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These Amish Friendship Bread cloverleaf dinner rolls are fluffy, chewy, and easy to make. This recipe uses 1 cup of active, bubbly, well-fed Amish Friendship Bread starter and no additional yeast!
To make this recipe using your Amish Friendship Bread sourdough starter, use it on a day when it’s bubbly and has doubled in size (before your daily stirring), usually within 6-24 hours after a feeding.
Yeast cheat: If you want to use your starter (for that gentle, tangy flavor and/or to use it up) but it’s not super bubbly, then you can cheat by mixing one packet of dry active yeast with ¼ cup warm milk. Let it stand for 10 minutes until foamy. Reduce the remaining milk in the recipe to ½ cup.
If you’d like to make these in time for dinner, start right after lunch. You’ll want to allow for two rises of an hour each, maybe more if your kitchen is drafty.
In a microwave-proof measuring cup or bowl, heat ¾ cup milk (reduce to ½ cup milk if you are “cheating”–see above) and 2 tablespoons butter for 35 seconds in your microwave. Set aside–the butter will continue to melt.
Add 2 cups of the flour plus the salt to a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the starter and the milk/butter mixture (and the yeast mixture, if you’re cheating). On low speed, mix the dough and add¼ cup of flour at a time until a soft dough ball forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about two minutes. The dough will be slightly sticky. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free area to rise for one hour. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin–I save my used butter wraps in the freezer to make this step a breeze (see below).
After one hour, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and divide into thirds. You should have 36 pieces in total. Roll each piece into a ball.
Note: The photos show 4 small dough balls instead of 3 because I was making“lucky” four-leaf cloverleaf dinner rolls for St. Patrick’s Day. If you want to do this, divide the 12 equal larger dough balls into 4 pieces each, resulting in 38 pieces total.For best results, use 3 pieces per muffin cup.
Arrange three of the small dough balls into each muffin cup. Cover with a dish towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free area to rise for another hour (or two).
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. While the rolls are baking, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside.
After removing the rolls from the oven, brush the tops with the melted butter. If desired, top with extra sea salt, sesame seeds, or garlic salt.
Remove from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Cloverleaf rolls are a classic shape. These are made quickly and easily for your weeknight dinners.
4.64 from 11 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 11 minutes mins
Rise Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 31 minutes mins
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 12 rolls
Instructions
If "cheating," start by making the yeast mixture, combining the yeast and warm milk. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly or foamy. Reduce the milk in the recipe to½cup.
In a microwave-proof measuring cup or bowl, heat¾cup milk (reduce to½cup milk if you are "cheating") and 2 tablespoons butter for 35 seconds in your microwave. Set aside–the butter will continue to melt.
Add 2 cups of the flour plus the salt to a standing mixer with a dough hook. Add the starter and the milk/butter mixture (and yeast mixture, if you're cheating). On low speed, mix the dough and add¼ cup of flour at a time until a soft dough ball forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about two minutes. The dough will be slightly sticky. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free area to rise for one hour. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin (I save my used butter wraps in the freezer to make this step a breeze).
After one hour, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and divide it into thirds. You should have 36 pieces in total. Roll each piece into a ball.
Place three dough balls into each muffin cup. Cover with a dish towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free area to rise for another hour or two, until almost doubled in size.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. While the rolls are baking, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside.
After removing the rolls from the oven, brush the tops with the melted butter. If desired, top with extra sea salt, sesame seeds, or garlic salt.
Remove from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack.
ENJOY!
Notes
- To make this recipe with only your starter, use it on a day when it’s bubbly and has doubled in size (before your daily stirring), usually within 6-24 hours after a feeding. Otherwise add a little cheat yeast!
- The recipe image shows 4 small dough balls instead of 3 because I was making“lucky” four-leaf clover dinner rolls for St. Patrick’s Day. If you want to do this, divide the 12 equal larger dough balls into 4 pieces each, resulting in 38 pieces total.For best results, use 3 pieces per muffin cup.
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