls.- Follow the directions in the original recipe until you have the dough formed.
- Remove the dough from the mixer bowl. Place the dough onto a silicone mat. Cut out sections of dough and roll them with your hands into a round dough ball.
- Place the gluten free dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Rise the rolls the same way you would rise the bread, covered loosely with plastic wrap. Remove the rolls from the warm oven when they have doubled in size.
- Bake the rolls at 350º F for 20-25 minutes until they are golden.
- Brush melted butter over the warm rolls.
- Serve the rolls warm.
How To Store Homemade Bread:
Store the leftover bread in an airtight container for a day or two. I highly recommend slicing and freezing the slices. Gluten free tends to spoil a lot more quickly. Freezing the slices is easy, and the bread tastes freshly baked when you thaw them. For more tips on storing gluten free bread, read my How to Store Gluten Free Bread tutorial.SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
When checking Amazon, I notice there are several types of Cup4Cup flours. Is this the one in the blue packaging? Also, I appreciate all your little “helps” – I was unaware of a gluten free yeast. My son-in-law mentioned he does not care for the storebought gluten free breads so I thought I would give some of the ones from your sight a try. I am really enjoying checking out your recipes. They sound/look so good and you are thorough in your explanations.
Hi Debbie, I have only tested the dark blue bag, the original blend.
Hi Sandi,
I made this Hawaiian bread. It tastes delicious; however it didn’t turn out. It rose and and everything looked good until I baked it. It came out dense and when I buttered it after it came out of the oven, and it sank in the middle. It was 105 degrees when I remove it from the oven.
I rechecked the recipe again this morning and I realized I only used 2 eggs. 🙁 I was also wondering if I mixed the batter long enough after I added the flour…I didn’t see anything in the recipe. Lastly I feel like my 10×5 bread pan was too large. I will go with the smaller one next time
Can you please give me some pointers on how long to beat the batter and the size of the pan, and did my missing one egg, caused my bread to be like pound cake?
Thanks!
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, It would be really helpful if I knew what flour blend you used. I beat the dough in my stand mixer for about 40 to 50 seconds, depending on how the dough feels. Let me know which flour blend you used and I will offer more advice.
Hi Sandi,
I used Steve’s GF Bread Flour. I probably mixed my dough for about a minute.
Unfortunately, I had to throw my bread out. I tried to toast it, but it was just too dense. I hated throwing it out, since the flour is so expensive. I scooped the flour and leveled it, because I wasn’t sure of grams.
I’m uncertain what I did wrong. I preheated the oven to 200 and turned it off. I covered the bread loosely with Saran Wrap. I sprayed and wiped the Saran so it wouldn’t stick to the bread when the bread rose.
I just ordered 9X5” pans in case my pan was too large.
Hopefully, you can help. I’m not comfortable making the fluffy cinnamon rolls just yet.
Thanks!
Suzanne 🤔
Hi Suzanne, It sounds like there wasn’t enough liquid, or didn’t rise until it doubled. Did you compare what your photos of the dough looked like to mine? How high did it rise? I am happy to help troubleshoot, this is an amazing recipe.
The Hawaiian bread tastes delicious!!!
However, I wish I would have used a smaller bread pan. 10×5 didn’t give the height to the bread I was hoping it would.
I let the bread rise 40 minutes and thought the rise looked good. I brushed it with melted butter after it came out of the oven. The middle of the bread sank down a little.
I measured everything exactly and followed the directions. Do you think the issue was with the larger pan? Also, I didn’t see anything saying how long to beat the batter, once I added the flour, so maybe I should have beat it longer?
Sandi, please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks!
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, I believe I responded via your email. I do think a smaller pan could help, it is also important not to open the oven door while the bread is baking. My pullman pan is 8.5 x 4.75. Did you use a stand mixer? I beat my dough about 45 seconds, not a super long time. I hope this helps.
Hi Sandi, I have been gluten free for about 4-5 years. My passion is baking. I have all but given up on baking, it was making me depressed. I was tired of buying so many flours, and throwing out all my hard work and money.
I came across your name and website while looking at recipes on Pinterest. When I saw Best GF Toll House Cookies, it piqued my interest. I read your recipe and all of your wonderful notes! I haven’t had a decent chocolate chip cookie since going GF. I made the cookies and honestly, I got teary when I took them out of the oven! When I bit into the warm cookie, I was ecstatic! I felt like I was making “Toll House Cookies” with my Mom, since I was a little girl. Not only did it make me feel like my Mom was with me, the cookies are scrumptious! I shared some cookies with a GF friend; when I gave them to her she said, OMG these even look like Toll House Cookies! She loved them!
