Herb Cloverleaf Rolls

"Whenever I made the cloverleaf rolls when you kids were growing up I dunked each ball into butter before adding it to the muffin pan." Courtesy of a phone call with my mom last night on trying to determine why my Herb Cloverleaf Rolls were a little on the dry side. Being a Cooking Light recipe theirs meant to be on the light side and of course the fat was considerably reduced by not dunking the balls in butter. To each their own... and their arteries.

While the rolls lack that airy texture they make you for it with flavor. As they were baking it smelt like rosemary focaccia bread. With first bite you get a taste of herb goodness from the dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. These would be a great roll to have on your Thanksgiving table this year.

Preparing this recipe couldn't have been easier. The downtime waiting for the dough to rise and rest gave me ample time to do the dishes, watch reality television show reruns, and write down another recipe on the lineup for the day.

Give these a try and if you decided to dunk them in butter like my mother did or try Cooking Light's version these won't disappoint.

Herb Cloverleaf Rolls

MyRecipes.com and Cooking Light, November 1998

Makes 1 1/2 dozen

Stars of the Show:

• 1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
• 3/4 cup milk - I used nonfat.
• 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
• 4 cups of bread flour or all-purpose flour, divided - I used bread flour.
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• cooking spray
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

And Action:

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the milks. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Add 3 cups flour, butter, and next 5 ingredients to the yeast mixture and stir until blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tbsp at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to your hands. I used the full cup of flour that was left.

Place dough in a large bowl that has been coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts (I place my bowl on top of my dryer after it's been running while I was preparing the dough, thanks mom for that tip!), 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down and cover and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 18 equal portions. Work with 1 portion at a time, cover the remaining dough to keep from drying, divide each portion into 3 equal portions. Shape each piece into a ball. Coat muffin pans with cooking spray and place 3 balls into each muffin cup. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 30 minutes or doubled in size.



I want a deep tissue rub down for 10 minutes and an hour nap... minus the punch afterward.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover dough. Combine 1 tbsp water and egg white in a small bowl. Brush over dough. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 119 (12% from fat)

Fat: 1.6g (sat 0.3g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.5g)

Protein: 4.4g

Carbohydrate: 21.3g

Fiber: 0.1g

Cholesterol: 1mg

Iron: 1.4mg

Sodium: 158mg

Calcium: 40mg