Description
Origin
Portuguese immigrants, who flocked to Hawaii in the middle to late 19th century to find employment on the cattle ranches and sugarcane fields, brought with them their sweet buns. When refined sugar was rare or costly, many Portuguese immigrant families cooked their loaves following recipes from home.
Robert Taira, a Japanese American, started Robert’s Bakery in Hilo, Hawaii, in the years just before Hawaii attained statehood in 1959. They were known for their delicious Portuguese-style bread. Ten years later, when the bakery shifted to King Street, Honolulu, it was rebranded as King’s Bakery, and its popularity skyrocketed. The bread grew so successful on the West Coast that King’s relocated its headquarters from Hawaii to Torrance, California, prompting yet another rebranding to King’s Hawaiian.
In the Kona area of the Big Island, a small number of households still use big, hive-shaped outdoor ovens that were constructed by hand to bake sweet buns in the traditional Portuguese way. The local kiawe wood is ideal since it burns hot and slow.
Ingredients
Flour, Sugar, Butter, Yeast, Milk, Eggs, Cinnamon, Raisins, Nuts, Cream cheese.
Taste
You’re missing out if you’ve never tried a Sweet Bun. The softness of the dough and the creamy texture of the filling work harmoniously together to create a balanced array of flavors. The butter and vanilla in the mildly sweet dough set the stage for the explosion of satisfying flavors.
Shelf Life/Preservation
Sweet Buns are delicious pastries that are hard to refuse when they are fresh, but they also keep well. Sweet Buns may be kept fresh for a maximum of 4 days around room temp if kept in an airtight jar or firmly wrapped.
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