WARNING!! If you are hosting Thanksgiving and making pretty much all the things do not attempt these for your celebratory meal, BUT if you are looking for something extra-special that will wow your host and guests and is not difficult but only somewhat of a time suck, then these Sesame Seed Clover Leaf Rolls may be exactly what you are looking for! In any case, they are super adorable and delicious!!

Homemade little rolls go so perfectly with the turkey day meal, right? They’re nice and light and good for slathering with butter or sopping up all that gravy. Yum!!

And though these look complicated, they’re really not at all—you just need a chunk of time and the ability to roll lots of little dough balls. Very therapeutic!

You start by mixing up an easy yeast dough in a stand mixer—

And once that’s risen you form it into a rough rectangle

Cut it into 6 strips

Divide those each into 12 equal pieces

And start the ball rolling process—

Eventually tucking three into a buttered muffin cup.

Then, once those have risen

You brush with a little egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds

And bake!

Golden, light and fluffy! And so fun to pull apart!

They’re great on their own—

Or with a a big pat of butter.

Place a basket of these on a holiday table and cross your fingers that there are leftovers!! (and really feel free to add them to your list even if you are hosting the big day—I just love you guys and don’t want anyone getting too stressed out!😂)

Sesame Seed Clover Leaf Rolls

Makes 2 dozen

You will need a standing mixer with a dough hook for this and two 12-cup muffin pans.

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus several hours of rising time and another 20 minutes of assembly; Bake Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk

• 6 tablespoons sugar

• 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened plus extra to grease the bowl and muffin pans

• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

• 3 large eggs, divided

• 4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• At least 2 teaspoons white untoasted sesame seeds

The Recipe

1. Add the milk and sugar to a small saucepan and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Heat over medium-low heat just until the mixture feels slightly warm. Pour into the large bowl of the stand mixer, stir in the yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the softened butter, salt, 2 eggs and 1 cup of flour. Attach the paddle attachment first and mix together on low speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and with the machine running on low, add the rest of the flour by ½ cupfuls until it is all mixed in. You may have to stop along the way to scrape the sides down with the spatula. Change to the dough hook. Still on low speed, beat the dough for about 10 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. It will still be a little sticky but not overly so.

3. While the dough is mixing, use the extra softened butter to generously butter a large bowl and lightly flour a board or clean counter.

4. Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto the floured surface and knead it by hand into a tight ball. Transfer to the bowl and turn it over so that it gets coated all over with the butter. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours, until doubled in size.

5. While the dough is rising, generously butter each muffin cup and set aside.

6. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Form it into a rectangle and use a ruler and a sharp knife or bench scraper to help you cut the dough into six even 1-inch wide strips. Now cut each strip into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into a little ball and pinch the edges of the dough under the ball to form a tight little ball. Place in the muffin cup. Repeat with 2 more pieces of dough and add to the muffin cup, so that each cup eventually contains 3 balls. Cover each tray loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and let stand until the doug balls puff up just over the rim. This can take anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on how warm your room is.

7. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Beat the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash and very gently brush the tops of the dough balls (so that they don’t deflate) with it. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds.

8. Bake the trays one at a time for 10-15 minutes, until they are golden brown and cooked through. Let cool a few minutes and serve.

9. Though these are best on the day they are made, you can definitely make them a day ahead. Store well wrapped at room temperature and reheat gently in a low oven right before serving.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Carla Hall’s Soul Food. I stayed pretty true to this—it’s a very reliable recipe.