Carrot cloverleaf rolls are easy enough for every day and yet elegant enough for company.
Tuck cloverleaf rolls inside lunch boxes alongside thermal bottles of soup or stack them high into baskets for your holiday feasts.
Simple Yet Elegant
Homemade bread full of whole grains is always delicious and filling. The grated carrot adds a slight orange color and sweetness to the rolls, not to mention a little added nutritional punch. The bits of carrot are kind of pretty and we eat with our eyes first.
Cloverleaf rolls always seem so fancy on a dinner table, too but despite that rather formal appearance are quite easy to make. They’re truly easy enough to make for a regular meal but also look impressive to guests.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
If you have the basics of kneading bread down done and have worked with whole grain flours just a bit, these rolls are easy next step. The only real difference is the shaping of the rolls and if you’ve rolled cookie dough into balls you can make these rolls too.
Shaping Cloverleaf Rolls
These rolls start out like any basic bread dough. Mix, knead, let rise once. Once the dough completed it’s first rise and has been punched down and kneaded again, simply pinch off a bit of dough and form 1 inch balls by rolling the dough between your fingers.
Place three balls in each muffin tin and allow to rise again. That’s it really, I promise, and it doesn’t take terribly long for this to happen. The balls don’t have to be perfect or smooth, they’ll conform to the muffin tin as they rise.
Serving the Rolls
Simply stack the slightly (or completely) cooled rolls into a napkin lined basket for easy serving. We like ours with a little butter.
The rolls will break apart easily along the seams of the rolls, creating a perfect place for a smear of butter before dunking into something like ham bone soup for a comforting and hearty meal
They are fancy enough to serve at any feasts and main dishes like mayonnaise roasted turkey for a show-stopping spread.
Make Bread Instead
If you’re really pressed for time or simply don’t like the shape of cloverleaf rolls, feel free to simply place the entire batch of dough into a loaf pan for the second rise and add at least 20 minutes to the cooking time. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
Want to make something quicker and loaded with carrots? Try my carrot muffin recipe here for something lightly sweet and loaded with veggies.
Carrot Cloverleaf Rolls
Beautiful and tasty these carrot cloverleaf rolls make a great addition to any dinner table or meal.
Ingredients
- 2/3 Cup Warm Water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dry, Active Yeast
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Grated Carrots, packed
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.
- Whisk in the coconut oil, honey, and salt until well combined.
- Add the grated carrots and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Stir well and begin adding the all-purpose flour. Start with 3/4 cup and mix adding a little more at a time until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until soft and elastic.
- Oil the bowl and return the dough the bowl, turning to coat.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise until doubled (about an hour).
- Grease a Muffin Tin.
- Punch down the dough and turn out on the floured board again. Need a few times adding a little flour if necessary to keep it from being sticky.
- Pinch off bits of dough and roll between palms of hands to form 1-inch balls. Place 3 balls in each muffin tin.
- Cover the full muffin tin with a towel and let rise another 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped with a knuckle.
- Remove from pan immediately to cool on wire racks.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 RollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 354mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
I try but cannot guarantee this nutritional information is 100% accurate.
How many carrots, and when do I put them in?
1/2 cup grated carrots – add them in step 3
What is the purpose of the wheat flour?Can the rolls be made without it?
The wheat is just because I sometimes like whole grain but for sure, use all purpose or bread flour instead.