Homemade ‘King’s Hawaiian’ Bread (& teacher gift)

Have you ever had bread?  It’s delicious, and my girls absolutely love it.  Problem is, it contains eggs, so my son can’t eat it.  Therefore, I don’t buy it very often.  Plus, it’s a little pricey.

The other day, while searching for a bread to make for my son’s preschool teachers, I stumbled across this one for .  I was intrigued since it called for sweetened condensed milk, and I pretty much love anything with sweetened condensed milk.  I used my bread machine to make the dough, but it’s not necessary, or you can make the entire loaf in the machine.  I divided the dough and made 4 mini loaves.  It rose great, and the best part was that I was only planning on giving away 3 of them 😀  You see where I’m going with this right?  My oldest daughter and I felt compelled to cut into the freshly baked 4th loaf, b/c you never want to give something away not knowing how it tastes!

I paired the mini loaves of bread with a small jar of “Christmas Marmalade” – I figured no one really needed to know that the green flecks were zucchini 😉 – for my son’s teachers.

My daughter took one bite, and with a mouthful, she said, ohmygahhh, this is soooo good.  I told her to swallow her food and then she said “It tastes just like King’s Hawaiian!!”  That was one happy girl.  She asked me to make another loaf the next day, just for us.  And I did.  Because it was awesome.  And it was easy to make!  and it contains no eggs…score, score, SCORE!

My first time “braiding” bread…it needs some work.

Decadent Sweet Milk Bread (or Homemade ‘King’s Hawaiian’
source:

1 cup of water
½ cup of sweetened condensed milk *I used fat-free
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of butter
3 1/3 cups of bread flour*
2 teaspoons of yeast
Put ingredients in bread machine and set for dough cycle. When complete, remove and separate into three sections. Roll each out like snakes and mesh ends together. Braid and press ends together. Place in baking dish and allow to rise for 25-30 minutes. (Here’s a little trick: before braiding your bread, heat your oven to 175 degrees and then turn off. Put your braided bread in the warmed oven to rise.) Brush melted butter or egg white on top after rising. Bake at 340 for 30-45 minutes, until top is golden brown. 

*The first time I made this, I used all-purpose flour and a teaspoon of vital wheat gluten. The second time I used bread flour.  It was delicious both times, so I don’t think it makes much difference.


I’m planning on making rolls with this dough next time, and I’m going to take a loaf to my parents’ house for Christmas Eve Brunch, and I think I’m going to make a loaf for my neighbors as well. Yes, this is definitely a keeper in the Mo’Betta house!

I’m linking this recipe up with the following linkys – , ,   , ,

66 thoughts on “Homemade ‘King’s Hawaiian’ Bread (& teacher gift)

  1. Oh, darn girl! I certainly don't NEED another bread recipe, but I'm going to pull out the bread machine… right now.

  2. I HAVE to make this. I love King's bread but hardly ever buy it because I'll eat it all myself. But somehow it'll seem less gluttonous to eat a whole loaf of bread that I made myself 😉

  3. KB loves the Hawaiian bread. I may have to give this a try (the old fashioned way though because I don't have a bread machine!).

  4. I definitely need to try this recipe. I tried one before that didn't turn out. I also need to try using my bread machine out that my mom got me for my birthday!

    Stopping by from Tasty Tues.

  5. Just made this bread with dinner tonight! It was a HUGE hit!! Thanks for the recipe! I will be making it many times!…The 2 pint size judges agreed after 3 slices that it was MMMMM this is the best!

  6. Kerry, your email is not linked to your profile so I don't know if you will see this, but to make a loaf you just place the dough in a loaf pan instead of separating and braiding. I spray my pan with cooking spray just to be on the safe side, but I don't know if that is necessary. Then bake as listed in the directions. You may need to adjust the time a little depending on your pan & size. Just watch for it to turn golden brown! It is a favorite and here!

    @Heather – yay! That's awesome!

  7. Anonymous – I can't email you directly (obviously) so hopefully you will check back…this same question was posted to the original author's post and she referred them to this page
    . Hope this helps!

  8. Thank you so much for getting back with me. Can not wait to try. We love hawaiin bread. Might end up being a mistake to learn how to make this. Haha!

  9. This sounds amazing! I have never made bread before (except banana bread) so how long would I mix the dough using my kitchenaid mixer? What kind of yeast do you use? and do you have to use the Wheat gluten with all purpose flour?
    Thank you for your help!
    ~Yvonne
    OneCreativeMomma at yahoo dot com

  10. A tip or braiding your bread…start from the middle! Start in the middle and braid towards yourself, then turn the loaf around and braid the other half towards yourself. That's how they taught us in school and it still takes a little practice but it's much easier to get an even braid!

