tender whole wheat cloverleaf dinner rolls and cranberry swirls

Hearty yet tender whole wheat cloverleaf rolls made with holiday red ale baked both straight up and as just barely sweet cranberry swirls. A splendid combo that makes even humble dinner rolls applause worthy. Why make just one sort of dinner roll when just a few more minutes of your time yields two?

Forgive the slap dash nature of this post but I just had to share and time’s a ticking on the turkey day prep, though why limit fresh baked rolls to holidays? The 22 pound turkey dry brining in my fridge is definitely a once a year event but fresh baked bread? Let’s leave it with knowing that I’m not even the one making rolls for thanksgiving tomorrow. I just couldn’t help myself. I blame the Beeroness and her honey hefeweizen rolls  that looked so delicious I was compelled to make bread with beer in it. Since there is no hefeweizen in our house the substitutions began. I knew I wanted a beer with a maltier profile, no heavy hops here, I used the Session Fest red lager but any red with a maltier profile would work. Heavier beer led to the addition of whole wheat and here we are.

Originally I thought the cranberry swirls would be perfect for Friday breakfast. A little treat you can make for yourself while making the rolls for Thanksgiving dinner using the cranberry relish you already prepped. Still an option. But the rolls weren’t quite as sticky sweet as I imagined and they looked so stunning next to the cloverleaf that I cursed myself for foisting off that task to someone else and took pictures to prove my folly.

tender whole wheat cloverleaf dinner rolls and cranberry swirls

Makes 12 rolls

Note: These are best when made the night before and allowed to rise in the refrigerator overnight. You can bake them anywhere between 10 and 24 hours after shaping and refrigerating.

ingredients

for the dough

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2/3 cup red lager beer beer at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup half and half (Or heavy cream)
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup WW flour
• 1 cup WW pastry flour
• 4 tbs unsalted butter, softened to room temp
• 1 egg

for the cranberry swirls

• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons softened butter (unsalted or salted)
• 1/3 cup cranberry relish
• butter for brushing
• salt and sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Heat the cream to about 110 degrees (just warm to the touch) and combine with the yeast in a stand mixer bowl. Allow to proof.
2. Add the milk powder, salt, beer, and sweeteners and whisk to combine.
3. Add the flours and mix with a dough hook to combine. The dough will be stiff and a little shaggy.
4. Add the egg and then the butter and allow to mix until the dough forms a smooth and shiny ball that no longer sticks to the side of the mixing bowl, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Coat the inside of large bowl with oil. Form the dough into a ball and adda bowl lightly coated with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow dough  to rise in a warm room until doubled in size. This takes 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of the room.
6. Punch the dough down, and knead to completely deflate.
7. Cut the dough in half, reserve one half for cranberry swirls and cut the remaining half into six pieces. Cut each of those into thirds to give you 18 pieces of roughly the same size.
8. For the cloverleaf rolls: roll each piece of dough into balls and place three balls per muffin cup. Since I never have balls of all the same size I usually try to piton big, one medium, and one small per muffin cup so the rolls are fairly equal in size.
9. For the cranberry swirls roll out the other half of the dough into an approximately 14”x7” rectangle. Slather with the softened butter, sprinkle on the cardamom and the sugar and then slather with the cranberry relish. Roll the dough into a log and cut slice into twelve equal pieces placing two swirls each per muffin cup
10. Cover and allow to rise until about doubled in size or cover and place in the refrigerator until 15 minutes before ready to bake.
11. Pre-Heat oven to 375 degrees.
12. Brush the top of the rolls with melted butter, sprinkle cloverleafs with salt and cranberry swirls with sugar.
13. Bake on the middle rack at 375 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
14. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before gently releasing from muffin tin

tender whole wheat cloverleaf dinner rolls and cranberry swirls

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Bread, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Baking

Servings 12 rolls

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup half and half Or heavy cream
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup red lager beer beer at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup WW pastry flour
• 1 cup WW flour
• 2 cups bread flour
• 4 tbs unsalted butter softened to room temp
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons softened butter unsalted or salted
• 1/3 cup cranberry relish
• butter for brushing
• salt and sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

 

• Heat the cream to about 110 degrees (just warm to the touch) and combine with the yeast in a stand mixer bowl. Allow to proof.
• Add the milk powder, salt, beer, and sweeteners and whisk to combine.
• Add the flours and mix with a dough hook to combine. The dough will be stiff and a little shaggy.
• Add the egg and then the butter and allow to mix until the dough forms a smooth and shiny ball that no longer sticks to the side of the mixing bowl, about 8-10 minutes.
• Coat the inside of large bowl with oil. Form the dough into a ball and adda bowl lightly coated with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm room until doubled in size. This takes 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of the room.
• Punch the dough down, and knead to completely deflate..
• Cut the dough in half, reserve one half for cranberry swirls and cut the remaining half into six pieces. Cut each of those into thirds to give you 18 pieces of roughly the same size.
• For the cloverleaf rolls: roll each piece of dough into balls and place three balls per muffin cup. Since I never have balls of all the same size I usually try to piton big, one medium, and one small per muffin cup so the rolls are fairly equal in size.
• For the cranberry swirls roll out the other half of the dough into an approximately 14”x7” rectangle. Slather with the softened butter, sprinkle on the cardamom and the sugar and then slather with the cranberry relish. Roll the dough into a log and cut slice into twelve equal pieces placing two swirls each per muffin cup
• Cover and allow to rise until about doubled in size or cover and place in the refrigerator until 15 minutes before ready to bake.
• Pre-Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Brush the top of the rolls with melted butter, sprinkle cloverleafs with salt and cranberry swirls with sugar.
• Bake on the middle rack at 375 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before gently releasing from muffin tin

Notes

Note: These are best when made the night before and allowed to rise in the refrigerator overnight. You can bake them anywhere between 10 and 24 hours after shaping and refrigerating

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