Cloverleaf Rolls
Published
Published
Dinner rolls are the best addition to a warm and cozy meal. These easy cloverleaf rolls are soft, buttery, and something everyone reaches for before the main dish is even served. And because I’m all about keeping things fuss-free, this shortcut recipe starts with store bought dough balls, but they taste like you made them completely from scratch! They’re great for weeknight soups and stews, but they also hold their own on a holiday table. That little clover shape makes them extra fun for St. Patrick’s Day, too!
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Who doesn’t love a soft, buttery dinner roll? Homemade from-scratch dinner rolls are my happy place, but I’m also a fan of shortcuts that get warm bread on the table without much work. That’s why I love this cloverleaf roll recipe using frozen Rhodes Rolls, which is the ultimate shortcut, then brush the warm pull-apart rolls with a quick butter-honey glaze with thyme and a hint of garlic. They’re buttery, insanely easy (the hands-on time is next to nothing!), and they smell AMAZING coming out of the oven. I never regret making a batch.
Helpful Tips & Variations
- Scale the recipe up or down. As written, you’ll need 18 frozen Rhodes dough balls to make 12 cloverleaf rolls. Each of these gets cut in half, for a total of 36 small dough balls, and then 3 pieces go into each muffin slot to make one cloverleaf dinner roll. If you want more or less than 12 baked rolls, adjust the amount of frozen dough accordingly. (In other words, each cloverleaf roll is made using 1½ frozen rolls!)
- Switch up the herbs. Feel free to replace the thyme with rosemary or use a combination. I highly recommend fresh herbs for the best flavor, but dried can be used if needed. You only need about ⅓ teaspoon of dried herbs to replace the 1 teaspoon of fresh, as they are much more potent.
- Don’t be shy with the cooking spray! Make sure to coat the plastic wrap that lies on top of the rolls with the cooking spray. If you don’t use enough spray, the plastic can get stuck while trying to remove it and deflate the dough, causing the baked rolls to be flat.
- Let the dough rise. You want it to rise until doubled in size and puff up just above the brim of the muffin slots and not much more. Dough rises much faster in a warmer environment. The time it will take to double will vary, so keep an eye on it.
- Bake on the middle rack. If you bake too close to the top of the oven, the tops will get brown, while the middle will be undercooked.
- Cover with foil as needed. If you notice the rolls overbrowning, loosely tent with foil toward the last 5 minutes of baking.
Cloverleaf Rolls
Equipment
- Large Casserole Dish
- Plastic Wrap
- 12-slot Muffin Pan
Ingredients
- 18 frozen unbaked Rhodes dinner rolls
- nonstick cooking spray
- 3 tbsp regular salted butter, melted
- 1½ tbsp honey
- 1 tsp very finely chopped fresh thyme
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Place frozen dinner rolls in a large casserole dish or on a sheet pan, with plenty of space in between. Loosely cover with plastic wrap. Thaw at room temperature until soft enough to cut, but still cold. This typically takes about 2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Cut each thawed dough ball in half, then gently roll each half into a ball again, pinching any excess dough toward the bottom of the ball. You should have 36 newly formed small dough balls.
- Generously spray a standard 12-slot muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray, making sure to get the bottom and sides of each slot.
- Place 3 dough balls in each greased muffin slot.
- Using nonstick cooking spray, generously coat one side of a large piece of plastic wrap. Place over the muffin pan (spray-side down so it’s touching the dough.)
- Allow to rise until doubled in size, expanding just over the top edge of the muffin slots. The time it takes will depend on the temperature of your kitchen—it could be anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes.
- Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Carefully remove the plastic wrap.
- Bake on the middle/center rack for 15 to 18 minutes until the rolls are puffed up and golden.
- Whisk together melted butter, honey, thyme, and garlic powder until combined. Gently brush over the baked rolls.
- Allow to cool in pan for a few minutes before removing to a rack. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Stick with RHODES dinner rolls for this recipe. I’ve tested it with Texas Road House rolls, and it doesn’t work the same. You can find frozen Rhodes rolls at Walmart, Albertons, Safeway, Food4Less, and sometimes Target.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Cloverleaf Rolls Step by Step
Gather all your ingredients.
Thaw the rolls: Arrange 18 frozen unbaked Rhodes dinner rolls in a large casserole dish or on a sheet pan, leaving plenty of space between them. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let thaw at room temperature until they’re soft enough to slice but still cool (about 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.)
Slice and shape: Once thawed, cut each dough ball in half. Gently re-roll each half into a smooth little ball, tucking/pinching any excess dough underneath. You’ll end up with 36 small dough balls.
Let the dough rise: Generously coat a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray, making sure you hit the bottom and sides of each slot. Now place 3 dough balls in each greased muffin slot. Spray one side of a large piece of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray, then lay it over the pan, spray-side down so it’s touching the dough.
Let the rolls rise until doubled, expanding just over the top edge of the muffin slots. The time it takes will depend on the temperature of your kitchen—it could take 30 minutes, it could take 90 minutes.
Make the butter glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp melted salted butter melted, 1½ Tbsp honey, 1 tsp very finely chopped fresh thyme, and ½ tsp garlic powder until smooth.
Bake: Near the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350°F. Gently peel off the plastic wrap and bake on the middle/center rack for 15-20 minutes, until the rolls are puffed and golden. Remove your cloverleaf rolls from the oven and gently brush the melted butter mix on top.
Serve: Let the rolls cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack. Serve warm and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
I’m convinced soup tastes better when there’s warm bread involved. These cloverleaf dinner rolls are so good alongside a creamy bowl of tomato soup for dunking, but they also shine with something like cabbage roll soup (I love using the pull-apart “petals” to scoop up all the good stuff at the bottom of my bowl). For a special, hearty dinner, Irish beef stew is a no-brainer because nothing should go to waste when there’s flavorful gravy involved! And if I’m doing something saucy like eggplant parmesan, these rolls are basically required for swiping up every last bit of marinara and melty cheese.
How to Store
- Countertop. Let the Rhodes cloverleaf rolls cool completely on a cooling rack, then store in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer. Once fully cooled, place the rolls in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 30 days. They keep well and are perfect for grabbing a few at a time.
- Rewarm. Wrap leftovers in foil and warm in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes. If they were baked and then frozen, reheat (still wrapped in foil) for 13-15 minutes.
More Easy Rolls and Biscuit Recipes
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