Crescent Rolls are a classic yeast bread side. This recipe guides you through the steps to make these tear-apart hot bready bits of heaven.
As I grew up, the only fresh crescent rolls I got to have came out of a can, and they were a real treat. Those still have a major advantage in convenience.
Here’s the thing, though–from-scratch rolls do take a while to make, but this recipe makes a big batch (24) and they are fantastic to freeze. That means if you dedicate a day to bread-making, you can portion out your rolls and freeze a bunch to last for weeks.
That also involves some measure of self-control, because these Crescent Rolls are AMAZING.
These things are enriched, meaning they include both milk and butter. That gives them a soft, tender texture inside. They are also brushed with butter before and after baking, because butter makes everything better.
There’s nothing quite like unspooling a hot, steamy Crescent Roll, the dough flaking apart between your fingertips.
Recipe modified from Bake from Scratch November-December 2018.
Bready or Not: Crescent Rolls
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- two large baking sheets
- parchment paper
- pizza cutter
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups bread flour
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter half stick, melted
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, combine the flour, yeast, and salt.
- Use a microwave or stove top to warm the milk, butter, sugar and honey to about 120-degrees (if it gets above that, give it a few minutes to drop down). Add the warm milk mixture to the flour until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Follow up with the egg and egg yolk, and continue to beat for about 6 more minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
- Add nonstick spray to a large bowl. Drop in the dough, flipping it to grease the surface all over. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until it is doubled, about 45 minutes.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Punch down the dough in the bowl. Lightly flour a work surface. Use a food scale to weigh the dough; divide it in half. Keep one of the halves covered while the other is rolled out to a foot-wide circle. Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice it into twelve triangles, like a pizza.
- To form a crescent roll, start at the wide end of a dough piece and roll it up, tucking and pressing the pointed tip underneath. Set spaced-out on a prepared pan. Repeat to form more rolls. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap to rise another 45 minutes to an hour.
- Near the end of the rise, preheat the oven at 375-degrees. Melt the half stick of butter and brush about half over the rolls.
- Place both sheets on racks inside oven and bake for 7 minutes. Switch placement of baking sheets on the racks. Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, until they are a nice golden brown. Brush on the rest of the butter.
- Eat immediately, while warmed, or at room temperature. Crescent rolls will keep in a sealed bag for at least 2 days, and can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
