Herb & Cheese Crusted Cloverleaf Rolls

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 ounce active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup packed parmigiano-reggiano cheese or 1/2 cup packed asiago cheese or 1/2 cup packed any variety romano cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/4 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
• 1 1/4 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

Recipe

• 1 in a medium saucepan, heat milk with 3 tablespoons of the butter and sugar just until the butter melts. pour into a large glass bowl and let cool to 110°f-120°f stir in yeast and let rest until dissolved, approximately 5 minutes or so. add flour and salt and stir until a soft sticky dough forms.
• 2 place dough on a lightly floured surface. wash, dry and lightly coat the glass bowl with oil. knead the dough until smooth, about 4 minutes. place dough in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• 3 melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. in a small shallow bowl or container, toss cheese with herbs.
• 4 lightly butter 18 of the muffin cups in 2 or more nonstick pans. punch down the dough and divide into 3 equal sections. working with 1 section of dough at a time and keeping the rest covered, roll the dough into a 1-inch-thick rope on a lightly floured surface; cut the rope into 18 equal pieces; roll each piece into a ball. dip half of each ball into the melted butter and then into the herb-cheese mixture and arrange 3 balls in each prepared muffin cup, coated sides touching in the center. repeat with the remaining dough and topping. brush the top of the rolls with the remaining melted butter. (at this point they can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.)
• 5 loosely drape plastic wrap over the muffin tins and let rise in a warm spot until they are about 1 inch above the rim of the cups, about 2 hours.
• 6 preheat the oven to 425°. bake rolls in the lower and middle third of oven for about 15 minutes, or until nicely golden and tops are sizzling; about 7 minutes into baking swap pans and rotate for even browning. turn the rolls out onto a rack and let cool for a few minutes before serving.