Homemade Crescent Rolls
It’s easy to forgo homemade crescent rolls for that exploding tube in the refrigerated section of the market, however, once you’ve made this crescent rolls recipe, you’ll be ruined forever and that doughboy won’t have nearly the same appeal.
I won’t for a minute try to convince you that making homemade crescent rolls is easier than the ready-made stuff. It isn’t. It’s just infinitely tastier, lighter and more satisfying. Hot from the oven with a slather of good salted butter… have mercy. I used my stand mixer to mix the dough, but you can do it by hand as well. When the dough is mixed, place it into a lightly greased bowl and cover it to proof and rise.
The homemade crescent roll dough won’t double in size, but it will poof considerably. Punch it down and divide the dough into two equal sized balls.
Roll out the dough into a circle and use a pizza cutter to cut the homemade crescent rolls into eight pie shaped pieces. Starting with the wide side of the fat shaped pieces, roll the dough into the crescent shape, pinching the point a little so it sticks to the underside of the roll.
Transfer the rolls to a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with a clean dish towel and let them rise. Just before baking, brush the homemade crescent rolls with an egg wash to achieve a shiny, golden finish when baked.
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You can serve this crescent roll recipe straight from the oven obviously, however, you can also make the rolls in advance and freeze them. They keep well for up to a month in a zip top freezer bag.
To reheat, thaw the rolls and place them on a baking sheet in a 300° oven for about 10 minutes. BAM! Homemade crescent rolls, hot from the oven on a Tuesday night! You gotta love that!
More soft dinner rolls:
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Soft Crescent Rolls
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
- ⅓ cup mashed potato flakes
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
FOR EGGWASH:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
DIRECTIONS:
- Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Add the butter and water and knead them together by hand or with the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer — until you have a soft, smooth dough.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with a bit of canola oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a dish towel. Allow to rise for one hour or until the dough is puffy, but not doubled.
- Divide the dough in half. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough into a 1/4″ thick round.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough in half going from 6 o’clock to 12 o’clock. Then from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock. Slice the remaining wedges in half again so that you have 8 equal pieces.
- start with the outer edge and roll the triangles of dough ending with the pointy end. Transfer the roll to a parchment lined baking sheet with the end tucked under the roll. Continue in this manner with the remainder of the rolls. Place them on the baking sheet so that they are spaced about 2″ apart.
- Follow the same technique for the other half of the dough.
- Cover the rolls with a dish towel and let them rise for another hour.
- Just before they’re done proofing, heat the oven to 350°.
MAKE THE EGGWASH:
- In a small bowl, combine the egg and water and whisk. Brush the rolls with the egg wash to give them a nice shine.
- Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
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I swear the minute I saw your photos I could smell the delicious aroma. There is nothing better in the scent area than homemade bread. We’ve been a little spoiled with popping a cardboard container and then making those little crescent rolls. They may be a timesaver but the taste is inferior. You’ve convinced me to make your recipe instead of taking the easy way out. The crescent rolls would be a huge hit with the family. Merry Christmas!!
I appreciate your candor about the difficulty level. I think there are times where people are tempted to downplay the scratch version a bit too much. But I think this is definitely one of those situations where if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. You’re so right – straight out of the oven, slathered in butter – fantastic stuff. And really, as far as making rolls (or bread in general) go, this isn’t even too tough. I’ll certainly take this over having to make my own croissants! Thanks for sharing – it’s a wonderful post!
Oh, how wonderful!! These definitely aren’t easier than the packaged version, but I’m sure they are WAY WAY more delicious and most definitely worth it. I think I’m going to make these ahead and freeze them for an after holiday cocktail party I’m hosting. Thank you!!
I can’t tell you how excited I am to find this recipe! Crescent rolls are one of those things that I want at the holidays, but I have a hard time commiting myself to canned bread. This is such a simple and straightforward recipe, I don’t know why I wouldn’t just have some in the freezer for any day I’m craving them.
I don’t think we ever realize how much better homemade is until we finally just DO IT. There are so many store-bought things I can’t be bothered with anymore, like salad dressing and hummus. So I’m all about these from-scratch crescent rolls. (That dough boy is adorable and all, buuuut… )
I’ve been toying with ideas for Christmas day brunch. I think this is going to happen!
I love the idea of making these and freezing them. I would totally keep a bunch in my freezer to pop out whenever I wanted to snack (or just wanted the house to smell better). I know so many people who serve the ones from the tubes. Is it too obnoxious to send them a link to your recipe? Probably. Maybe I’ll just make some for them so they can see how much better they are!
I’m in love with crescent rolls…they’re always such a treat. This recipe is gorgeous and really quite simple in my book. I love working with yeasted dough of any kind. These won’t last for long, I can already tell! Thanks for the beautiful recipe! 🙂
Lisa, these are amazingly golden brown! You know, I’m a total weirdo, but I HATE the tube of dough you get from the store. It freaks me out and I won’t even be in the room when it opens. LOL! I’d gladly make this homemade version over the store bought!
I get freaked out by the tube sometimes too!
Homemade ALWAYS better….and these look awesome. They sound easy enough to make and I think worth the effort. I know everyone will appreciate the difference.
These rolls look so soft and fluffy! I’ve shamelessly only made it at home from the pre-made dough. I think I much rather have your version instead! It looks perfect!
Hooray for homemade! Everyone always wants crescent rolls at dinner, but I don’t like buying that exploding tin. This recipe looks so easy and will totally impress our guests at Christmas dinner – thank you!
You’ve opened my eyes! I didn’t know crescent rolls were so easy to make. I’m definitely going to make them this weekend. I could even make them for Christmas!! Thanks for sharing!
Those look divine! What a great extra to have in the freezer during the holidays!
I am such a bread lover. The aroma as it bakes is so fantastic. I serve crescent rolls all the time but have yet to try a homemade version. Wouldn’t these be great on the holiday dinner table? I will have to see if I can fit this into my “cooking schedule” and serve these for dinner on Boxing Day. I know they would be a HUGE hit with my guests. I guess I really need to make LOTS!! Happy Holidays!!
Thanks for the detailed instructions! Instead of making my bread next time, I’m trying your recipe.
YUM! These rolls look amazing! I know they taste better than the ones you can buy!!
SO MUCH BETTER!!!
Your homemade crescent rolls look perfect. I can imagine how fabulous your kitchen smells while you are baking them! I’d love to try making them myself so going to pin for later!
Thank you Jacqueline!
You just can’t go wrong with homemade bread rolls they always taste so much better! This post is perfect for clumsy bakers like me, great instructions and a no-fail recipe! Thank you so much x
This is a pretty straightforward recipe — and you don’t need to be an expert baker to pull it off!
I just love crescent rolls and have never thought to make them until now. I cant wait to try these and thanks for great instructions!