Cloverleaf Rolls

Ingredients

• 0.3 ounce yeast dry ()
• 2 cups bread flour 
• 1 large water with 2 teaspoons water lightly beaten
• 1.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds toasted for sprinkling
• 1.5 teaspoons salt 
• 3 tablespoons sugar 
• 0.5 cup butter unsalted
• 3 tablespoons water (105-115°F)
• 1 cup milk whole

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• oven
• plastic wrap
• wooden spoon
• aluminum foil
• kitchen towels
• muffin liners

Directions

1. Stir together warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
2. Melt 3/4 stick butter in a small saucepan, then add milk and heat to lukewarm. Stir together yeast mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, butter mixture, bread flour, and salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon until combined well, then stir in 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or enough to make a slightly sticky dough.
3. Butter a large bowl. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, kneading in more all-purpose flour as needed to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (dough will still be slightly sticky). Form dough into a ball and put in buttered bowl, turning to coat.
4. Let dough rise, bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
5. Butter 18 muffin cups with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
6. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into thirds. Working with 1 piece at a time (keep remaining portions covered with plastic wrap), cut off tablespoon pieces of dough and form pieces into balls. Put 3 balls into each buttered muffin cup.
7. Let rolls rise, loosely covered with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth), in draft-free place at warm room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.
8. While rolls rise, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
9. Brush rolls lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds.
10. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
11. Serve warm.
12. Rolls can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then kept, wrapped well in foil, at room temperature. Reheat in foil in a preheated 350°F oven 15 to 20 minutes.