  11. First of all – I'm horrible at blogging (obviously) and I'm sorry I'm just now getting back to you! I was just wondering if you'd tried the braiding trick. I made this recipe into rolls for pulled pork and everyone went CRAZY over them (though I think I baked them a tad too long and they were a bit dry to me). They tasted great! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

  12. Just tried your recipe– baked the bread in a standard loaf pan for 35 minutes and it turned out so well! Thanks 🙂

  13. I'm Hawaiian so I was so excited when I saw this recipe! I'm having a little problem though .. The dough is really hard and my bread machine is straining to knead it. I followed your exact measurements. Is there anything I can do to fix it?!

    Mahalo (:

  14. @Robyn – so sorry you had trouble with this. I've made this recipe several times and never had the dough turn out to thick. Were you able to get it to work? I probably would have added a little liquid to see if that helped.

  15. I added some water and kneaded it by hand as well. It came out delicious after some tough love! (:

    Also, does the fat free condensed milk make a difference?

  16. @Robyn – I'm glad the final product turned out well! I was wondering abt the fat free milk…I think that is all I have ever used, but couldn't swear to it. It is probably a little thinner than the regular? However, I think the original recipe just called for sweetened condensed milk. Sorry, I'm not being very helpful! I need to try it both ways and compare.

  17. I would love to make this bread but I don't have a read machine. Do you think it would work with a stand mixer? I just bought it and I am looking for recipes to use it for.

  18. @Windi Nowlin – check out this link

    You definitely should be able to make this without a bread machine. Let me know how it turns out!

  19. Deliciously amazing! I love hawaiian bread too – and with sweetened condensed milk? You gotta be kidding me! OH MY HAWAIIAN BREAD! =)

  20. Recipe sounds great! I was wondering, if I want to bake this in my bread machine which cycle should I use.

    Thank you!

  21. I can relate with the allergies! Let me know how it turns out for ya!

  22. I made these into rolls, and while the flavor was fantastic-the texture wasn't quite right. The roll was dense and chewy. I used all purpose flour and skipped the wheat gluten, thinking skipping the wheat gluten might have been the culprit. I also used a stand mixer-mixed for about 5 minutes (probably a bit longer than that). I'm hoping somebody has some clues as to how to fix 🙂

  23. Maybe someone will have some better advice than me, since it seems like bread has been hit-or-miss for me lately. I know the water content sometimes has to be adjusted depending on the type of flour used; rise time, quality of yeast, temperature, and humidity, and I'm sure a dozen other things affect how bread turns out. With that being said, it may just be that if you add some vital wheat gluten, that will solve your problem. The gluten improves texture and elasticity of yeast breads…per Bob 😉

    If you try it again, let me know how it turns out for you!

  24. It was better-but still not quite there. Don't worry, I won't give up yet!! Texture was much better, now I just have to work on the "height" of the bread. It seemed to rise "out" instead of "up"

  25. Thanks for the update! I just got a KitchenAid mixer (early Christmas present!) and I am going to make this with the mixer instead of the bread machine and see what happens. I've had such terrible luck with bread recently…I'm scared to even try it! Maybe since the humidity has decreased I'll have better luck. I've had bread do what you are describing before, but I don't know what causes it. (I'm not much help am I?!)

  26. Does it call for sweetened condensed milk (which is never fat free) or evaporated milk (which can have fat or be fat free)? Really want to try this!! Help!

  27. Hey Tyler, the recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle Brand or store brand) and yes, it does come in fat free – I've been using it for years, but you can use original if desired. Apparently, it also comes in low fat which I haven't seen before. Hope this helps!

  28. Hi I'm wondering how do I proof the yeast before sticking everything in the stand mixer to mix? Doesn't the water need to be warm and the yeast needs to bloom?

    Athena

  29. Hi Athena! Sorry it took me a few days to get back with you, it's been birthday party time around here! In my opinion, it is always a good idea to proof your yeast, but I have only made this using my bread machine to mix and knead, in which you don't proof your yeast, you just dump it all in there. To answer your question…you could warm the water called for in the recipe ( Here is a link if you are unfamiliar) and add to your mixer bowl, with a pinch of sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Once it starts to bloom (this just lets you know it is active) add the rest of your wet ingredients. Then slowly incorporate the dry ingredients, switching to your dough hook when it gets thick and ready for kneading. This is just what I think I would do, but haven't put it into practice yet! My bread maker has made me lazy! I hope this helps!

  30. You could drink it, I've heard it is delicious in coffee. I usually stick it in the fridge and make more bread with it, since one loaf doesn't last long at my house. I've never had any trouble finding uses for sweetened condensed milk!

