Monday, August 27, 2012

Our Favorite Crescent Rolls

Gooseberry Patch Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls have long been a favorite in our home.  I have made them so many times, I can't even count.  They've been made for Thanksgiving, Christmas, special meals, potlucks, parties, and just for "regular company" too.  I can't remember a single time that the recipe flopped.  The other great thing?  They are pretty easy to make.  You can even make the dough ahead and keep it in the fridge over night to bake the next day.  That has been very handy!

Since I have made a few tweaks of my own, I feel I can share this recipe with you.  If you would like to see the original recipe it is in the Gooseberry Patch Christmas book 2 Cookbook.

Our Favorite Crescent Rolls--makes 16 or 32 rolls, depending on the size you choose

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c butter, melted
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 1/2 -4 cups flour

Mix together the first 3 ingredients and let stand for about 20 min.  Mine has stood shorter or longer, depending on what I get distracted by.  In a separate bowl melt the butter, mix in the beaten eggs and salt.  Pour the yeast mixture in with the butter mixture, gently adding 2 cups of the flour.  Add the rest of the flour a cup at a time until it is just a little sticky.  I do all this in my kitchen aid mixer, so it kneads and mixes at the same time.  If you don't have a stand up mixer with a kneading hook, simply mix the ingredients together, then knead the dough for about 2 minutes.  Cover the dough and let chill until you are ready to bake it.

Once you are ready to bake, divide the dough into two even balls.  Roll out each ball and cut into triangles with your pizza cutter.  I make 8 out of each ball if I want large rolls and 16 if I am wanting smaller ones, and wanting the recipe to stretch a little.  The pictures you see in this post consist of making 16 out of each ball- so a total of 32 rolls.

Starting at the wide end of the triangle, roll up the dough into little crescents.  Let them rise about an hour.  If I have chilled the dough over night, the rolls do not rise until double in this rising.  If I don't chill the dough they rise to about double.  These pictures reflect the dough being chilled over night.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 min. or until golden brown.

These crescents are definitely the best when they are hot, but truly they taste wonderful for at least a couple of days.

Is your mouth watering yet?  Enjoy!!

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  1. These look AMAZING!! I can't wait to make these.

  2. Thanks Melissa. I love working with breads (just not eating them!). I will try your recipe. I enjoy your blog. Wishing your family all a good new year of school!


  4. Have you tried rapid rise yeast or bread machine yeast in this recipe?

  5. No, I've only used Fleishman's Active Dry yeast.

  6. how many days can this dough sit in the fridge? thx - great blog!

    1. The max I have let it set in the fridge has been two days. I don't think I would let it go too much longer than that. :0)

  7. thank you so much for this i have been avoiding recipes that use crescent rolls since i cant stand the ones that come in a can

  8. This recipe looks delicious and I'm looking forward to trying it!! I've never seen a bread or roll recipe use 2 tablespoons of yeast, seems like it is usually teaspoons, so I was just wondering if this was correct? I've never made crescent rolls, so maybe it is right. I was just curious! Thanks much! (sorry, had to post as "anonymous" -- I don't have any of those other accounts!)

    1. I am so glad you caught this!! I have had this on here for quite a while and I never noticed. Yes, it is 2 teaspoons! Actually about 2 1/4 would be more correct. Thank you so much for mentioning this. I changed the recipe so it would reflect the correct amount. :0)

    2. I was hoping that I didn't sound critical, I didn't want to be that way, but was just excited to find a good recipe for crescent rolls and just wanted to double check! Made your cheddar bread last night -- delicious! Substituted 1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour for the regular flour and it was delicious! Thanks!

    3. Oh, no you didn't sound critical at all! I truly am thankful that you caught that error. :0) I'm so glad you are enjoying my recipes!