This Cloverleaf Rolls recipe is an old-fashioned American invention that consists of individual pull-apart, soft and buttery rolls. It’s made by putting three balls of dough into a muffin pan, where they slowly puff out, giving them the characteristic shape.
Would you like to try more fail-proof bread recipes? Then you should look no further: White Braided Bread, Pizza Monkey Bread and Pumpkin No-Knead Bread.
Cloverleaf rolls are those classic, soft American dinner rolls you’ve probably seen on holiday tables. Each one is made with three little balls of dough tucked into a muffin cup. As they rise and bake, they puff up and squish together, giving you that cute three-leaf clover shape on top.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Love fresh homemade bread
- Soft and fluffy, buttery and delicious
- No special pan; a muffin pan works great
- Perfect for Sunday Supper or the holidays
- Fun pull-apart shape
HELPFUL ITEMS FOR THIS RECIPE
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12-Cup Muffin Pan with Silicone Grip Handles
Cuisinart Stand Mixer, 12 Speed, 5.5 Quart Stainless Steel Bowl
Ingredients for Cloverleaf Rolls
The basic Cloverleaf Roll is delicious, but it’s also easy to change the flavors. Try garlic butter Cloverleaf Rolls by brushing the warm tops with melted butter and garlic. For herb rolls, add rosemary, thyme, parsley, or chives. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the rolls before baking for a savory, cheesy version.
You can also brush the tops with honey butter for a slightly sweet variation that’s particularly delicious with ham or turkey.
Recipe Ingredients
All-purpose flour – This flour will get you the softest rolls; spoon and level for accuracy.
Whole milk – Use lukewarm milk to properly activate the yeast (105–110°F / 40–43°C).
Instant yeast – Wait for the yeast to foam to make sure it’s in good condition.
Granulated sugar – The sugar helps the flour to rise; you can swap with honey if desired.
Large egg – Make sure the egg is at room temperature before you mix it into the dough.
Unsalted butter – Should be softened and at room temperature before using. You’ll need some for the dough and extra to brush the bread right after baking.
Kosher salt and flaky sea salt – We used fine kosher salt for the rolls and flaky salt for serving; this last one is optional.
How to make Cloverleaf Rolls
Whisk the milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit 5 minutes, until foamy on top. If nothing happens, your yeast is dead, or the milk was too hot; in that case, you need to start over.
Add the egg, then the flour, then salt. Mix with the dough hook on low until it comes together into a shaggy mass, about 1 minute.
Knead on medium-low for 4 minutes, then add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting for each piece to disappear before adding the next. The dough will look like it’s falling apart at first.
Knead another 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticking to your fingers. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl and clean them as it turns.
Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled. (The first rise can also be made overnight in the fridge; you just need to cover the dough lightly with plastic wrap.)
Butter a 12-cup muffin pan generously, including the top surface between the cups.
How to shape Cloverleaf Rolls
Turn the dough out of the bowl and press it flat over the counter to release the gas. Divide it into 12 equal pieces of about 60 g, then cut each of those into 3, so you have 36 small pieces of roughly 20 g. A scale makes this quick and keeps the rolls even.
Roll each small piece into a smooth ball: cup your hand over it and drag it against the counter in small circles until it tightens. Work on an unfloured surface as you need the friction. Place 3 balls in each muffin cup, seams down.
Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise 45 to 60 minutes, until the balls have puffed and merged and the tops sit just above the rim of the pan. This second rising is important; if you bake them earlier, the rolls won’t be as puffy and soft as they should. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) during the last 20 minutes. Optional: brush the top of the rolls with a beaten egg for extra shiny tops.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until deep golden. If the tops are browning fast, tent loosely with foil.
Brush generously with the melted butter as soon as they come out, and sprinkle with flaky salt if you like. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift them out.
Recipe Pro Tips
Tips for Fail-proof Rolls
Milk should be warm to the wrist, not hot. Above 130°F kills the yeast. This is the most common reason enriched doughs don’t rise.
The dough should feel slightly tacky, so resist adding extra flour. Dry dough gives you bready, tight rolls. But if it’s genuinely sticking to everything, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, and stop as soon as it clears the bowl.
Underproofing is the usual culprit behind squat, dense rolls. Check that the balls rise over the muffin pan’s edge. A cold kitchen can easily double the rise times listed here, so if yours is chilly, put the covered bowl in a turned-off oven with the light on.
Grease the pan well. These have enough butter that they usually release fine, but the tops spread over the edges and can catch. Butter the surface between the cups too.
Make ahead. Shape the rolls in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Pull the pan out 2 to 3 hours before baking, and let it come to room temperature, and finish rising. You can also freeze baked rolls up to 2 months.
How to Store Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
Keep them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerated for up to five days. Reheat them in the oven at 300°F for 5 to 8 minutes, covered with foil, with a fresh brush of butter.
DO YOU LOVE HOMEMADE ROLLS AND WANT MORE?
We adore making homemade bread, especially for the holidays. Nothing like the smell of homemade bread wafting through your home. That in itself is worth it.
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Cloverleaf Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk lukewarm (105–110°F / 40–43°C)
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast
- 3½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour spoon and level
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
For brushing
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- Flaky salt for finishing
Instructions
- Whisk the milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit 5 minutes, until foamy on top. If nothing happens, your yeast is dead, or the milk was too hot; in that case, you need to start over.
- Add the egg, then the flour, then salt. Mix with the dough hook on low until it comes together into a shaggy mass, about 1 minute.
- Knead on medium-low for 4 minutes, then add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting for each piece to disappear before adding the next. The dough will look like it’s falling apart at first.
- Knead another 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticking to your fingers. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl and clean them as it turns.
- *Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled.
- Butter a 12-cup muffin pan generously, including the top surface between the cups.
- Turn the dough out and press it flat to release the gas. Divide it into 12 equal pieces of about 60 g, then cut each of those into 3, so you have 36 small pieces of roughly 20 g. A scale makes this quick and keeps the rolls even.
- Roll each small piece into a smooth ball: cup your hand over it and drag it against the counter in small circles until it tightens. Work on an unfloured surface as you need the friction. Place 3 balls in each muffin cup, seams down.
- Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise 45 to 60 minutes, until the balls have puffed and merged and the tops sit just above the rim of the pan. This second rising is important; if you bake them earlier, the rolls won’t be as puffy and soft as they should. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) during the last 20 minutes. Optional: brush the top of the rolls with a beaten egg for extra shiny tops.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until deep golden. If the tops are browning fast, tent loosely with foil.
- Brush generously with the melted butter as soon as they come out, and sprinkle with flaky salt if you like. Let them cool in the pan 10 minutes, then lift them out.
- *The first rise can also be made overnight in the fridge; you just need to cover the dough lightly with plastic wrap.
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