  31. If I were to finish these in the bread maker rather than the oven, what setting should I put it at? I've only used it once, so I'm still new to breadmaker land.

  32. I would just use the white bread setting, medium crust…mine is several years old, but I'm assuming they all work basically the same. Let me know how it works for you!

  33. I am drooling thinking about this bread. Would it work with whole wheat flour? Thanks!
    – Vien

  34. I've not tried a whole wheat version but I have subbed out one cup of AP for WW and it worked out fine. I would probably use vital wheat gluten also. Let me know if you try it!

  35. My guess would be 1.5, but I wouldn't swear to it. I *think* I have a 1.5 lb capacity machine (but it may be 2) and have made the whole thing in the machine before.

  36. The way to get the perfect temperature of lukewarm water to proof your yeast: bring some water to a boil in a saucepan or teakettle… measure out 1/2 cup and add 1-1/2 cups cold water to it. Stir and there you have it! I use this for making bread both "by hand" and with my bread machine.

  37. AMAZING!!! I bookmarked this recipe awhile ago, and finally made it tonight with no issues.
    I used Nestle La Lechera sweetened condensed milk, the bread machine to DOUGH setting (which took about 1.5 hrs total) and baked it in a standard loaf pan, after rising 30 min, for about 25 min. Turned out better than I anticipated. Thank you so much, can't wait to share the goodness 🙂

  38. Hi, I plan on trying this recipe tomorrow for a family Christmas get-together. I was reading above where someone was having trouble with their dough being a bit to thick and the bread machine was having a hard time with it. I am not for sure, but it could be how the person was scooping up the flour. When I first got my bread machine, the directions said to spoon it into the measuring cup instead of scooping the measuring cup into the flour. When you do this, there will be less flour. I am definitely not an expert on bread making. I rarely do it, but I do remember reading this and thought that it may be some help to someone. Let me know if you try this, and if it makes a difference for you.

  39. Thanks Kelly! You're right, it is recommended with most baking that if you do not weigh your flour (which I don't) then you should scoop it into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off. I do that most of the time…depending on how big a hurry I'm in! Thanks for the tip! I find the biggest factor in bread making for me is the temperature/humidity. Yeast is so finicky 🙂 I hope this turns out well for you, my family loves it. Merry Christmas!

  40. I made this bread today using bread flour scooped loosely, regular sweetened condensed milk, 3 t. rapid rise (instant) yeast and my bread machine for the dough, then shaped the dough into 12 rolls in a 9×13 pan and let them rise. I brushed them with egg white and baked in my oven. They were near PERFECT! Next time I will shape into 20 rolls (12 were too big). Thank you for the great recipe!

  41. I made this bread today using bread flour scooped loosely, regular sweetened condensed milk, 3 t. rapid rise (instant) yeast and my bread machine for the dough, then shaped the dough into 12 rolls in a 9×13 pan and let them rise. I brushed them with egg white and baked in my oven. They were near PERFECT! Next time I will shape into 20 rolls (12 were too big). Thank you for the great recipe!

  42. How long would I bake them if I do the bread as rolls in a muffin tin? (I'm thinking either the clovers or the rose shape). thanks!

  43. I always bake this as a loaf, so I can't say for certain. I would start out with 10-12 minutes and then check them and go from there. I keep saying I'm going to make rolls and have yet to do it….maybe I'll put it on the menu for next week!

  44. A good rule of thumb is to let bread rise until about doubled in size. The time for this will vary depending on several factors (yeast, temperature, etc) but I would plan on 1-2 hours. Hope this helps!

  45. I love making this into roll for BBQ, I brush the top with coconut oil and butter and they come out super awesome.

  46. i was just browsing your commentary and braided loaf. I noticed that if you stood it on the chubby end, added two long ears, it makes a perfect bunny!

  47. Gotta say, I love this freaking recipe. One of the first recipes I found after I bought my Bread machine, and it’s almost a weekly staple. Family members request it every get together,friends have a offered to pay me to make it for their family (though normally I just give it away)! After over 2 years of this bread, no one ever seems to get sick of it!

    One change I occasionally make, is to substitute some of the 1c of water for milk. 1/4c for whole milk, or about 1/2c for 2%.

    But it doesn’t always need it 😉

    Great for sandwiches, French toast, paninis, bread pudding, you name it, this bread will make it absolutely fabulous!

    10/10 will DEFINITELY make again!

    1. That’s so awesome! Thanks for commenting & letting me know. It reminds me that I need to make it again soon! We’ve been so focused on “low carb” & I miss some good ol’ homemade bread!

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