I have decided to only bake your recipes. I just got Steve’s Flour and next I’m going to make Hawaiian Bread, then Cinnamon Raisin Bread and then Cinnamon Rolls. I have tried 4 Cinnamon Roll recipes and I had to throw all of them away! I’m feeling more confident with all of your amazing notes! Thank you for helping me feel excited to try baking again! I can’t tell you how much it means to me!
You made my day, week, and year. Thank you so much for your kind words. I am really glad you are gaining confidence in gluten free baking. That Steve’s gf bread blend is magic. I can’t wait to hear which flavor cinnamon rolls you make first.
Wonderful recipe! I used Cup4Cup in my bread machine and followed the recipe to a T. It’s delicious, moist, and slices well. I put the sliced bread in the freezer to use as needed. This will be my go-to recipe that I look forward to making every week! Thanks for another great recipe!
I am so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you so much.
Thank you for this recipe!! I have been struggling with bread and yeast and psyllium and Konjac. I always seem to end up with loaves that don’t rise and are gummy. I have a few questions:
I didn’t warm the milk before mixing with sugar and microwaving. Should I have?
After I poured the yeast in to the warmed milk and sugar it didn’t really bubble. Should I have stirred it in? I did finally stir it but it never really bubbled up. The milk mixture cooled rapidly while I was getting the other ingredients together.
I don’t have a stand mixture so I used a Danish whisk.
I used cup4cup and made the adjustments.
Once you get the dough in the bread pan how do you form it or smooth it out?
How do I know when it’s proofed? I let it proof a little over 40 minutes and it was just to the top of my pan. It didn’t rise much while baking.
My pan is the old aluminum bread pan from the 70’s. Maybe it’s wider?
I couldn’t get the internal temp over 200 and it was getting too browned even with a foil tent so I took it out.
It did taste great!!
Hi Carol, I don’t have any experience with Konjac, but if you used Cup4Cup, you didn’t need to add any other binder. Cup4Cup has xanthan gum already in the mix. As long as the milk was warm and not hot, the order you listed should be okay. I used to have a Danish whisk and they are fine, just a little more muscle power is needed. This dough is as pictured in the post. I do wet my fingers and smooth out the top a bit. The bread is proofed when it doubles in size. Cup4Cup will brown a little faster because of the dried milk powder in the flour blend. You did the right thing making a foil tent over it. Maybe put the tent over sooner next time. Was your rack in the middle of the oven so it wasn’t too close to the top of the oven?
Thanks for your comments. Yes, my rack was in the center. I’ll tent earlier next time. I will definitely be making this again. I had a sandwich today and didn’t need to toast the bread! Excellent!
This sounds good. Please keep me posted.
I try it this weekend but I don’t know what I did wrong. the dough was very dry.
Hi Paula, Please give me some details…what gluten free flour blend did you use? If the dough was dry, there wasn’t enough liquid…every gluten free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio and it affects the moisture level.
Just tried this recipe, we ❤ it! We did use Steve’s Bread Flour, the expense seems worth it.
I am so glad you loved the recipe, and that flour blend!! Thank you.
I just made this is my bread maker. it turned out awesome!
I am so glad you enjoyed the Hawaiian bread. Thank you so much, Beth!
I made this Hawaiian bread this weekend. I had Cup4Cup on hand so that’s what I used. It’s really tasty!! I almost started to cry as I’ve missed bread so much & have not been thrilled with any GF commercial breads, I mean they work but they’re not exciting.
This GF Hawaiian bread recipe is top notch and Sandi has done all of the leg work to ensure the loaf comes out tasting well. I’m hooked!! My husband, who doesn’t have to eat GF, thinks the bread is fantastic! I’ll make this bread weekly, if not more. I can’t believe how good it tastes!
I am so excited you got to try this recipe!! Thank you so much for the feedback and for telling me how much your non-gf husband loved it too.
when do you add the pineapple juice? I don’t see it listed in the instruction
s
Hi, add it with the eggs to the stand mixer. Thank you!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I will be using a different flour blend, so how much psyllium husk powder will I need to add to the dough? Thanks so much!!
Hi Ella, what blend do you intend to try? I want to ensure it is one that works with yeast. As for the psyllium, if your blend doesn’t have a binder you can use psyllium or xanthan gum. Let me know which blend. Thank you.