Cloverleaf Buttery Herb Dinner Rolls

Jump to Recipe

This recipe for cloverleaf buttery herb rolls could not get any easier! Using store bought frozen dinner rolls, we transform them into fancy cloverleaf rolls. Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme herbs makes these so special and festive.

This recipe was first published 11/13/2020.

Dinner rolls are one thing we can't skip during the holidays. At every Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, we always make these fluffy rolls.

But what makes these so much fun is the special cloverleaf shape. They are so sweet and old fashioned looking.

They are a topic of conversation because of that shape.

The first time I ever had these was at my in-laws. My mother-in-law is seriously the queen of the rolls, she always made them perfect. It took me years to master.

Serve them with this easy spatchcock turkey this holiday season.

Jump to:

Ingredients
How To Make Cloverleaf Rolls
FAQ
What To serve Cloverleaf Rolls With
Cloverleaf Buttery Herb Dinner Rolls

These rolls are made with frozen rhodes dinner rolls. Three dough balls makes up two cloverleaf rolls. You need 3 pieces of dough per roll to make the shape.

So you'll need a total of 18 dough balls.

They get thawed just until softened then you can divide them and place them in a muffin tin to rise and then bake.

My favorite party is the herbs and butter that get brushed on top after they bake. Sage, rosemary and thyme are the perfect Thanksgiving herbs to use. If you are making stuffing, you'll probably already have them on hand.

Ingredients

It couldn't be any easier! Here's what you will need.

rhodes frozen dinner rolls
butter
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
fresh sage

Most of the herbs you probably already have on hand for making thanksgiving stuffing.

How To Make Cloverleaf Rolls

The first step in making cloverleaf rolls from frozen dinner rolls is to let the frozen dough balls come to room temperature.

Generously spray a pan with nonstick oil and line some rolls up in it, not letting them touch.

Then cover them with plastic wrap. There's no need to spray the plastic wrap at this point because they won't be rising, we're just letting them de-thaw at this stage.

After 2 hours they should be thawed.

Generously spray a muffin tin with nonstick oil, getting both the inside of the muffin cups and the flat part.

One by one take a roll and using a knife cut it in half. Then use your hands to re-roll it into a ball, pinching any excess dough toward the bottom of the roll.

Set three of these newly formed balls into your oiled muffin tin.

Remember that 18 frozen dough balls makes 12 clover leaf rolls.

Once the pan is filled up spray a piece of plastic wrap very generously with nonstick cooking spray and cover the rolls (oiled side facing the rolls).

Let these rise until they have doubled, puffing up out of the brim of the pan.

Carefully remove the plastic wrap and bake.

Now here's the part that's important, if you didn't spray enough cooking spray on to your plastic wrap it could snag your rolls and deflate them.

You don't want that, so keep that in mind.

After they are out of the oven you can brush them with a mixture of softened butter and chopped up fresh rosemary, sage and thyme.

They are so pillowy soft in the middle.

Obviously you'll need to taste test one, or three. It's hard to keep everyone away from them before dinner!

FAQ

Can I use another brand of frozen dinner rolls?

I don't see why not, rhodes rolls are just a family tradition in our house. But you can change it up for what works for your family.

My rolls are flat, what happened?

The number one problem of this happening is the rolls were left to rise for too long and stuck to the plastic wrap. When that happens they just deflate. Make sure not to let them rise longer than directed and generously spray the plastic wrap with nonstick spray.

The tops are dark, the bottom isn't cooked?

You probably baked them too close to the top of the oven. Make sure to cook them in the middle. If they start to get too dark on top even on the middle rack, gently tent with foil.

What To serve Cloverleaf Rolls With

These rolls pair perfectly with a Thanksgiving spatchcock turkey, it's an easy recipe and takes far less time to cook in the oven than a traditional turkey. Every inch of the skin gets golden and crispy but the meat stays tender.

Side dishes should include baked mashed potatoes and honey baked carrots.

For dessert this pumpkin swirl cheesecake, apple crisp with oats topping or a pumpkin roll with silky cream cheese frosting would be delightful. A few of those recipes have video how to's.