Crescent Rolls
These homemade Crescent Rolls are soft, buttery, lightly sweet, and wonderfully flaky, with delicate layers created by folding cold butter into the dough. They make an impressive homemade dinner roll for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinners, or any meal that deserves something special.
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Servings: 28 rolls
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Pastry blender or two knives
- Bench scraper or sharp knife
- Plastic Wrap
- Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups (343.75 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp (36 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (6.22 g) active dry yeast
- 1¼ tsp (7.5 g) kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cold
- ½ cup (122 g) milk
- ¼ cup (59 ml) water
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives until only pea-sized pieces remain. Keeping the butter cold helps create flaky layers.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, water, and egg. Add the mixture to the flour and butter and stir just until a dough forms.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll the chilled dough into a rough rectangle about ½ inch thick. Fold it into thirds like a letter, turn it 90 degrees, roll it out again, and fold. Repeat the rolling and folding process 3–5 times.
- Wrap the laminated dough and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Divide it into 3 equal portions.
- Roll each portion into a rectangle about ⅛ inch thick, approximately 16 inches long and 5 inches wide. Cut each rectangle into skinny triangles.
- Starting at the wide end, roll each triangle toward the pointed end. Tuck the point underneath and gently curve the roll into a crescent shape. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for about 1 hour, or until puffy and nearly doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the crescent rolls for about 10 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
Notes
- Keep the butter cold while making the dough. This is important for creating flaky layers.
- Do not overwork the dough when bringing it together.
- Active dry yeast can be used as written; the original recipe notes that instant yeast may also be substituted, with the proofing time potentially reduced slightly.
- For extra flaky rolls, take your time with the rolling and folding process.
- The shaped, unbaked rolls can be refrigerated overnight or for up to 24 hours before proofing and baking.
- Unbaked shaped rolls can also be frozen until solid and stored in a freezer bag for up to 2 weeks. Thaw, proof, and bake as directed.
- Store baked rolls in an airtight bag at room temperature for several days or refrigerate for about a week.