Wholesome Wednesday: Lemon Clover Rolls

I'm always on the lookout for a quick roll recipe.  These lemon clover rolls fit the bill.  They mix up quickly and with just a little extra prep, get in the oven fast too.  No rising time.  Something I always love.  The rolls are soft on top, nice and crunchy on the bottom and sides and fluffy inside.  A wonderful combination. They also taste slightly lemony.  Lemon clover rolls would make a great breakfast treat, snack or something special at dinner.  These are amazing fresh from the oven and they disappeared within a few minutes at my house.  I'm sure they won't last long at your house either.

I used cold unsalted butter in my rolls because we're out of shortening at the moment.  I'm sure it just made the recipe a bit richer.  You'll most likely get a flakier roll with shortening.  Also if you didn't want a lemon tasting roll, you could substitute buttermilk for the milk and lemon juice.  Let's face it, milk and lemon juice sours the milk pretty quickly causing it to curdle.  Don't be alarmed by this, your rolls will turn out just fine.  If you choose to use buttermilk it does have enough acidity in it to activate the baking soda while the rolls bake.

That's just another example of how I'm likely to alter a recipe while I'm making it.  There are always lots ways you can subtly change a recipe to more suit what ingredients you happen to have on hand.  This will save you a lot of last minute trips to the store in the future.

Lemon Clover Rolls

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening or unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Whisk flour, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Cut or rub shortening (or butter) into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.  Add combined milk and lemon juice, stirring quickly to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a lightly floured board.  Knead slightly, dough will still be sticky.  Separate dough into 12 equal portions.  Splitting each portion into three, roll these pieces into balls and place in one greased muffin cup.  Repeat with remaining 11 portions of dough.  Bake in a hot oven, 450 degrees, for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown.  When out of the oven, brush tops of rolls with cream.  Makes 12 rolls.