Hawaiian Sweet Bread
1/2 C warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C pineapple juice
1 C whole milk
3/4 C mashed potato flakes
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand until bubbles form on surface, about minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add pineapple juice and whole milk and continue to heat gently until mixture reaches 110 to 115 degrees. In a large bowl, combine three cups flour, potato flakes, sugar, salt, and ginger. Add yeast and butter mixtures to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough; dough will be sticky. Turn dough onto a floured surface; with floured hands, knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes, adding more flour to surface and hands as needed. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into thirds. Shape each into a ball. Place in three greased 9-inch round baking pans lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes, covering loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking if needed to prevent tops from over-browning. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.