Honey Whole Wheat Rolls
Honey Whole Wheat Rolls are sweet, tender, and an ideal addition to any menu whether a weeknight dinner or holiday meal.
Cloverleaf Rolls pull apart easily and have more surface area for cold, creamy butter. That’s definitely a bonus!
Why You Must Make
- Warm bread with cold butter is one of my guilty pleasures. I actually made these whole wheat cloverleaf rolls thinking they’d be part of our Thanksgiving dinner. But they were so soft and delicious, they were gone in just over a day.
- A bit of honey and using White Whole Wheat flour made for an exquisite and irresistible flavor and texture.
- Nick and Bill each ate a couple of these cloverleaf rolls for breakfast then again at dinner. Plus, I found they made a perfect mid-afternoon snack.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Butter, All-Purpose Flour, Salt
- Instant Yeast – I use Red Star Platinum Yeast preferred)
- Lukewarm Water – 98-105° F
- Apple Cider – Adds sweetness, flavor
- Honey – Helps feed the yeast
- White Whole Wheat Flour – You get the benefits of whole wheat without compromising the texture.
- Instant Mashed Potato Flakes – Softens the texture and keeps the bread fresher longer.
- Nonfat Dry Milk – The additional protein and sugar contribute to the structure and texture of the bread, making it more tender, increasing the rise as well as enhancing the browning of the crust.
How to Make Plus Recipe Tips
- The bit of honey makes for a touch of sweetness to these pull-apart cloverleaf rolls.
- Plus using the softer white wheat flour doesn’t weigh down the dough like the classic red wheat variety of whole wheat flour. If you haven’t been successful with baking whole wheat bread, be sure to try out (affiliate link) white whole wheat flour.
- You get the benefits of traditional whole wheat with a lighter, sweeter, and milder flavor. It’s a bit darker than all-purpose flour and can be substituted for any type of flour in your recipes. It worked perfectly in these scrumptious whole wheat rolls.
- To make a cloverleaf roll recipe, you must divide the amount of bread dough you’d use for one dinner roll into three equal parts. Roll each third into a round ball. Place three bread dough balls into each cup of a regular, greased muffin tin. Place the smoothest surface on top.
- Proof and bake. Cool slightly, then dig in!!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does Cloverleaf Mean?
These rolls were named after the clover plant’s leaves that have 3 lobes like the 3 sections of these wheat rolls.
Are Cloverleaf Rolls American?
Recipes for cloverleaf rolls started appearing in cookbooks in the early 1900s. They likely originated in the US, but there is no documentation to prove where they were developed.
Can You Make Cloverleaf Rolls with Other Bread Dough?
Yes, you can make these with white bread dough, challah dough, or any favorite yeast bread recipe. You can even make these with frozen bread dough from the supermarket. Just defrost the dough, roll it into balls, proof, and bake.
More Yeast Bread and Rolls You’ll Love:
- Buttery Soft Rolls from Tastes of Lizzy T
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Whole Wheat Challah
- Honey Oatmeal Bread
- Pretzel Rolls Recipe
- Homemade Potato Bread
- Japanese Milk Bread
- More of the Best Bread Recipes
The Recipe:
Honey Whole Wheat Rolls
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
12 rolls
Sweet, tender cloverleaf whole wheat rolls!
Ingredients
- 1 packet or 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (Red Star Platinum Yeast preferred)
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- ¼ cup apple cider
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, cut into pieces
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ⅔ cup instant mashed potato flakes
- ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer. No need to proof the yeast when using instant yeast.
- Using the paddle attachment at low speed, mix ingredients till combined.
- Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 6 minutes on low speed till you have a smooth ball of dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let rise till very puffy, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
- Grease a muffin tin and set it aside.
- Deflate the dough and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each into a ball and place one in each muffin tin or divide each ball into thirds and place 3 smaller balls of dough into each muffin tin.
- Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°.
- Bake the rolls for 15 minutes, and tent them loosely with aluminum foil. Continue to bake until about 10+ more minutes till they're deep brown on top.
- Remove the rolls from the oven, and after a couple of minutes, transfer them to a rack to finish cooling.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Adapted from King Arthur Flour.
Alternatively, you can grease two round cake pans and place 8 rolls in each.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g
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63 Comments on “Honey Whole Wheat Rolls”
These look just like the perfect dinner rolls! I bet it is just a good with lots of butter and jam.
I would make some cookies and breads for our Christmas get together on Christmas Eve.
I just dug out our old cast iron dutch oven from camping years ago. I have it all cleaned up and larded, set to try baking some good old dense bread for soup dunking this winter. The selection from Hodgson Mill would work perfectly.
I am sooooooo not brown nosing, but I would make your honey wheat rolls! They look so soft and delish!!
I would bake poppy seed and walnut strudel.
I’d make rolls!
Love, love love these rolls!!! While I feel guilty indulging in so much bread lately, the whole wheat flours make me feel better about serving them. I’ll bet the apple cider in these is fabulous!!
I would make pancakes and sweet rolls.
Definitely whole wheat rolls!
Yum! Putting these on the list for Christmas dinner!
Those look amazing Liz with perfect texture! I love warm rolls with cold butter sooo good!
Oh, what yummy and warm looking rolls!
I can certainly see why they didn’t last. They look fabulous Liz!
I would love to make cinnamon raisin bread with these products. Yum!
I’m with you on that warm bread/cold butter thing! Such a lovely tongue pleaser! We make bread all the time, but rarely rolls. We should do this – love the looks of these. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I’m with you-there is nothing like a nice warm roll. Such a simple recipe..there is truly no excuse. I don’t use whole wheat flour that often, but I promise i’ll try to improve!
These look seriously amazing. Best whole wheat rolls ever
I’d make whole wheat tortillas
These look delishious! And thank you for the lovely giveaway 🙂
The smell of bread baking is one of my favorite things! These buns look scrumptious! White whole wheat flour really is great to bake with!