Crescent Rolls Recipe

Square image of rolls stacked on top of one another on white plate.

This Crescent Rolls Recipe makes the most yummy, flaky, tender, soft, and buttery rolls you've ever had. The perfect side dish your holiday or any meal.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Rise Time:3

Total Time3 45

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Tornadough Alli

Ingredients

¼ cup warm water 110°F
6 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¾ cup unsalted butter softened, divided
¾ cup warm whole milk 110°F
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

For topping:

¼ cup salted butter melted

Instructions

In a small bowl add the water, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the yeast. Stir to combine and let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is bubbly and activated.
In the body of a stand mixer with the hook attachment, add the remaining sugar, ½ cup of the butter cut into tablespoons, milk, egg, and salt, stir to combine.
Once activated, add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Add 3 cups of the flour, and stir it in. Mix on medium speed until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, start adding up to 1 more cup of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.
Knead the dough on medium-high speed for 7 minutes, until a soft, smooth dough is formed.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, add the dough and roll it around so it is covered in the spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it double in size in a warm, dry place, 60-90 minutes.
Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper, set aside.
Once doubled, punch down the dough to release the air bubbles.
Divide the dough into 2 even balls. Roll out one ball at a time into a 12-inch circle.
Using a pizza cutter, cut into 12 even wedges/triangles.
Using the remaining ¼ cup of softened butter, smear a little bit of it onto each wedge.
Starting at the larger end of the triangle, tightly roll into a crescent shape. Place the rolls onto the prepared sheet tray. Repeat with the remaining dough ball.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to double again for 60-90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and puffed up.
Immediately brush with the melted butter and serve.

Notes

You can use these as a side item to your dinner or main meal, but you can also slice them in half lengthwise and make smaller sandwiches out of them.
You can make these ahead of time, making them perfect for holiday parties or gatherings.
This is a great base recipe to use and then you can customize it, see above for ideas.
If you don't need 24 rolls, you can either freeze some for later, or just cut the recipe in half to make 12.
Don't skip out on the melted butter topping. It really helps these rolls stand out.
These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Make sure you use active dry yeast for this recipe.

Nutrition