Last updated on May 30th, 2018 at 06:15 pm
These Best Ever Dinner Crescents are really the perfect dinner rolls, soft, buttery, best tasting yet still simple to make. There’s nothing better than fresh hot dinner rolls right out of your oven.
I’m a sucker for hot bread, hot buns, anything fresh coming out of the oven. I cannot resist a hot dinner roll, the smell alone drives me crazy. I really am in my element whenever I’m baking something, but most especially bread or rolls. Maybe it has to do with me working in a bakery when I was only 14 years old and that’s when my love for baking began. I was 14, yet I looked forward to waking up at 3 am on weekends to go to the bakery just so that I could fry donuts, it was so much fun. Not to mention, I could sample pretty much everything there.
I probably bake something every week. I love the ambience it creates in my home.
If you follow my blog you know that I love to bake and quite often I get questions regarding yeast. I think yeast is what probably scares people away from baking. There are different types of yeast, there’s fresh yeast which you don’t normally find unless you go to a bakery and ask the baker to sell you a block, it’s usually pretty cheap. I love to use fresh yeast if I can find it, but it seems to be harder and harder to find. I find that it’s pretty much impossible to fail with fresh yeast.
The most common types of yeast though, are active dry yeast and instant dry yeast. I probably will use active dry yeast most of the time and the difference really is that active dry yeast needs to be activated in warm water first, where instant yeast can just be directly added to your dry ingredients.
I always keep my yeast jar in the freezer, I find that it lasts longer this way. When I want to use some, I just take the jar out of the freezer about 30 minutes before using it. I always activate it in warm water. The water should be warm to the touch, not too hot because it will then kill your yeast, and that’s not what we want. All I do is add the yeast to the warm water, stir it a bit and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. You will notice the yeast dissolve and froth up. That’s how you know that your yeast is good, and if you passed this step, then you can go ahead and continue baking, otherwise stop here and go buy some fresh yeast from the store.
For more information regarding yeast check the recipe notes, lots of useful information there that should answer most of your questions.
Look at my dinner crescents, they almost are too big, but that’s what happens when your yeast is good and I actually have had this yeast jar in my freezer for a couple years now.
The dough for these crescent rolls is actually quite easy to make, you mix your dry ingredients, which really is just flour and salt, and you mix your wet ingredients and combine them. I really would recommend using a stand mixer for these rolls otherwise you’ll have to knead by hand, which is not a bad thing, you’ll get your workout in.
These rolls do require the dough to rise twice, once for the dough and once for the rolls. My tip for the dough rising quickly, which is something I’ve shared with you many times before, is to warm my oven up a bit, then place the bowl in the oven, this way you have a nice warm environment for your dough, free of drafts. Your dough could double in size in as little as 30 minutes, that’s how long it took for mine.
To actually make the rolls is quite simple. You basically roll out the dough like a pizza dough then cut it in 12 slices, again just like pizza, then roll up each piece to form a crescent. Super easy and fun. Let them rise again, then bake them and finally I brush mine with a bit more butter, because butter is better. Hope you give these a try, I’m sure you’ll love them!
Try some of my other popular roll recipes like these Texas Roadhouse Rolls and Hawaiian Sweet Rolls for your dinners. Fresh bread is always the way to go!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
Best Ever Dinner Crescents
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup butter unsalted
- 1 large egg
- 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Activate your yeast first by combing the water and yeast together in a small bowl. Stir the yeast a little bit and let it sit until it foams about 10 to 15 minutes. If your yeast doesn't activate, do not proceed.
- In a microwave safe bowl combine the milk, sugar and 1/4 cup of the butter and microwave for about a minute until the butter melts. Whisk it a bit, so that the butter melts completely. Let the milk cool a bit, so that it's just warm to touch. Whisk in the egg.
- In the bowl of your mixer, start with 4 cups of flour, add salt and mix. Add the milk and yeast mixture to the flour.
- Using the dough hook mix for a couple minutes. The dough is ready when it comes clean from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky add more flour, starting with about 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes clean from the sides of the bowl while mixing. Mine only required 4 cups, that's why start with 4 cups and go from there.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it up with a clean damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest until it doubles in size.
