The major difference that separates them from other dinner rolls is a distinct sweetness. Big King's Hawaiian fans will also tout the texture, its flaky outside and fluffy interior, as a reason it's so delectable.

But like many popular Hawaiian foods, they weren't exactly native. Sweetened breads came to the islands with the Portuguese immigrants who flooded Hawaii in the mid-to-late 19th century to work the livestock ranches and sugarcane plantations.

King's Hawaiian rolls are sort of a supermarket hot item. They originated in Hilo, Hawaii, on the big island, in the 1950s. Founder Robert Taira created a bakery selling loaves of soft and sweet breads that, as the company states, "rarely made it home."

Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Butter (Pasteurized Cream, Salt), Eggs, Contains Less than 2% of Each of the Following: Sodium Silicoaluminate, Potato Flour, Soy Flour, Whey, Corn Flour, Monocalcium Phosphate, Ascorbic ...

6 Smart Ways to Use King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

• Sweet or Savory Bread Pudding. Turning your rolls into a rich and hearty baked dish is a great use that's totally adaptable to your preferences and the occasion at hand.
• Croutons.
• Sliders/Sandwiches.
• Monkey Bread.
• Easy Sticky Buns.

Hilo, Hawaii Our mouthwatering tale begins in the 1950's in Hilo, Hawaii. There Robert R. Taira, the Hawaiian-born son of Japanese immigrants who graduated top of his baking class, opened his first bakeshop: Robert's Bakery. Here is where the first soft round loaves of the Original Hawaiian Sweet bread were made.

Robert Taira The tradition began with Robert Taira, the Hawaiian-born son of Japanese immigrant parents who opened a bakery in the city of Hilo in the late 1950s. So beloved were Taira's fresh-from-the-oven rolls that he quickly expanded to a larger facility in Honolulu in 1963.

Robert Taira Robert Taira (November 5, 1923 in Hilo, Hawaii – May 29, 2003 in Torrance, California) was the founder of King's Hawaiian bakery.

Hawaiian sweet bread is a type of fortified bread, like brioche. Based off of Portuguese sweet bread (Pao Doce), Hawaiian sweet bread recipes call for lots of sugar, up to 1.5 cups per batch in some recipes. Since it's a fortified dough, you'll also find butter and milk or condensed milk in the recipe.

The word "sweetbread" was first used in the 16th century, but the reason behind the name is unknown. Sweet is perhaps used since the thymus is sweeter and richer tasting than muscle flesh. Bread may come from brede “roasted meat,” or is used because bread was another name for morsel.

Before cooking, sweetbreads should be soaked in water for at least half a day to remove any impurities and clotted blood. Sweetbreads are particularly popular in France and Germany. They are favoured items in the cuisines of the Middle East, Greece, and Argentina, usually roasted, grilled, or panfried.

Sweet bread, also referred to as pan dulce, buns or coffee bread, is a bread or cake that is typically sweet in flavor. Some sweet breads, such as Portuguese Pao Douce, may be prepared with potato flour, which imparts a sweet flavor and light texture to them.

A type of bread that originated in Hawaii in the late 1950s, developed specifically by the Taira family of Hilo, who named the bread, “King's Hawaiian® Sweet Bread." The recipe was inspired by a type of Portuguese sweet bread that was often supplied to sailors who preferred it during their lengthy ocean voyages.