Homemade Crescent Rolls

A close up of the inside of a homemade crescent roll. In the background are the rest of the rolls sitting on a wire cooling rack. This is the vertical image.

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These homemade crescent rolls are a staple of our Thanksgiving meals, but are great year round as well, and pair with pretty much any meal!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time24 mins

Rise Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 39 mins

Course: Rolls & Breads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Thanksgiving

Servings: rolls

Calories: 127kcal

Author: The Panicked Foodie

Ingredients

1 package of active dry yeast (I used Fleischmann's ActiveDry Original Yeast)
1 teaspoon + 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100-110F)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter of your choice, softened
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/2 cup warm milk of your choice (100-110F) (I used unsweetened almond milk)
vegetable oil for greasing

Instructions

Turning Oven Into Proofing Box

Before turning on the oven, place one rack in the lowest part of your oven and another at the center of the oven. Place a 13"x9" pan on the bottom rack.
Close oven door and turn the oven on to the lowest temperature setting (mine is 170F). Leave it on for a few minutes (2-4).
While the oven is heating up, use a tea kettle to boil 3 cups of water. After a few minutes, turn the oven off.
Using a digital thermometer, check to see if the temperature is between 80-90F. If it is, pour the boiled water into the 13"x9" pan and place the bowl with the dough on the top rack. Close the oven and let the dough rise for the time specified in the recipe.

Homemade Crescent Rolls

In a large bowl, add yeast and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Add warm water (100-110F) and stir gently until yeast is completely dissolved.
To the large bowl, add the remaining granulated sugar, salt, butter of your choice, egg, milk of your choice (100-110F), and 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smooth. Add in the remaining 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and use your hands to mix it together to form a soft dough.
Place dough onto a floured working surface. Knead with your hands for 6-8 minutes.
Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for an hour (see "Turning Oven Into Proofing Box" instructions above).
Remove the dough from the oven. Remove the dish towel and punch the dough down.
Split the dough in half. Roll each half into a 12" diameter circle. Using a pizza cutter or a butter knife, first cut the circle into four quarters. Then cut each quarter into thirds to yield 12 triangles. Starting from the outside (perimeter) working your way in (center), gently roll the triangle. Curve ends inward to form a crescent, if desired.
Grease a large baking sheet with vegetable oil. Place each roll point side down onto the greased baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between. Cover baking sheet with a dish towel. Let rolls rise in a warm place for 30 minutes (see "Turning Oven Into Proofing Box" instructions above).
NOTE: If your oven is large enough, you can place both baking sheets in at once, and let the crescent rolls rise for 30 minutes. However, if your oven is small, you will have to do each baking sheet separately. Just be sure to double check your oven temperature and humidity between sheets if this is the case.
Remove the rolls from the oven after the second rise, and gently remove the dish towels.
Preheat oven to 350F. Bake crescent rolls for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer rolls from baking sheets to wire racks to cool. Once cooled, either store in the refrigerator or in the freezer. In the freezer, they are good for about a month.

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