Whole wheat clover rolls are soft and fluffy whole grain dinner rolls that are made in a muffin tin and pull apart into three pieces which means more places to put the butter!

They’re seriously delicious, simple to make, and fun to have on hand for a quick snack, dinner side, or breakfast roll!

Homemade Whole Wheat Clover Rolls

I made this fantastic soup last week (healthy Everything but the Kitchen Sink Soup found here), and these rolls are what went with it. I’ve been searching for a great whole wheat clover roll recipe for years, and love this one. My mom’s recipe just didn’t adapt well from the Indiana-baking of my childhood to my Utah-baking now. The altitude and dryness really do change things! I think the eggs in the recipe are the key; the bread is very tender and soft because of them.

The clover roll is my mother-in-law’s specialty. She makes her version for every family gathering and no one ever complains because they’re exquisite. I think she owns twelve to fifteen muffin tins so that she can make gobs and gobs of rolls at a time. Here’s the beauty of the clover roll in my mind: a traditional roll is broken in half and you can butter the top and bottom, while a clover roll splits into three pieces. Three pieces to butter instead of two is always a good thing in my book; plus they are absolutely beautiful. Let me know if you make these! I think you’ll be super pleased because they are fantastic.

How do you make sure whole wheat clover rolls aren’t too dense?

The common issue with baking with whole wheat is that it can easily make the dough heavier and more of a challenge to rise. In order to get around this and get extra fluffy whole wheat clover rolls, 2 eggs and a half-cup of butter in the recipe allows the buns to rise and get nice and puffy.

How long do clover rolls last?

These will last well for up to a week in the fridge. If you freeze them, they’ll last up to four months. To freeze, wrap them in tin foil and place them in a freezer-safe zipper-topped baggie.

How long should the dough rise?

After mixing up and kneading the dough, it will rise for about an hour and should double in size. After you portion the small balls of dough out into the muffin tins, let it rise again for another half-hour.

How do you store clover rolls?

You can keep leftover clover rolls stored at room temperature. Let them cool completely, and then wrap them in tin foil and place them inside a sealable baggie. Refrigerating them may dry them out and cause them to become stale, so keep them at room temp for up to 5 days.

How to make whole wheat clover rolls:

Add warm water, sugar, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, honey, butter, salt, gluten, and 2 cups of flour to the bowl. Using dough hook, mix ingredients in bowl on low for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add remaining flour, a half-cup at a time, while the mixer is running.
Let the dough mix well in between each addition of flour. It should take around 10 minutes.
When dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until it is soft and elastic.
Shape dough into a ball and return to lightly greased bowl.
Cover bowl with a towel, and let it rise about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 18 muffin tin holes.
To make the rolls, pinch a small piece of dough, about the size of a large marble and shape into a round ball. Put the piece of dough into a muffin tin hole. Repeat this process until the dough is gone and you have three little balls of dough in each muffin tin hole. Let the rolls rise in the muffin tins, covered, for 30 minutes.
Bake the rolls in the hot oven for 18 to 22 minutes until tops start to brown.