Here are instructions and illustrations for a variety of ways to shape all kinds of different rolls, this comes from one of my favorite vintage cookbooks (credit below).
Butterfly Rolls: Roll dough only 1/8″ thick into an oblong 6″ wide. Spread with soft butter, and roll up like jelly roll. Cut into 2″ pieces. Make a deep impression with narrow wooden handle in middle of each roll (to resemble butterfly).
Crescents: (Butterhorns): Roll dough scarcely 1/4″ thick into a 12″ circle. Spread with soft butter. Cut into 16 pie-shaped pieces. Beginning at rounded edge, roll up. Place on pan, point underneath.
Butter Fluffs: (Fan Tans): Roll dough 1/8″ thick into a long oblong 9″ wide. Spread with soft butter. Cut into 6 long strips 1 1/2″ wide. Stack 6 strips evenly, one on top of other. Cut into 1″ pieces. Place cut-side-down in greased muffin cups.
Salt Sticks: Roll dough very thin into oblong 8″ wide. Cut into 4″ squares. Starting at a corner, roll each square diagonally to opposite corner. Round the ends. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Shaping Dinner Rolls
Dinner Rolls: Roll dough into cylindrical shapes with tapered ends and place on pan.
Old-Fashioned Biscuits: Form dough into balls 1/3 size desired. Place close together in a greased round pan.
Parkerhouse Rolls: Roll dough 1/4″ thick. Cut with biscuit cutter. Brush with melted butter. Make crease across each. Fold so top half slightly overlaps. Press edges together at crease. Place close together on pan.
Cloverleaf Rolls: Form bits of dough into balls about 1″ in diameter. Place 3 balls in each greased muffin cup. Brush with butter for flavor.
Shaping Twisted Rolls
For all the twisted shapes, roll dough a little less than 1/2″ thick into a long oblong 12″ wide. Spread with soft butter. Fold 1/2 of dough over the other half. Trim edges to square the corners. Cut into strips 1/2″ wide and 6″ long.
Figure 8’s: Hold one end of strip in one hand and twist the other end…stretching it slightly until the two ends when brought together on greased baking sheet will form a figure 8.
Twists: Same as Figure 8’s, but give strip additional twist just before placing it on baking sheet.
Snails: Twist and hold one end of the strip down on baking sheet. Wind strip around and around. Tuck end underneath.
Clothespin Crullers: Wrap strip around greased clothespin so edges barely touch. When baked, twist clothespin and pull out. May be filled with fruit fillings.
Knots: Twist and tie each strip into a knot. Press ends down on greased baking sheet.
Toad-In-Hole (Turk’s Cap): Twist and tie each strip with a knot in one end of strip. Then pull the longer end through center of knot.
Source: This comes from Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book (1950), a favorite vintage cookbook in my collection. I see Betty Crocker has issued a facsimile (ring-bound) version for sale on Amazon if you’d like a copy of this book for your own collection: Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook.
