Cloverleaf dinner rolls are simply the best! Soft, buttery, and elevated with a sprinkling of kosher salt. One batch makes a dozen, but go ahead and make a double recipe. They'll go fast!
You might also like our 1-hour dinner rolls, quick garlic parmesan breadsticks, or Amish dinner rolls.
Cloverleaf dinner rolls are an absolute classic. 3 small balls of dough are packed tightly together in muffin cups to form the clover shape. Once baked, the clover shape makes the rolls easy to section off into thirds simply by pulling.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Soft and buttery. These rolls have a soft, buttery texture and are elevated with a sprinkling of kosher salt.
- Simple ingredients. You can make cloverleaf dinner rolls with any roll recipe. If you prefer milk bread (rolls made with milk and eggs) you can use our knotted roll recipe for the dough. I like using my Amish dinner roll recipe because the rolls are fluffy and light, use the most basic of ingredients, and have great flavor! Chances are, you already have everything you need to make cloverleaf dinner rolls.
- Pull apart rolls. I love how these rolls easily pull apart into 3 sections making them easy to spread butter on.
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Tips and Tricks
- Proofing the yeast: I like proofing the yeast with warm water and sugar. Place a plate on top of the bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. If you use instant yeast, you do not need to do this, but I typically do it out of habit, regardless of what type of yeast I use.
- Roll-making tip: if you don't have a stand mixer. Stand mixers make mixing and kneading a breeze, but not everyone has one. I like mixing my dough by hand using my Danish dough whisk. If you're a die-hard wooden spoon fan, I challenge you to try a dough whisk. Works like a dream to mix the dough, and then you can knead it by hand.
- Letting the dough rise: The dough will rise faster in a warm spot. I preheat my oven for 1 minute, then shut the heat off. It makes the oven just warm enough for the dough to rise.
- Fun for St. Patrick's Day. The cloverleaf shape is perfect for St. Patrick's Day! I like adding a few drops of food coloring to the butter to create "green butter" for spreading on the rolls.
Ingredients
- Warm water: The perfect water temperature for making bread is between 105 and 115 degrees.
- Sugar: I use ¼ cup of sugar, but you can reduce that down to a couple of tablespoons if you'd like.
- Active dry yeast 2 packets: Can also use instant yeast. My favorite is Fleischmann's Instant Dry Yeast.
- Kosher Salt: For flavor.
- Vegetable oil: For texture.
- Bread flour or all purpose flour: I prefer using all white flour, but you can use a combination of white and what if you'd like.
- Butter for brushing on finished rolls: Brushing the tops of the hot rolls with butter softens the crust and gives it great flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Cloverleaf Rolls
Step 1: Dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until it looks like a creamy foam on top of the water (about 5 minutes).
Step 2: Mix oil into the yeast mixture. Mix salt and flour (1 cup at a time) into the wet ingredients. Stir until a soft dough forms.
Step 3: Scrape sides of the bowl, then dump dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic.
Step 4: Place in an oiled bowl, and turn the dough to coat. Cover with a damp towel. Raise for 1 hour. Punch dough down.
Step 5: Divide dough into 12 sections. Divide each section into thirds. Shape into tight balls of dough*.
Step 6: Grease a muffin pan and place 3 balls of dough into each muffin cavity. Let rolls rise for 30 minutes.
*Note: if the dough is sticking to your hands, you can lightly oil your fingers to make shaping the rolls a little easier.
Step 7: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in the microwave. Brush rolls lightly with melted butter and then sprinkle with kosher salt before baking. Bake rolls for 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Brush with remaining melted butter after baking.
Allow rolls to cool for 5 minutes in pan before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Cloverleaf Rolls FAQs
Bread flour is ideal due to the higher protein which produces gluten. I typically use whatever I have on hand (bread flour or all-purpose flour).
For the most part, I use whatever yeast is available. Most of the time it’s the instant yeast that comes in a large package from Sam’s Club. When I use dry active yeast I add 10-15 minutes to the rise time. Technically you do not need to proof instant yeast, only dry active yeast, but I’ve gotten so used to proofing my yeast that I proof it for every recipe.
Yes. After shaping the rolls and placing them into the muffin pan, cover gently with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place covered rolls into the refrigerator. A couple of hours before baking, pull the rolls out and let them sit on the counter until they have come to room temperature and puffed up slightly. Bake as directed.
More Roll Recipes To Make
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Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast (1 packet)
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cups flour bread flour or all purpose flour
Topping
- ¼ cup melted butter
- kosher salt for sprinkling on rolls
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Cover for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Add olive oil and salt. Stir.
- Add flour, one cup at a time, and mix until dough forms.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the dough bowl, place dough inside, and turn over to coat dough in oil.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled inside, about an hour.
- Punch down dough.
- Divide dough into 12 sections.
- Divide each section into thirds.
- Shape into tight balls of dough (3 per roll).
- Grease a muffin pan and place 3 balls of dough into each muffin cavity.
- Let rolls rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Brush rolls lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt before baking.
- Bake rolls for 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Brush with remaining melted butter after baking.
- Allow rolls to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Brandy says
The kosher salt really makes these rolls! It brings out the flavor of the butter. We love these rolls!