Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls

Name: Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 24 Rolls
Ingredients: 320 ml Milk; 1 Egg (large); 2 1/2 tsp Instant dry yeast (1 sachet); 1 tbsp Sugar; 1 tbsp Salt; 60 grams Melted butter; 500 grams All-purpose flour (plus an additional 100 grams for kneading); Egg wash - 1 egg with 2 tbsp water

August 13, 2012 *Updated* March 30, 2019 By Veena Azmanov 34 Comments

Recipe Print

Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls

These soft and buttery homemade cloverleaf rolls are an absolute treat and very versatile. They pair well with any food, sweet or savory. Can be eaten for dinner or for breakfast with some butter and jam.

These cloverleaf rolls are an American bread like a ball made of three sections; more like a pull-apart bun. They are named after the leaf of a clover plant which has three lobes. This is a simple, easy and yet very exotic looking bread. Made with just three small balls of bread into one muffin case that then bakes and becomes one bread. Often people wonder how do you get that shape, but really it’s so easy!!

Did you know that cloverleaf is actually referred to a particular shape, not the recipe? So technically you could take any of your favorite bread recipes and shape it into a cloverleaf roll. Usually, we prefer to use an enriched dough that’s not so bready (if that is even a word) but tastes more soft buttery and just melts in the mouth.

Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls Recipe

Childhood Memories

One of my fond memories as a little girl is sitting on the kitchen top corner and helping mom with her work. She’d give me a small piece of dough and I’d happily leave her alone to do her work while I would knead the hell out of that little piece of dough.

Now I often have the same scene in my kitchen with my kids. It’s usually Rhea more than Aadi. She loves to help me when I’m working. And like me, she’s especially attracted to bread dough. She loves the soft silky smoothness of the bread dough when it’s all ready to be baked.

My mom would say – you know a good bread when it just comes out of the oven. The true test is when you see someone take a small bite and then immediately wants to take another. That happens when you have the right balance of the perfect texture on the outside and softness on the inside.

Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls Recipe

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes

All Purpose flour – You can use bread flour if you prefer. And yet, it’s not necessary and this dough is very forgiving and works just fine with all-purpose flour.
Egg – I love the stability the egg adds to the dough and enriches it.
Milk – I prefer to use milk instead of water. It not just adds taste but also makes a nice soft crumb bread.
Sugar – It’s not much so it won’t sweeten the bread. It helps the yeast. Also, it absorbs some of the liquid, slowing the formation of gluten strand. As a result, it makes the enriched dough just perfect.

As I said, these rolls are simple and easy to make. If you organize your work, then the in-between time of waiting does not bother you at all.

Furthermore, you can get the kids involved. They love making these tiny little balls and then get even more excited when the rolls come out of the oven. My kids love these with jam and can eat them just like that. They are so buttery and delicious.

Recipe – Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls

Useful Tips and Tools

A small Mixing Bowl or measuring cup to activate the yeast. I prefer to use glass over metal. If the metal is cold it can lower the temperature of the liquid ingredients. Not a big deal. And yet, it’s nice to get the yeast activated quickly and move on with the recipe.
I like mixing bread dough by hand. It’s quite therapeutic. But bread dough can be difficult to handle. Not just because it needs more kneading but also because it’s often a soft, sticky mess. And yet, keeping the dough soft and sticky is important for good bread baking. So, I highly recommend using a stand mixer Kenwood, kitchen-aidor other brands, it does not matter. Personally, I also have a hand mixer. And yet, I don’t use it for baking bread. Because bread dough is dense compared to cakes. So, it might harm my hand mixer. (recommended read – which stand mixer is good for home bakers)
Baking bread is a science. So measuring ingredients correctly is important. Also, do not wing the measurements. Use a Measuring Cup for liquid ingredients and Measuring Spoons for dry ingredients.
A good baking tray is as important to bread baking as it is to other baking Baking Tray. Therefore, buy a good quality baking tray that’s not too thin. The thick ones will prevent the bread from burning on the bottom. Sometimes you can even add a second tray on the bottom to prevent it from getting burnt.
Every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of bread, a hollow sound on the bottom of the bread is a great indication. If the bread bakes too quick or too slow compared to the time given it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration. An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do is adjust the temperature accordingly.

Ingredients

For the bread

Milk – 320 ml (1 1/2 cup)
Egg – 1 large
Instant dry yeast – 2 1/2 tsp (1 sachet)
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tbsp
Melted butter – 60 grams (1/2 stick)
All-purpose flour – 500 grams + additional 100 grams for kneading

Glaze

Egg wash – 1 egg with 2 tbsp water

Method

Prepare yeast mixture

Warm the milk (11o F) and melt the butter.
In a measuring cup add the milk, yeast and sugar and melted butter.
Stir well to dissolve the yeast properly then add the egg.
Combine well and set aside for 5 minutes until foamy.

Prepare the dough

Add four cups of flour in the mixer bowl with a hook attachment.
Move the flour around making a hollow in the center.
Pour in the yeast mixture. Combine the mix well.
The dough will be soft and sticky do not add more flour.
Continue to knead for about 3 to 5 minutes adding only as much flour as needed to make a smooth and shiny dough.
Bring the dough together into a ball.

Prove the dough

Place in an oiled bowl. Brush some oil on the dough to prevent drying.
Cover with cling/plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for about an hour or until double in volume.

Form the balls

Punch down and knead for a few seconds.
Divide the dough in half, each half in four.
Make smaller portions – until you are able to make about 2 cm balls.
Roll the balls.
Lightly spray two muffin tins with oil.
Place three balls into each of the cups.
Cover with a damp kitchen cloth and let rest for about 40 mins until almost double in size.

Bake

After 40 mins when double in size.
Preheat oven to 190 C/380 F.
Brush with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 mins.
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes take them off the muffin tins and cool on a wire rack to avoid steam from making them damp.

Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

Pinterest Image These soft and buttery homemade Cloverleaf rolls are an absolute treat and very versatile. They pair well with any food sweet or savory. Can be eaten with meal for dinner or for breakfast with some butter and jam.

Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls

Homemade Buttery Cloverleaf Rolls Recipe

Author: Veena Azmanov

These soft and buttery homemade cloverleaf rolls are an absolute treat and very versatile. They pair well with any food sweet or savory. Can be eaten for dinner or for breakfast with some butter and jam.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Snack

Cuisine: American, European

Keyword: baking, baking from scratch, bread, cloverleaf, cooking

Adjust Servings Here: 24 Rolls

Calories: 108kcal

$10

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Resting Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs

Equipment /Tools