Cloverleaf Rolls
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 15, 2011
Time
2 hours, plus 1 hour rising
Yield
Makes 12 rolls
Ingredients
¾ cup skim milk, heated to 110 degrees2 tablespoons sugar 2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature3 ½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces and softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Before You Begin
This dough will be a little sticky; resist the urge to add more flour. Also, roll the dough into balls on a dry, unfloured work surface.
Instructions
- WARM OVEN Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Grease large bowl.
- MAKE DOUGH Whisk milk, sugar, and yeast in liquid measuring cup until yeast dissolves, then whisk in egg and yolk. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add milk mixture in steady stream and mix until dough begins to form, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and add softened butter, 1 piece at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.
- LET RISE Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- SHAPE ROLLS Brush 12-cup muffin tin with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Punch down dough on lightly floured work surface. Following photos 1 to 3 (at left), divide dough into thirds and roll each third into 18-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into 12 equal pieces and cover with plastic. On clean surface, roll each piece into smooth ball. Place 3 balls, seam side down, in each muffin cup. Cover loosely with plastic and let rest in turned-off oven until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
- BAKE Remove rolls from oven and discard plastic. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating tin halfway through baking. Brush rolls with remaining melted butter. Cool in tin 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm.
- Filled muffin tin can be refrigerated, covered, for 24 hours. Let dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
make ahead
Time
2 hours, plus 1 hour risingYield
Makes 12 rollsIngredients
¾ cup skim milk, heated to 110 degrees
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
3 ½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces and softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
¾ cup skim milk, heated to 110 degrees
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
3 ½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces and softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
¾ cup skim milk, heated to 110 degrees
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
3 ½ cups (17½ ounces/496 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces and softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Baking the rolls in muffin tins developed perfect browning and added a little crunch to contrast the fluffy interior of our Cloverleaf Rolls. We found that richer doughs had great flavor but struggled to rise nicely over the muffin tins. To add some lift, we replaced whole milk with skim and vigorously kneaded the dough. Adding softened butter to the dough a little at a time maximized the amount we could cram in without making the rolls greasy. To enhance the butter flavor, we buttered the muffin tins instead of using cooking spray and brushed melted butter on the finished rolls. The extra butter made the dough wet and difficult to handle. To combat the problem, we cut back on the egg whites, which are nearly 90 percent water.
Before You Begin
This dough will be a little sticky; resist the urge to add more flour. Also, roll the dough into balls on a dry, unfloured work surface.
Instructions
- WARM OVEN Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Grease large bowl.
- MAKE DOUGH Whisk milk, sugar, and yeast in liquid measuring cup until yeast dissolves, then whisk in egg and yolk. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add milk mixture in steady stream and mix until dough begins to form, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and add softened butter, 1 piece at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.
- LET RISE Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- SHAPE ROLLS Brush 12-cup muffin tin with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Punch down dough on lightly floured work surface. Following photos 1 to 3 (at left), divide dough into thirds and roll each third into 18-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into 12 equal pieces and cover with plastic. On clean surface, roll each piece into smooth ball. Place 3 balls, seam side down, in each muffin cup. Cover loosely with plastic and let rest in turned-off oven until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
- BAKE Remove rolls from oven and discard plastic. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating tin halfway through baking. Brush rolls with remaining melted butter. Cool in tin 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm.
- Filled muffin tin can be refrigerated, covered, for 24 hours. Let dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
make ahead
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments