This recipe of Masala Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls has been adapted from a Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond’s No-knead cloverleaf rolls recipe. I first started to make these rolls about 6-7 years ago and have made these dinner rolls for a few Thanksgiving meals. I have to say that this is the easiest bread recipe that I make.
There is no kneading involved. Most bread recipes require you to knead the dough to build gluten. The addition of baking powder and baking soda makes the rolls light and fluffy that just melt in your mouth. Also, there is no shaping involved. You just have to pinch small amounts of dough and roughly roll it into balls. It takes less than 10 minutes of your time to roll the balls and place them in the muffin tin. Baking them in muffin tins gives them a nice clover leaf shape.
To give it an Indian touch, I have added Indian masalas (spices) to the dough. The addition of the spices makes them Masala Cloverleaf rolls but you can completely leave them out or adjust the spices to your liking. There is no right or wrong way of doing this. But I would urge you to try it with the spices at least once!
Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner roll recipe or just want to try something new, this Masala Cloverleaf Dinner Roll recipe is sure to impress. So, let’s get started.
List of ingredients used to make Masala Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- ½ cup any cooking oil (I use avocado oil)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno or small Indian green chilies
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon crushed chili flakes
- Butter for greasing the baking pan
How to make Masala Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
Here are the steps to make the rolls:
- In a large saucepan, combine milk, oil, and sugar. Stir and heat till it almost comes to a boil and the sugar is melted.
- Turn off the heat and let the milk mixture cool until warm (you should be able to comfortably touch it, about 110 degrees Fahrenheit). Add yeast, stir, and leave it aside for 5 minutes. The yeast will bloom and become foamy.
- Add salt, cilantro, cumin seeds, shopped jalapeno, paprika, and chili flakes to the milk/yeast mixture and stir. Now add the flour and mix well with a large spoon to combine the flour well. The dough will be somewhat sticky. Just make sure there are no dry parches of flour remaining. Cover the saucepan with a dishtowel and leave it to rise for 1-1/2 hours.
- After the first rise, the dough will have doubled in size. Sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda on the risen bread. Use your clean hands to incorporate them into the dough. You do not need to knead the bread, just mix enough to combine the baking powder and soda into the dough.
- Grease a standard muffin tin with oil or butter. Pinch off small amounts and make small ¾ – 1 inch balls. Place 3 balls in each muffin cavity. Cover the muffin tin with a dishtowel and leave it aside in a slightly warm place for the rolls to rise for an hour or so.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the rolls for 12-14 minutes, keeping a close eye towards the end, till golden brown.
- Cool for 2-3 minutes. Remove the rolls from the muffin tin and serve warm.
Here is what you see in the picture above:
- Dough after the first rise.
- Rolled out 2 balls in each muffin tin cavity.
- Second rise in the muffin tin.
- Rolls after baking.
Recipe Tips – Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
- Start with a large saucepan or stockpot when you are heating the milk and oil. Since the addition of flour and mixing happens in the same pot/saucepan, it is important to have a large container.
- Ree Drummond’s recipe called for 4 ½ cups of flour. In my experience, I have never used more than 4 cups. But if you think that your dough is very shaggy, you can add ¼- ½ cup of flour after the first rise when you are adding the baking powder and baking soda.
- You can make the dough a couple of days in advance and store it in a large air-tight container in the refrigerator. When ready to make rolls, remove the dough from the refrigerator an hour prior to making the balls and arranging them in the muffin tin.
- I have used Active dry yeast in this recipe. It is different from Instant yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be proofed in warm water as the recipe indicates. I also keep my yeast container in the refrigerator once opened and buy new yeast every 6 months. The quality and freshness of yeast really makes a huge difference in the final product.
These cloverleaf dinner rolls make such a great addition to any holiday meal and I have included them in a number of my Indian Thanksgiving dinner menus. If you can make the dough a day or two ahead, it requires only 10 minutes of your time to roll the balls the day of. You can serve warm, delicious rolls that will elevate anything that you are serving for dinner. But sometimes I just serve them with tomato soup for a light dinner for the family or an appetizer course for guests. Make these and wow your family and friends.
If you like this recipe and would like to try out other bread recipes to enjoy with soup, try out my Stuffed Honeycomb Bread recipe.
FAQs- Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
I have not tried it personally, but you can try to replace regular milk with nut/seeds-based milk and regular butter for vegan butter to make this recipe vegan-friendly.
You can make the dough a couple of days in advance and store it in a large air-tight container in the refrigerator. When ready to make rolls, remove the dough from the refrigerator an hour prior to making the balls and arranging them in the muffin tin.
Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls Recipe Card
Masala Cloverleaf dinner rolls (No knead recipe)
Easy no knead recipe of the cloverleaf-shaped dinner rolls.
18
servings25
minutes12
minutes2 hours
37
minutesIngredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons Active dry yeast
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup any cooking oil (I use avocado oil)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno or small thai chilis
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon red crushed pepper
Butter or oil for greasing the pan
Method
- In a large saucepan, combine milk, oil, and sugar. Stir and heat till it almost comes to a boil and the sugar is melted. Turn off the heat and let the milk mixture cool until warm (you should be able to comfortably touch it, about 110 degrees F). Add yeast, stir, and leave it aside for 5 minutes. The yeast will bloom and become foamy.
- Add salt, cilantro, cumin seeds, chopped jalapeno, paprika, and chili flakes to the milk/yeast mixture and stir. Now add the flour and mix well with a large spoon to combine the flour well. The dough will be somewhat sticky. Just make sure there are no dry parches of flour remaining. Cover the saucepan with a dishtowel and leave it to rise for 1-1/2 hours.
- After the first rise, the dough will have doubled in size. Sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda on the risen bread. Use your clean hands to incorporate them into the dough. You do not need to knead the bread, just mix enough to combine the baking powder and soda into the dough.
- Grease a standard muffin tin with oil or butter. Pinch off small amounts and make small ¾ – 1 inch balls. Place 3 balls in each muffin cavity. Cover the muffin tin with a dishtowel and leave it aside in a slightly warm place for the rolls to rise for an hour or so.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the rolls for 12-14 minutes, keeping a close eye towards the end, till golden brown. Cool for 2-3 minutes. Remove the rolls from the muffin tin and serve warm.
Tips
- You can make the dough a couple of days in advance and store it in a large air-tight container in the refrigerator. When ready to make rolls, remove the dough from the refrigerator an hour prior to making the balls and arranging them in the muffin tin.
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