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Step outside the box and make Hawaiian Sweet Roll French Toast using King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls instead of traditional bread slices. Perfectly fluffy puffs of french toast dipped in a sweet egg mixture, and then cooked to golden brown perfection in a buttered skillet pan.
For a classic french toast recipe, that uses thick texas toast, be sure and make my recipe for The Best French Toast!
French Toast Using King’s Hawaiian Rolls
As if the classic Hawaiian sweet rolls weren’t delicious enough with their perfectly fluffy texture and sweet taste. Now we’re dipping them inside French toast batter and cooking them until golden brown in butter. Seriously, how can French toast get any better!
Instead of using traditional flat pieces of bread, we’re busting out the sweet and fluffy sweet rolls to make french toast. The soft, sweet bread center pairs perfectly with the golden brown outer edges. My kids love calling these ‘french toast puffs’ and now I can’t call them anything other than puffs now too 😊
I love the versatility of the Hawaiian sweet rolls! From sweet breakfasts to savory dinner recipes like Baked Ham & Cheese Sandwiches and Cheeseburger Sliders, you can make any meal using the sweet rolls!
Ingredients Needed For This Hawaiian Sweet Rolls French Toast Puffs Breakfast Recipe
- Large Eggs
- Half & Half – I don’t recommend substituting this with another milk, especially a lower fat milk like 1% or skim milk. You need the fat and thickness from half & half.
- Granulated Sugar – The sweet rolls are sweetened but we want to add just a touch more to help the exterior get a nice golden brown crust on it.
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt – I use sea salt or kosher salt.
- Butter – Depending on how large your skillet pan is, you may need more butter or you may want to divide and use some for each batch.
How To Make Hawaiian Roll French Toast (Detailed Instructions & Recipe Card Below)
- Make The French Toast Batter : In a small bowl or pie plate, whisk eggs, half & half, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until the batter is well mixed and combined.
- Butter + Skillet Pan Prep : Melt the butter in a large skillet pan over medium heat.
- Dip Rolls In Egg Mixture & Cook : Dip the halved rolls, one half at a time, in the batter and flip them over quickly (don’t let them soak), and place them in the preheated skillet. Let cook for about 2-3 minutes, then flip them over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
- Serve or Keep Warm : Serve right away with syrup, powdered sugar, and fresh berries OR place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them warm in a preheated oven.
The Best Method For Keeping French Toast Warm
If you are making lots of french toast, and want to serve it all at the same time, then there is an easy fix for keeping it warm after cooking it. The best way to keep cooked french toast warm is using a preheated oven at the lowest heat setting.
Warming Oven Method : Preheat the oven to the lowest heat setting – usually around 175 degrees F to 200 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet/baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and have a large piece of foil ready to go. Make sure the piece of foil is big enough so that it can loosely lay over the top of the cookie sheet.
Put the french toast in a single layer on top of the parchment paper and then loosely lay the foil over top of the cookie sheet. As you cook more French toast, simply lift the foil off and place the cooked French toast on the parchment paper.
What Size Pan Should I Use To Cook Hawaiian Sweet Roll French Toast In?
I like to use a large 12″ skillet pan or frying pan that has higher sides on it. I have linked the one that I love down below in the recipe card. The larger the skillet pan is, the more likely that you can cook most of the fresh toast bites inside the pan at one time.
If you’re using a smaller skillet pan, I suggest using half of the butter for each batch. If you find that the butter alone is not preventing sticking (depending on the pan you’re using) then add some cooking spray before cooking the batch of French toast bites.
Do I Need To Use The Hawaiian Sweet Rolls?
Yes! This recipe is titled, and specifically designed, for the smaller Hawaiian sweet rolls. As you can see, there is no added cinnamon sugar mixture in this recipe that traditional french toast has in it. That’s because the Hawaiian sweet rolls are pretty sweet on their own. Using a different bread will not work because the egg mixture is not sweet enough to sweeten the more traditional breads used for french toast (like challah bread, french bread, brioche bread, stale bread, bread slices, thick bread, etc).
If you’ve never had the sweet rolls then you are missing out! They are delightfully soft, sweet, and the perfect size to make French toast puff bites with.
Serving Suggestions For French Toast
Must-haves when serving french toast is maple syrup (store-bought or pure maple syrup work fine), powdered sugar, fresh berries like chopped strawberries or raspberries, and whipped cream (either homemade or store-bought).
You can also serve this French toast and keep it super simple with maple syrup over top! But my family thinks these fluffy french toast bites are best served with all the toppings!
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes You’ll Love
- Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Buttermilk Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup
- Buttermilk Waffles
- Easy Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- Egg Muffin Cups
- French Toast Casserole
Hawaiian Sweet Roll French Toast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (cut in half, total of 24 pieces)
- 3 large eggs`
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Cut each Hawaiian roll in half and place them to the side on a plate.12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well-mixed and combined.3 large eggs`, 1/2 cup half & half, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Melt the butter in a large skillet pan over medium heat.3 tablespoons butter
- Dip the rolls, one at a time, into the egg batter and flip them over quickly (don't let them soak!), and then place it inside the preheated skillet.Repeat with the remaining pieces or however many can fit inside the skillet pan. * If you're quick you can easily do several pieces at once when dipping and flipping them inside the egg batter. * If the skillet pan is smaller then you'll want to cook the french toast pieces in batches. If doing batches I recommend using half the butter for each batch.
- Let them cook for about 2-3 minutes per side and flip them once they're golden brown. * If needed, turn the heat up to medium-high to get them nicely golden browned. It's easiest to use tongs to flip and turn the french toast pieces.
- Serve immediately with syrup, powdered sugar, and fresh berries.
Notes
Nutrition
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