These Cloverleaf Rolls are rich and buttery with a fun pull-apart clover shape. Try these rolls for Sunday dinner or Thanksgiving!
Are you looking for the perfect dinner rolls recipe to go with a soup or chili dinner before the weather warms up and it feels like spring is really here? Or, is it already warm where you live and you’d like some delicious homemade bread to accompany a main dish salad? Either way, I highly recommend that you try these cloverleaf rolls. They are soft and buttery, and the cloverleaf shape is a nice touch for a pretty presentation.
Cloverleaf rolls are one of my favorite dinner roll recipes, along with these yeast rolls. I love the sweetness of the honey yeast rolls, but when I want more of a rich butter flavor I make these cloverleaf rolls.
Cloverleaf rolls make a great accompaniment to soups, stews, and chili. Try them with my roasted butternut squash soup or slow cooker beef stew.
These homemade rolls are a perfect Thanksgiving side dish. You can make these rolls ahead and freeze them to save preparation time on the big day. Also try my garlic knots and garlic bread recipe.
How to Make Cloverleaf Rolls
- Combine warmed milk, sugar and yeast. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the egg, flour, salt and butter. Mix until well combined, adding a little more flour if the dough is very sticky.
- Knead the dough using the mixer’s dough hook (or by hand) for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Let the dough rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
- Shape the rolls by dividing the dough into 36 pieces and rolling each piece into a ball. Place three balls of dough in each muffin cup of a muffin tin. This will create the pull apart cloverleaf shape.
- Let the rolls rise in the pan for 20 minutes.
- Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Brush the warm rolls with melted butter and honey.
Make Ahead Rolls
There are two make ahead options for these cloverleaf rolls:
- You can make these rolls ahead and freeze them. Thaw on the counter and then warm in a 325 degree oven.
- After shaping the rolls, the filled muffin tin can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Baking Tips for Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
- If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix and knead the dough by hand.
- To quickly bring your butter to room temperature, cut it into small cubes. The smaller pieces will warm faster.
- You can replace up to half of the all purpose flour in this recipe with white whole wheat flour.
Cloverleaf Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk, heated to 110-115° F, whole milk recommended
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, (1 packet)
- 1 large egg
- 3 ½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
Topping
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (alternatively you can mix and knead the dough by hand), whisk together the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes. The mixture should start to foam and/or bubble. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, start over with new yeast.
- Add the egg, flour, salt and 4 tablespoons butter to the bowl. Mix using the paddle attachment until combined. The mixture should be only slightly sticky when you touch it with your finger; if it is very sticky, mix in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is only slightly sticky.
- Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 8 minutes. Then transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter or cooking spray. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly to release any large air bubbles. Divide the dough into thirds. Roll each third into a 12-inch long rope. Then cut each rope into 12 equal pieces. (You will have 36 small pieces of dough).
- Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place 3 balls, seam side down, in each muffin cup. Cover the muffin tin loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375° F. Bake the rolls for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown on top and cooked through, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Mix together the melted butter and honey. Brush the honey butter over the rolls as soon as the come out of the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- To make ahead: The filled muffin tin can be refrigerated immediately after shaping the rolls, covered with plastic wrap, for 24 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
This is my favorite dinner roll recipe!
these look so soft and yummy!
Thank you, Dina!