Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

No holiday table is complete without a basket full of warm rolls. Impress your dinner guests this Thanksgiving with buttery, soft, and delicious Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls!

Thanksgiving is on its way, which means it’s time to start planning some fun and festive recipes to serve at the holiday get together!  These Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls are adorable, delicious, and the perfect compliment to any special family meal you have planned in the coming months.

There’s no reason to get store-bought rolls that are full of unhealthy ingredients when you can make these from scratch! Whether they’re served fresh and warm or cooled down, they have a satisfying chewy texture. They’re also super easy to travel with if you’re bringing them to someone else’s house.

This recipe has only six ingredients, which you combine and let sit for an hour or so. In that time, you can continue with the rest of your holiday preparations, like setting the table, or getting dressed and made-up if you are headed elsewhere. Once the dough has expanded, simply divide it into twelve parts, then divide each part into three equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into tiny balls.

The balls are then placed, three at a time, into muffin cups, let to rise again for one hour before popping into the oven.

Right when the cloverleaf dinner rolls come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter to give them a gorgeous shiny finish. You can also add your own touches to this yummy recipe. Top them with coarse sea salt, garlic salt, poppy, or sesame seeds.

If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of making bread, don’t be! Here’s a list of some important things to remember:

• I used instant yeast. Instant yeast can be added straight to the dry ingredients; it doesn’t require any proofing.  If you want to use active dry yeast instead, activate it first. Dissolve it in 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or until frothy and bubbly, and add it to the remaining ingredients.
• The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Do not be tempted to add extra flour!
• How quickly the dough rises depends on temperature and humidity. In a warm place, this takes about 1 hour; if your kitchen is very cold, it might take a little longer. Put your dough in a warm place to rise.
• I used a kitchen scale to get equal size balls. Each ball weighed 17 grams (0.6 oz.).

You will get approximately 12 dinner rolls. If you are having guests, double or triple the recipe as they will quickly disappear from the bread basket on your dinner table.

The best part is that you can easily prepare these dinner rolls ahead of time. Pop the pan in the refrigerator before the last rise. When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge and let them sit on the counter for 90 minutes or until puffed.

You can also freeze these after baking. Allow the baked roll to cool completely, put them in a large ziplock bag, and seal tightly. To reheat, let them thaw on the counter and just popped them in the hot oven for a few minutes before serving. They will be as good as freshly baked!

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour 

Try this recipe and let us know what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #aseasyasapplepie on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with!

Looking for more dinner roll recipes to serve this Thanksgiving? Check out my Homemade Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls and Pumpkin Dinner Rolls.

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5 from 12 votes

Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

Prep Time:

2 hrs 25 mins

Cook Time:

22 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 47 mins

 

Author: as easy as Apple Pie

Course: Bread

Servings:12 rolls

No holiday table is complete without a basket full of warm rolls. Impress your dinner guests this Thanksgiving with buttery, soft, and delicious Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls!

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3 1/2 cups+2 tablespoons (440 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup +2 1/2 tablespoons (275 ml) milk lukewarm
• 4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

You will also need:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all of the dough ingredients and knead to make a smooth, slightly sticky dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl (about 6-7 minutes).

2. Make a ball and place it in a lightly greased container covered with cling film. Let it rise until double in size (this will take more or less 60-90 minutes)

3. Brush a 12-cup muffin tin with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and set aside.

4. When the dough has doubled, punch it down and divide it into 12 parts.  Divide each part into three equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into tiny balls.

   You can use a kitchen scale to make equal size balls.

   Place 3 balls, seam side down, in each muffin cup. Cover the muffin tin with lightly greased plastic wrap, put it in a warm spot and let the rolls rise for another 60 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cloverleaf rolls until golden brown, about 22 minutes.

6. Remove the rolls from the oven, and brush immediately with the remaining melted butter.  After 5 minutes, carefully transfer them to a rack. 

   Serve warm, or at room temperature.
   

Notes

• To make the dinner rolls dairy-free replace the milk with water and the butter with extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter.

© as easy as Apple Pie owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given.

Nutrition Information

Amount per serving (1 roll) — Calories: 172, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 300mg, Carbohydrates: 29g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Protein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

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©As Easy As Apple Pie owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given.