By Samantha Seneviratne
- Total Time
- 40 minutes plus rising time
- Rating
- 5(1,091)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A basket of cloverleaf rolls might look humble sitting next to a burnished bird or a crown roast, but don’t underestimate its importance at a meal. Buttery and salt-kissed, the little pillows are essential from beginning to end. Start dinner with a warm roll, maybe two, split and swiped with butter. End it with another one or two used to mop up the delicious dregs of gravy. Throw in a few more in the middle because they are just too good not to. Let's hope it is a big basket. Thank goodness the recipe doubles easily. They're at their very best served warm.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 servings
- 1(¼-ounce/2¼ teaspoons/7 grams) package active dry yeast
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½cup/120 milliliters whole milk, warmed to 105 to 110 degrees
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
- 2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour
- 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1large egg
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
150 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 106 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar into the milk. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter.
Step
2
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, combine the remaining sugar, flour and salt. With the mixer on low, add the yeast mixture and the egg and knead until the dry ingredients have been incorporated (you may have to help it along at first with a spatula) and the dough is smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully add the melted butter (the dough will slosh around in the butter for a few minutes, but will eventually absorb it all) and continue to knead the dough until smooth, increasing the speed to medium, another 5 to 10 minutes. The dough will be shiny and elastic; if it’s at all sticky, scrape down the sides of the bowl and gather the dough into a neat ball (no need to add extra flour). Cover the bowl with plastic and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 2 hours.
Step
3
Butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin. Gently tip the dough out onto a work surface. You shouldn’t need flour at this point. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and keep the other pieces covered. Divide each piece into 3 equal pieces, roll each piece into a tight ball and place into one cup. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the tray lightly with plastic wrap and set aside to double again, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The dough should look puffy and spring back slowly when pressed gently.
Step
4
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Remove the plastic wrap and without deflating the dough, gently brush the rolls with butter. Bake until puffed and golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with more butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm.
Ratings
5
out of 5
1,091
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Cooking Notes
Sharon
These are fantastic! I made them according to the recipe with no adjustments. They came out very light, soft, and buttery! Excellent structure. Putting a little canola oil on my hands helped during the shaping so the dough didn't stick to my fingers.
Kate
Lovely rolls--just right for the dinner table. And a bonus: they freeze and reheat beautifully. A great make-ahead!
Margaret
100% flour50% milk35% butter23% egg3% salt3% yeast
Hanna
These came out perfectly soft, rich and satisfying. It took longer than the recipe indicated in the stand mixer to prep dough. Other than that, great recipe.
Lara
I did add about 1T more flour, found it helped the dough stick slightly less to the bowl without degrading the fluffiness of the bread.Also - making 2 batches at once will still fit in your stand mixer!
Katie Johnson
These came out wonderfully buttery and soft! My little ones (ages 4 and 1) couldn’t get enough of them. I’m not sure why this recipe has such a low rating. I’m new to baking bread, but I would recommend using a timer to make sure you’re kneading it long enough. It helps to watch a video to know what you’re looking for when the dough finally comes together. Also, make sure your milk isn’t too hot or you’ll kill all your yeast. If it doesn’t bubble a lot, then your yeast is too old or milk too hot
Olivia
Made-up through shaping the buns into balls, placing in the tins, and covering with plastic wrap and then put them in the fridge overnight. Pulled them out and let proof for about 30 minutes (15 in pilot lit oven, 15 at room temp while oven preheated) before baking. I also used miyokos brand vegan butter (queen of all vegan butters) and they were absolutely delicious alongside our thanksgiving meal. Highly recommend!
Jennie
Marvelous and simple. Can use a damp dish towel rather than plastic wrap for a more environmentally friendly covering.
cal
was craving rolls and came across this recipe, was a little hesitant because i don’t have an electric mixer, but i kneaded w a spatula for 10 mins, then added butter and kneaded w my hands for another 10 mins and they turned out delish!! super happy w them (: instead of muffin tins, i folded them into balls and topped them w smaller dough balls so they look like frogs!!
ihatecooking0101
I accidentally add all the butter (4 table spoon of it) into the dough but turned out to be delicious very buttery like between a bread and croissant. I baked for 15 minutes instead and turned out to be perfect. I love it.
Patricia
@Anita, Weigh flour rather than measure. A standard cup of flour weighs only 4.5 oz according to King Arthur's website; a cup of my flour weighed almost 6 oz. That's a problem. Another possibility is not letting the dough rise long enough. If your kitchen's cool, the dough and the rolls could take up to twice as long to rise. Create a warm place for the rise. Both should be billowy looking and soft to the touch, giving and rebounding a bit when poked gently. Finally, don't overcook. Try again!
Herocat
These are a delicious, buttery treat. I suggest sprinkling salt on the rolls just before putting them in the oven, otherwise they can't quite attach to the rolls well. Also, for those interested in an overnight pause, I put mine in the oven after shaping. Then I let them rise in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I did a short rise after bringing the dough to room temperature (just until the rolls filled out to the edges and got a bit more height).
Jim Wallace
Investing in a 10 buck Amazon basics stainless steel digital scale will up your baking game a ton - no guesswork anymore.
Sher
Can these be made ahead of time?
Jeannie
Man, these rolls are good! My mother made them for Sunday dinner every week when I was a child. I make them every Thanksgiving.
sammG760
I would recommend using bread flour instead if All-purpose. Also use softened butter instead of melted. My first try never reached that smooth texture. After tossing my first attempt I used bread flour and hand kneaded it the dough. Later I watched YouTube’s Chainbaker explore how different fats work in bread, he mentioned using softened butter not melted. I will try that next.
Kerstin W
I’m sad to go against the grain but I was disappointed in these. I was excited for these “soft, buttery pillows” but I found mine to be pretty bland and dry. I followed the recipe to a T so I’m not sure what went wrong. I might try again but use salted butter (in addition to the salt added) next time.
kare
Wow these rolls are AMAZING! I thought I’d give them a shot for thanksgiving this year and they were a huge hit - my family said I’d be in charge of making rolls for all family functions from now on! The second time I made them (for Christmas) I used KerryGold butter and it made a difference - they were so buttery and delicious! I can’t enough great things about this recipe. I am an amateur bread/roll maker so I was hesitant but it was easy to follow.
Babs
If I double the recipe again, use my big mixer
Kristen S
I made these for Thanksgiving 2023 and the family insisted these become a special occasion staple! Easy and delicious.
Kelsey
I’ve made this recipe several times now and it comes out perfect every time with an impressive rise! I don’t have a mixer so even my good old fashioned arm mixing is sufficient for a light and airy dough!
AM
Beautiful! Adorable, soft, and light. I am supposed to be gluten-free and ate three of them on the day I baked them. They got away from me because of the bite-sized little segments. I followed other reviewers' advice to salt before baking- flaky salt was so good on these. My only quibble was I didn't understand the note "you shouldn't need more flour at this point". There's nothing that says what to do if you DO need flour. It was so sticky that I did, I used it, and it was fine.
david
I think I overproofed the first round, these came out like pilsbury grands. I’d err closer to 1 hour than 2 for the first rise. Otherwise, great recipe.
Josh
I was apprehensive about making these because I don’t own a stand mixer but decided to give it a go. Followed the recipe to the letter, and they turned out exceptionally well! The workout of hand kneading definitely paid off (so don’t let that stop you!). Had to stop myself eating all of them before serving them to our guests. I will be happily adding these to the roll rotation.
ali
Dough didn’t rise enough so they turned out a little biscuity, be careful not to overproof the first rise. Try using some tips in the notes to make ahead
Nico
Has anyone shaped these into a batch bake? The shape in muffins tins looks wonderful but I'm juggling fridge space during a shaped second proof.
Jessica
I baked these tonight, and they’re delicious, but I baked for 16 minutes because the tops looked pale. Was very surprised when I took them out of the pan and the sides were dark brown. Anyone know what could cause the tops to be super pale while the sides darkened? Recipe didn’t call for an egg wash, so I’m not sure what to try on my next batch.
Sher
Can these be made ahead of time?
suz
Love this recipe. Made 2 batches at once. They came out perfectly light and fluffy on the inside. Made another 2 batches using all white whole wheat flour, exact same recipe. It was much stickier but after rising worked out perfectly. As others did, I sprinkled with salt before baking. Yum!
Elizabeth
These came out lovely. I doubled the recipe. Next time, I think I'd keep the first rise closer to 75 minutes and the second about the same. These rose beautifully for the first rise, but not quite as much for the second.
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