- Once the dough is ready, punch it down to let the air out. Cut it in 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a circle about 14" in diameter. Spread the top with remaining butter. For both pieces you shouldn't need more than 1/4 cup. Using the pizza cutter cut the circle into quarters first, then each quarter into thirds, for 12 pieces in total. Roll up each piece to form a crescent.
- Repeat with other piece of dough. Place the rolls onto a buttered pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Let the rolls rest until the edges touch, they should almost double in size.
- Bake for about 15 or 20 minutes until golden brown. Melt remaining butter (should have about 1/4 cup of butter left) and brush the rolls while still warm.
Video
Notes
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
Great for a get together.
Perfect for a get together. Easy!!!
Can I make them ahead, freeze and the reheat?
Yes you can, just wrap them tightly with plastic wrap then place them in a ziploc bag. Thaw out before reheating, I’d reheat them on a baking sheet at 350 F for a few minutes.
I just made these and they are amazing. I must admit they are not as pretty as yours but oh they are good. I have to say Jo, I’m making your cinnamon rolls tomorrow. I think finding your blog may have been my down fall because as I looked at some recipes, I intend to make ALOT of them. I fear my waist will not like you very well! Thank you again for another great recipe.
My pleasure! 🙂
Please confirm if it is one tablespoon active dry yeast. Can I substitute with instant dry yeast?
Yes, that’s correct. You can definitely use instant yeast, you don’t have to activate it though, just add it to your dough, but do make sure it hasn’t expired yet.
Will these work with out an egg…
It will work but you might end up with crescents that are not that great. Eggs actually play a very important role in baking and can affect things such as structure, leavening, richness, etc.
Perfect looking rolls, I would love to make them. I am so glad I can buy fresh yeast here just about anywhere and it costs only 9 cents a cube. I enjoy a lot working with yeast, but it was not always so, I think one has to do it a couple of time and just loose the fear, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. 🙂
That’s true Adina! They’re quite easy to make. 🙂
I just made these to go with homemade bean, veggie and ham soup. They were fabulous! ! After the first rise, I put the dough in the frig overnight, then rolled it out into the circle, made the crescents and let them rise a second time. By refrigerating the dough, it was easier to handle. I still have a second ball of dough to play with and might try cinnamon and a glaze topping. I also tried your Hawaiian rolls recipe and that too was out of this world! ! Thanks for the great recipes! !
So glad they turned out Bonnie! And thanks for letting me know!
Can you use the dough setting on bread machine for these?
Yes, of course, I don’t see why not.
These look so good! I don’t think they’d make it to the table
LOL
Is it possible to add cinnamon roll fillings inside, roll, wait until they rise, and then bake?
Sure Mia you can do that – be creative
What adjustment for using my bread machine?
Could the dough be shaped into regular dinner rolls instead of crescents?
Sure why not 🙂
Just made these and they are a definitely a repeat!!
Glad you liked them. 🙂
Can this recipe be refrigerated over night? I want to make the dough ahead of time but want to make sure it won’t deflate.
I’ve never tried it but as a matter of fact refrigerating dough gives bread or rolls a better taste, so sure go ahead, it should work out great.
thanks for the recipe. mouthwatering delicious crescent rolls. i can find good planetary mixer here.
This look so delicious! How do you think they would hold up if I were to premake, and roll tonight? And then baked tomorrow
I can’t say that I’ve tried it, but I’d recommend putting the rolls in the fridge over night. Let me know how they turn out.
what does this mean? •1/4 cup tbsp sugar ?? did you mean plus a T.?
Sorry Pat, it’s supposed to be 1/4 cup of sugar. The recipe is updated. Thanks 🙂
These rolls take me back! My mom made crescents every year for Thanksgiving and they were hands down my favorite thing. I always just place my dough in a pan and bake regular old rolls but you’ve inspired me to do crescents this year. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving 🙂
I’m glad I inspired you. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. 🙂
These look so soft and delicious… as if they were stuffed with butter but because there is 5 c flour to 1/2 c butter it makes me think that each roll is pretty modest on the butter
Yes, but of course you could also brush them with butter when they come out of the oven, which I also did, and then serve them with butter, up to you.