The first time I ever made clover rolls it was a kitchen disaster. To this day I have no idea what went wrong. The rolls that I had such high hopes for were hard as a rock. My husband and I had a fun time kicking them around the kitchen. I tried to give our dog one and he, the dog that normally inhaled people food, took the roll in his mouth, ran outside and buried it. I think he knew deep down that these rolls should be out of site because of the danger they could cause if one was thrown and bonked someone in the head. We are talking concussion quality rolls.
That was a few years ago and I had stayed clear of clover rolls because of that one disaster. Today, however, I had a change of heart. I was trying to decide what to make for the Waiter There’s Something in My…Bread event. I was browsing through my recipes and was feeling uninspired. What happened next was nothing short of fate. I literally stumbled upon a food blog called “What We’re Eating“. This blog sucked me in from the first post I read and I kept reading and reading. It is a brilliant blog. As I was browsing through the posts I noticed some amazing photographs. Particularly, a photo of some incredible looking Rosemary Clover Rolls. I knew that this was my sign to get back on that horse and try to make clover rolls again. I was going to give this recipe a try and hope that it would be a success.
Let me tell all of you… I think these have got to be the best rolls, hands down, that I have ever made. They are tender, soft and crusty all at the same time. The addition of the kosher salt and cracked fresh pepper on top is what makes this recipe over the top delicious. I can just imagine the flexibility this recipe would allow with changing out the rosemary for a different herb. I will be making these over and over and over again and I will probably not change a thing. They are perfect the way they are.
To give these perfectly divine rolls a try for yourself, head over to the What We’re Eating blog and take a look around. To be tempted by other delicious breads, head over to the April edition of Waiter There’s Something In My…Bread event, hosted by the talented Andrew of Spittoon Extra.
Rosemary Clover Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour plus extra
- 3/4 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil plus extra
- 1 1/2 cup warm water between 100-110 degrees F, plus extra
- 1 packet of dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- First, in a large liquid measuring cup, dissolve honey in 1/2 cup hot water. Then add 1 cup lukewarm water, about 105-110 degrees F (so you have a total of 1 1/2 cups), 1 tbsp olive oil, and the packet of yeast to the measuring cup. Mix thoroughly to dissolve the yeast. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the yeast has become active and the mixture has started foaming and bubbling. If after 10 minutes, nothing has happened, start again with a new set of ingredients, until the yeast appears active.
- While waiting for the yeast to activate, oil a large bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl add the flour, salt, and rosemary; stir to combine.
- Once the yeast appears active, oil a wooden spoon and your hands to prevent the dough from sticking during the kneading process. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour and stir with the greased wooden spoon until almost all of the flour pulls together and forms a ball. Feel the dough. You are looking for the dough to be soft and slightly moist, but not terribly sticky. If there is still extra flour, simply add more warm water; if the dough seems too moist add more flour (although some flour will be incorporated in the kneading process).
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured clean surface. Kneed the dough with oiled hands for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough starts to stick to the kneading surface, lightly re-powder the surface with a little more flour. Work the kneed dough into a ball, then place the ball into the large oiled bowl, seam-side down. Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap and a clean towel and set the bowl in a warm draft-free area. Allow the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 hours until it has at least doubled in size and the yeast has had time to ferment.
- While the dough is rising, lightly grease then flour muffin tins (will make about 12 rolls). Once the dough has risen, oil your hands with olive oil, then begin pinching off 1 inch pieces of dough.
- Roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form balls then place three balls side-by-side in each tin. Repeat this process until you've used all of the dough. Cover the tins with oiled plastic wrap and a clean towel and allow them to rise for another 45 minutes.
- During the second rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees. After 45 minutes, gently brush the tops of the clover rolls with melted butter then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees in the upper part of the oven, for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and crusty. As soon as you take the rolls out of the oven, remove them from the muffin tins and allow them to cool slightly on a cooling rack.
I love clover rolls. My mom would only make them for holidays and she’d let me help. I loved rolling the dough in my hands and then placing them in the muffin cups. It was the coolest process ever, especially since it was with my Mommy *awwww*. She would also make pretzels at the same time. I miss those moments.
Oh dear, I don’t do bread or rolls at all…(unlike you or our gifted friend Peabody, I cook, but don’t bake)…but one of these days I’ll give these a try, they look amazing!!
I posted my Giada adventure from today…POST YOUR ADVENTURE SOON!! I am dying of curiosity. 🙂
xoxo, Kirsten
Those rolls do look delicious! I haven’t made bread in the longest time…thanks for the yummy reminder 🙂
These look really wonderful with the salt & pepper topping!
It pays to never, NEVER give up!
Tender, soft and crusty. Mmmmmm. I’ve very curious now. I’ve never made clover rolls before. They are now on the list. You have lovely blogs with a nice balance of food and family, great photos and a peek inside your library. Very nice. I’ll come visit again, and hope you will return to my place, too. Thanks, Kristen.
Looks wonderful.I love savory bread.I am glad you didn’t give up:))
So glad that you’ve found a reliable recipe for these! They are delicious! Yours look wonderful, I’m sure the dog preferred these ones, if he was allowed to try them!
A warm herb roll, oh boy, I bet your kitchen smelled fantastic.
Believe it or not, I’ve never heard of Clover Rolls before. Will have to check it out. They look delish!
A superb and original entry; many thanks for taking part in Waiter…
Oh, great! Another food blog I will want to follow (so much for actually working while I am at work!!) These look great – and the best part is that you don’t need a stand mixer to make them (since I don’t have one.) I’m not the best a yeast breads, but this is one I want to try so I can practice.
Way to go! Glad you gave them another shot! I really like the idea of the salt and pepper on top, going to have try these. =)
There are a few things I have not ventured into yet when it comes to baking from scratch- and rolls are one of them. I should give this a try, it seems fairly easy!
By the way, I tagged you on my latest blog! 🙂
They look lovely!
Oh wow – how glorious these look! Nothing better than rosemary in bread, I always say. These look like the perfect adorable accompaniment to soup – or for mopping up a delicious salad dressing. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love their shape, Kristen – so beautiful!
Hi Kristen!
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and for your kind words. Hope you come back! 🙂
They are so cute! I love your blog (pink is my favorite color). 😀