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freshly baked crescent rolls on a baking sheet.
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4.67 from 18 votes

Crescent Rolls

These Crescent Rolls are really the perfect dinner rolls. Soft, buttery, amazing flavor yet incredibly simple to make. There's nothing better than fresh hot dinner rolls right out of your oven.
Prep Time1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Bread, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crescent rolls, dinner rolls
Servings: 24
Calories: 144kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water lukewarm
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup butter unsalted
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tablespoon 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 ¼ 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 mixture, yeast mixture and the egg 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 ¼ 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 a couple tablespoons for each circle. 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. Repeat with other piece of dough. Place the rolls onto a buttered pan.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Let the rolls rest until the edges touch, they should almost double in size. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Melt remaining butter (should have about ¼ cup of butter left) and brush the rolls while still warm.

Video

Notes

  1. Check the date on your yeast. The main reason that dough doesn’t rise is due to using yeast that is old or has expired yeast. So if your yeast does not bloom and foam up it means that it is dead and the recipe will not work.
  2. Warm water is a must. If your water is too cold or too hot the yeast won’t activate. The water needs to be just warm to bloom the yeast properly.
  3. Use room temperature butter and eggs. It helps the dough to emulsify and come together. I always suggest taking the butter and eggs out of the fridge a couple of hours before making any bread recipe.
  4. Don’t overwork your dough. Don't knead your dough after it's doubled in size. If you knead it again you will push the air out of the risen dough and the crescent rolls will be tough.
  5. You can store these crescent rolls right on the counter wrapped in foil or plastic wrap for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them easily, just place them separately on a baking sheet and freeze before transferring to a freezer bag or airtight container. They will last for up to 6 months and can be thawed right on the counter when ready to eat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 202IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg