Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls are fluffy and delicious, offering a delightful texture that makes them a favorite at any meal. Easy to prepare, these rolls are perfect alongside classic pot roast, Sunday night lasagna, or Southern fried chicken, adding a comforting touch to your dining experience.
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🍶 The Ingredients
The simple ingredients for homemade cloverleaf dinner rolls come together seamlessly to create fluffy, classic, and delicious rolls that elevate any meal. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.
🥚 Substitutions and Variations
- Flour – We find that a combination of all-purpose flour and bread flour creates a light and fluffy roll. However, you can go with all bread flour or all all-purpose flour and still yield wonderful rolls.
- Milk – We recommend whole milk, warmed. 2% (low-fat) can be substituted, however, we find that whole is best. Instant milk is acceptable, too.
- Toppings – The combination of sesame seeds and poppy seeds makes for beautiful rolls, but you can go with just one or the other. Melted butter, grated Parmesan, and dried herbs are great toppings.
See the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
👩🏼🍳 How To Make Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
- Step 1: Add the yeast and sugar to warm water in your mixer and wait until foamy.
- Step 2: Mix the yeast mixture with cooled melted butter, warm water, sugar, salt, and bread flour.
- Step 3: Gently add the all-purpose flour. Mix for 10 minutes until elastic.
- Step 4: Form into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let proof until doubled in size.
- Step 5: Turn out onto a floured surface and divide into three parts.
- Step 6: Arrange three small balls of dough in each opening of a greased muffin pan.
Expert Tip
Bread flour has a higher protein count than all-purpose flour, and will yield fluffier rolls. You can use only all-purpose flour and still have great results. Be sure to let the dough proof in a warm, non-drafty area until doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours.
⏲️ How To Bake Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
- Step 7: Cover rolls with oiled plastic wrap and let proof for another 40 minutes.
- Step 8: Brush an egg wash over the tops of the dough.
- Step 9: Sprinkle with poppyseeds and sesame seeds.
- Step 10: Bake until golden and then brush with melted butter.
🧺 How To Serve and Store
- The rolls are heavenly fresh out of the oven. They are decent-sized rolls (slightly larger than your standard dinner roll), but they are so good that guests will probably want more than just one.
- Depending on how many you are serving, you may need to double the recipe, or at least make two batches.
- Be sure to have plenty of softened butter to serve with warm rolls.
🔥 How To Reheat
- The easiest to heat incrementally in the microwave.
- You can also wrap them tightly in foil and heat them in a 250°F oven until heated, about 20 minutes.
- Heating them in an air fryer will not heat them, but give them a bit of a crispy exterior. Turn the air fryer to 400°F and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
Can Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls be made in advance?
Although they are best fresh out of the oven, they can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Wrap in foil and heat for 20 minutes in a 250°F oven.
Can Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls be frozen?
Yes! Bake them and then place them in a large freezer-safe baggie and freeze for up to a couple of months. Thaw and then heat in microwave or oven. They are still fluffy and amazing!
How do you make Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls gluten-free
Substitute the flour (all-purpose and bread) with gluten-free flour, such as almond flour, rice flour, or oat flour. The texture won’t be identical, but they’ll still be delicious
🍞 Other Amazing Bread Recipes
Ready to take your special meal to the next level with homemade rolls? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of them, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
These rolls are light and fluffy and so delicious. They are easy to prepare and so much better than the store-bought variety.
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Servings: 8
Calories: 366kcal
Video
Equipment
- 1 12-cup muffin pan or 18-cup (just make smaller rolls)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon water warm, 105 to 115°F
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast 1 package, or Instant Rise
- 3 tablespoon sugar divided
- 8 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 cup whole milk warm, 105 to 115°F
- 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds preferably toasted
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Melt 6 tablespoon butter and let cool slightly.8 tablespoon butter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir to combine. Let rest for 7 to 10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy. If the yeast doesn't get foamy, discard it and start again.3 tablespoon water, 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast, 3 tablespoon sugar
- With the paddle attachment, mix together the yeast mixture with the melted butter, warmed milk, 2 tablespoon sugar, 1½ teaspoon salt, and the bread flour. Mix until combined.1 cup whole milk, 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 cups bread flour
- Change the paddle attachment to the dough hook and turn to medium-low, or the "2" setting. Gradually add in the all-purpose flour. Continue mixing for about 10 minutes until the dough has become elastic and not sticky to the touch.1½ cups all-purpose flour
- Remove the dough from the bowl and hook and use your hands to form it into a smooth ball. Grease the inside of a large bowl and place the dough in it, turning it over a couple of times to coat it with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place the bowl in a warm, non-drafty area for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into three equal parts.
- Spray the muffin pan liberally with cooking spray. Pinch off 1 piece of dough and form it into a small ball (it will be about 1 tablespoon of dough). Place it in one of the cups of the muffin pan and repeat with two more small dough balls. Continue with the remaining dough. Lightly oil (or spray) one side of a piece of plastic wrap big enough to cover the muffin pan. Gently lay the oiled side of the wrap over the pan/dough and return it to the warm, non-drafty area for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rolls have almost doubled in size again.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix the egg with 2 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Remove the plastic from the rolls and brush the egg wash all over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds and poppy seeds.1 large egg, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until lightly golden on top, turning the pan around halfway through baking.
- Meanwhile, melt the 2 remaining tablespoon of butter. Remove the rolls from the oven and brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top, if desired. Remove from the pan and serve.1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Notes
NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.
If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all all-purpose flour. Bread flour will make the rolls a little fluffier, but using only all-purpose flour will still yield delicious rolls.
Remember, if the yeast doesn’t get foamy, discard it and start again. Make sure the water and milk are in the range of 105 to 115°F. Warm, but not scalding, and definitely not cool.
If you want to start these the night before baking, you can allow the first proof (rise) to happen in your refrigerator. Allow at least 12 hours for the rise to happen. Finish the recipe as written about 1 to 2 hours before serving.
You can also prepare the rolls a day in advance and then cover them tightly in foil and heat them up the following day in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes.
The rolls will keep covered for about 4 days. In the fridge for up to 1 week. And they can be frozen for 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 841mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 434IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg
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Lili says
Oh my gosh. Dallas ISD, when I was growing up, served cloverleaf rolls at lunch with a pat of butter. They were warm and the butter melted instantly. Such great memories.
Kris Longwell says
Lili! We’ve had so many folks tell us these rolls bring back childhood school cafeteria days! That is absolutely wonderful! These rolls are so comforting, so, no doubt, you have such fond memories! Thank you for sharing!!! xoxo