For The Best Hawaiian Roll Sliders, Don't Skip This Step

There's so much to love about Hawaiian rolls — they're sweet, rich, fluffy, buttery, and all-around delicious (and if you're somehow unfamiliar with the tasty bread, you can read our guide on everything you need to know about Hawaiian rolls). Whether you're new to Hawaiian rolls or a longtime fan, we highly recommend that you use them to make homemade sliders. No matter what kind of sliders you're making — mini cheeseburgers (which can be made in a muffin tin), ham and cheese, chicken Parm sliders, and more — Hawaiian rolls are the best bread to use. Firstly, they're already the perfect size, so there's no extra work for you there. But secondly, and more importantly, the sweetness balances out the savoriness of the fillings, creating the perfect combination of flavors.

For any sliders, there's one important step that you don't want to skip: brushing the top of the Hawaiian rolls with melted butter. This is a key step for a few reasons, starting with the fact that it will make the rolls even more buttery and rich than they already are. But the melted butter will also ensure that the tops of the rolls develop an aesthetically pleasing golden hue and a satisfying crunch.

It's a quick step that will make a big difference. Just pop a small amount of butter in the microwave and use a pastry brush to coat the top of the rolls before baking them. Then, all that's left to do is enjoy your extra buttery Hawaiian roll sliders.

Brushing melted butter over the top of the Hawaiian rolls is basically a must when you're making sliders, but there are also other steps you can take to take the dish to the next level. To start with, you can use a flavored butter to spread over the top, such as garlic butter. Or, mix fresh or dried herbs into the melted butter before you spread it over the top for an herby, earthy addition to go along with the richness.

Or, you could make a sweet-savory butter mixture for the top of the rolls, like we do in our recipe for baked ham and cheese sliders. We combine melted butter with brown sugar, stone-ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and dried minced onion, as well as poppy seeds before spreading it over the tops of the Hawaiian rolls. This mixture is sweet, tangy, and savory, with a hint of umami, so there are a ton of flavors going on.

If you want to keep it simpler, you could just go with the sweet route by keeping the brown sugar and leaving out the rest. You'll still have the savory aspect thanks to the fillings, so there will still be a good balance there. Whatever you ultimately go with, just don't forget the melted butter — that's the most important ingredient for upgraded Hawaiian roll sliders.