Cloverleaf Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Baked in a muffin pan, these Cloverleaf Sourdough Dinner Rolls are made with a soft brioche dough with a pull-apart texture!

This easy recipe uses the same simple enriched dough that I use for my Sourdough Pigs in a Blanket. Three small balls of dough are shaped, proofed, and baked in a muffin pan to create a three-leaf clover dinner roll.

The cloverleaf sourdough dinner rolls are great to serve at Thanksgiving or a side dish for dinner. Slather some honey butter on them for the best flavor!

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Another excellent dinner roll recipe to serve, along with my Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls and Sourdough Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls.
• Great for St. Patrick’s Day gatherings like my Sourdough Irish Soda Bread.
• The dinner rolls are easy to shape into small rounds that fit perfectly in a 12-cup muffin pan. They almost look like these Cheesy Sourdough Popovers.
• Cloverleaf rolls look braided like Sourdough Challah Recipe but even easier to make.
• The brioche dough is based on my tried-and-true doughs for Sourdough Babka with Any Jam and Sourdough Conchas.
• Serve with more butter, honey butter, jam, or with soups and stews.

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👨‍🍳 Pro Baking Tips

• Use room-temperature ingredients for easier mixing, including softened butter, eggs, and milk.
• Brush the rolls with an egg wash for a dark, shiny crust.
• Grease the muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray so the rolls pop out easily.
• Weigh the small dough balls so you have even rolls. They should be about 20-22 grams each.
• I recommend using a stand mixer to mix brioche dough. The dough takes about 10-15 minutes to mix to a windowpane.

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking Scale
  • Measuring your ingredients by weight rather than volume is essential for a more consistent, accurate bake.
• Stand Mixer with dough hook attachment
  • A stand mixer helps bring this sticky, enriched dough together better. This will help the dough build gluten more easily and quickly than by hand.
  • I don’t recommend hand mixing this dough.
• 12-cup Muffin Pan
  • Butter or spray your muffin pan with non-stick spray to prevent sticking.
• Pastry Brush, for egg wash
• Optional: Brød and Taylor Folding Bread Proofer
  • This folding proofing box by Brød & Taylor is a game-changer to keep your sourdough starter and doughs at the perfect temperature while proofing.
  • The proofer folds up easily, includes a humidity tray, is multifunctional, and can even be a slow cooker.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for more information, variations, and possible substitutes. This recipe only uses simple pantry and refrigerator staples.

• Bread Flour
  • I use King Arthur Bread Flour at 12.7% protein, which gives the brioche dough a fluffy, chewy texture.
  • You can substitute with all-purpose flour.
• Salt
• Granulated Sugar, for a hint of sweetness
• Sourdough Starter
  • Use an active sourdough starter, not sourdough discard, for the leavener in brioche.
  • Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips and why I maintain a small sourdough starter.
• Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • This is a brioche dough, so it’s vital that your butter is at room temperature so it will incorporate into the dough. If it’s too cold, it won’t mix well (or take forever to mix) and if it’s melted, it may make your dough too sticky.
• Eggs, for richness, rise, and bind the ingredients. Plus, an egg is needed for the egg wash.
• Whole milk
  • I always bake with whole milk and full-fat dairy for richness and the best flavor, but you can substitute the whole milk with 2%, low-fat milk, or plant-based if needed (use unsweetened).

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Cloverleaf Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Follow this visual step-by-step guide to help make the best cloverleaf sourdough dinner rolls.

1. Mix the Brioche Dough

Add the bread flour, sugar, salt, eggs, whole milk, and sourdough starter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix.

Mix on medium speed for a few minutes.

Continue mixing on medium speed, adding a small pat of softened butter at a time until incorporated. Wait until the butter is fully combined before adding the next piece.

Mix the dough for 10-15 minutes, or until it is smooth, tacky, slaps the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.

To test, pull a piece of dough between your fingers. If you can stretch it into a thin membrane, like a windowpane, without it tearing, then it’s mixed enough. Otherwise, keep mixing for a few more minutes.

2. Bulk Fermentation

Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and cover it for bulk fermentation, which will take approximately 4.5-5 hours at 78°F.

If your dough and environment are colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. Conversely, in warmer conditions, the dough will ferment faster.

Bulk fermentation is complete when this dough has doubled in size, is smoother, and domes in your bowl.

3. Overnight Proof

Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for a cold, overnight proof and up to 48 hours.

The dough will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator, which helps develop flavor and allows you to bake on your own schedule. The cold dough is also easier to divide and shape into rolls.

If you’re limited on time, you can skip the overnight proof.

4. Divide & Shape

Punch down the cold dough, weigh it, and divide the dough weight by 12 (usually about 63-65g each).

Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 12 pieces. Each one will be a single roll.

Then, divide each of those rolls into three equal-sized balls, about 20-22g each. Use the palm of your hand to shape into the small balls.

5. Final Proof

Butter or grease a muffin pan and place three balls into each pan.

Cover with a lid or plastic wrap for the final proof.

At 78ºF, the final proof typically takes about 3 ½-4 hours.

At the end of the final proof, the dough should almost double in size, be puffy, and feel full of air if you poke it with a floured finger.

6. Bake

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC).

Brush the dough with egg wash.

Bake the cloverleaf sourdough dinner rolls for 20-22 minutes or until they’re shiny golden brown.

Finally, cool the dogs for at least 15-30 minutes before serving!

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How to Store, Make Ahead, & Serve

This enriched dough helps keep cloverleaf sourdough dinner rolls soft for days. However, they’re best served on the day they’re made.

To make ahead, simply warm up the rolls before serving.

Store the rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer-safe bag for up a couple of months. Reheat in a toaster oven or oven.

I think they’re best served fresh with more butter, honey butter, or jam. They’re great for a breakfast or dinner side dish with soups and stews or other cozy meals.

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❓FAQs