Crescent Rolls

With the popularity of canned crescent rolls, you might think they’re difficult to make from scratch. But it isn’t so! Homemade crescent rolls are among the easiest yeast-based breads you can make. In fact, they can open you up to a whole world of recipes for homemade rolls and other breads.

Named for their shape—curve the horned ends, and they resemble a crescent moon—they’re similar in shape to croissants. But this buttery crescent roll recipe is much easier than working with laminated dough or puff pastry.

Outside of the rise time, these crescent rolls take just a half hour of hands-on prep, then they bake in about 10 minutes. That means, if you start the dough early enough, you can have hot crescent rolls ready for dinner without much fuss! Another bonus: They freeze great, so you can pull some out whenever you crave a hot, buttery crescent roll.

Ingredients for Crescent Rolls

• Yeast: Look for active dry yeast in small packets or jars in a grocery store’s baking aisle. This fine, granular yeast should be proofed before you use it. Avoid instant yeast for this recipe; even though it can be mixed into dough without proofing, it causes the dough to rise too quickly.
• Sugar: The initial teaspoon of sugar encourages the yeast to proof in warm water. The remaining sugar in the recipe is only for flavor and adds a slight sweetness to the dough.
• Butter: Before you start mixing the dough, let your butter come to room temperature. It will be far easier to work in when softened. Use unsalted butter for less sodium in the recipe.
• Milk: Tepid-warm milk gives the dough a jump-start on its rising time. Substitute whole milk for 2% milk if you prefer a richer dough.
• Egg: The egg helps loosen the dough, letting it rise more rapidly and improving the crumb. Mixing it into the dough with the other liquid ingredients keeps the dough soft and easy to knead.
• Flour: Crescent rolls are known for a light, fluffy crumb, and all-purpose flour helps achieve that. It usually has a lower protein content than bread flour, which would give the rolls a chewier crumb. Both are among the most popular types of flour.

Directions

Step 1: Proof the yeast

In a large bowl, stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the warm water until they dissolve.

Editor’s Tip: The goof-proof way to proof yeast is to let it stand until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 2: Mix the dough

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Add the butter, milk, egg, salt, remaining 1/3 cup sugar and 2 cups flour to the proofed yeast. Using a stand mixer or a fork, beat until smooth. Use the mixer or your hands to mix in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough (you may not need all the remaining 2 cups flour).

Step 3: Knead and rise

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Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, and knead it until smooth and elastic, six to eight minutes. Place it in a large greased bowl, turning it once to grease the top. Cover the bowl, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour.

Editor’s Tip: For smooth, elastic dough, move your palms in a rolling motion that pushes the dough away from you, fold the dough back onto itself, turn it and repeat. Once you find your rhythm, the few minutes of kneading will pass quickly, and you’ll feel the dough’s texture change under your hands, letting you know when you’ve kneaded enough.

Step 4: Divide the dough

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Punch down the dough. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface, and divide it in half. Roll each portion into a 12-inch circle; if it snaps back to a smaller shape, let it rest for a few minutes, until it relaxes, before rolling it out completely. Cut each circle into 12 wedges.

Step 5: Shape the crescents

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Roll up each wedge from the wide end, pinching the tip so that it attaches firmly to the roll. Place the dough with the point completely under the roll, 2 inches apart, on greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Curve the ends to form crescents.

Step 6: Proof the crescents

Cover the baking sheets, and let the crescents rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.

Step 7: Bake the rolls

Bake the crescents until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the rolls from the pans to wire racks to cool.

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Recipe Variations

• Add toppings: To add toppings, brush the unbaked rolls with melted butter or a milk or egg wash; it helps the garnish stick to the surface. Sprinkle them with a flavored or chunky sea salt, dried herbs, caraway, minced garlic or finely shredded cheese before or partway through baking.
• Add cinnamon-sugar: Instead of mixing all of the sugar into the dough, set aside 2 tablespoons, and combine it with 2 teaspoons cinnamon. After you roll out the dough circles, sprinkle them with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then cut them into wedges.
• Make pizza crescent rolls: Turn these crescent rolls into miniature pizza roll-ups, tucking a chunk of sliced pepperoni, tomato paste and mozzarella cheese into each dough wedge before you roll it up. Sprinkle dried herbs and garlic on each filling or to the top of each roll. Serve pizza sauce on the side for dipping. If you want the sauce inside the roll, cut the dough into larger rectangles, like these pizza roll-ups.
• Make pigs in a blanket: This crescent dough recipe can made into a fun idea for pigs in a blanket. Large sausages or hot dogs can extend out the ends of the rolled triangles. For miniature sausages, try cutting the dough into long strips that enclose most or all of the meat.

Can you make crescent rolls ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the dough for crescent rolls ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate the kneaded dough for up to three days before continuing on with the recipe. It will slowly proof while in the refrigerator, so punch it down occasionally. Beyond three days, it tends to overproof, so you’re best storing the dough in the freezer (see below) if you need to hold onto it longer.

How to Store Crescent Rolls

Let the baked crescent rolls cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for up to two days. After that, they’ll stay fresher if you move the container to the refrigerator and enjoy them within one week. Although you want the container to be airtight, avoid overcrowding the rolls. You don’t want them to stick together, squashing those horned corners and rounded tops.

Can you freeze crescent rolls?

You can freeze crescent roll dough, shaped or unshaped, as well as the baked rolls:

• Freeze the dough: If you’re tight on freezer space, knead the dough, let it rise, and divide it into two balls before freezing each in an airtight bag or container for up to one month. Let the dough thaw in the refrigerator, then return to room temperature before you roll and shape the crescents.
• Freeze the unbaked crescents: For the easiest freshly baked rolls, take the crescents all the way through Step 6. Freeze on a baking sheet, and once solid, transfer the rolls to an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to one month. You can bake them directly from frozen, adding three to five minutes to the baking time. You can also let the rolls thaw in the refrigerator overnight, let them rise at room temperature until doubled, and bake.
• Freeze the baked rolls: Leftover rolls can be cooled completely and frozen in an airtight container or bag for up to three months. To keep them from sticking together, freeze the baked rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets first. Thaw frozen rolls in the refrigerator, or reheat them from frozen in a toaster or full-sized oven, keeping the heat low to ensure they warm through the center without burning the outsides.

Crescent Rolls Tips

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How do you get flaky crescent rolls?

Rolling up the dough wedges naturally forms flaky layers that you may be tempted to pull apart as you eat a crescent. Press gently when rolling the dough, letting it rest for a few minutes if it refuses to form a larger circle without extra force. When shaping the wedges, pinch the tip firmly so that it won’t unroll while baking. Otherwise, avoid squishing the dough so that it rises evenly.

For even flakier rolls, try laminating the dough. This technique is the secret to making croissants light and flaky, and it involves folding butter several times into the dough until it creates alternating layers that, when baked, steam and puff.

How do you know when bread is done proofing?

These crescent rolls rise twice: once as a ball of dough and once after shaping. The fully risen dough ball should be doubled in size and feel soft, and when you gently poke it with a finger, it will leave an indentation. After shaping, wait again until the crescents are twice their size, look puffy and still retain an indent when gently poked. Learn more in our ultimate bread baking guide.

Don’t worry if the dough is rising slowly; your kitchen might just be chilly for it. Dough rises best between 75° and 80º and takes longer at lower temperatures. To encourage rising, you have several options for how to proof bread dough when it’s cold outside.