Cloverleaf Rolls

Close up photo of a cloverleaf dinner roll from above.

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Soft, buttery, and perfectly pull-apart! These homemade cloverleaf rolls are baked in a muffin tin for a classic bakery look with half the effort. A golden, fluffy dinner roll that’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for holidays or Sunday supper.

Prep Time55

Cook Time15

Resting1 25

Total Time2 35

Course: Baking, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: rolls

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Nora from Savory Nothings

Ingredients

1 envelope active dry yeast
4 tablespoons sugar divided use
¼ cup warm water
4 tablespoons butter diced
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs beaten separately and divided use
3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour divided use (~550g weighed) (Note 1)

Instructions

Prep: 
The baking temperature in this recipe is 400°F. You only need to preheat your oven towards the end of the second rise!
You will need a greased 12-cup muffin tin for baking, prep it toward the end of the first rise.
Activate yeast: 
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine yeast with 1 tablespoon sugar and warm water, no warmer than 110°F ; let stand for 5 minutes until bubbly (Note 2).
1 envelope active dry yeast, 1 tablespoons sugar, ¼ cup warm water
Make milk mixture:
 Place butter, milk, remaining sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat to 110°F, allowing butter to melt. Be sure mixture does not exceed 120°F, or you may kill off the yeast! Whisk in the egg.
3 tablespoons sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs
Knead dough: 
Add milk mixture and 1-½ cups flour to yeast mixture. Knead with the dough hook on low speed, gradually adding the remaining flour (I usually need ~3-¾ cups) until a soft dough forms. Knead on medium speed for 5-6 minutes until dough is soft, pliable and forming a ball (Note 3).
3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
First rise: 
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
Shape and second rise:
 Punch dough down; turn out on a clean surface. Shape into 36 walnut-size balls; place 3 balls in each cup of a greased muffin tin. Cover and let rise until puffy, about 20 minutes.
Egg wash and bake: 
Brush rolls with the remaining beaten egg. Bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Note 1: It's important to add the correct amount of flour, else you will end up with dry/biscuit-like rolls. If you scoop your flour, it will be pretty close to 3-½ to 3-¾ cups. If you fluff, spoon and level, it will be closer to 4 to 4-½ cups. If you weigh it out, it will be 500-550g, depending on your exact ingredients.
Note 2: If your yeast mixture isn't bubbly after 5-10 minutes, your yeast may be expired. Discard it and use a new packet, or your rolls may not rise!
Note 3: This dough should be just very slightly tacky/sticky. Not like paste! But a little bit sticky. The flour will absorb more of the fatty liquids as the dough rises, but if you add too much flour here you will end up with dry and dense rolls.

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