Homemade Crescent Rolls
Tender, delicious, and gorgeous to look at, these easy homemade crescent rolls are the actual BEST! Plus you’ll LOVE how easy they are.
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This is the Best Crescent Roll Recipe
My mom is the homemade crescent roll queen! Over the years, she has perfected a roll recipe that is fluffy, tender, substantive, slightly salty yet still sweetly neutral. Her crescent rolls are the perfect compliment to ANY meal and her most requested bake. Lucky for you, she’s passed her recipe for crescent rolls onto me and given me permission to share it with you.And don’t worry, if crescent rolls aren’t your jam I’ve also adapted this into a quicker no-cut homemade dinner roll recipe too.
Why you’ll love these Homemade Crescent Rolls
Other crescent roll recipes I’ve tried have turned out dense or they explode into an unrolled ugly mass – not this recipe! These beauties hold their shape and rise into the fluffy rain cloud texture we want rolls to be. Ie: you can dip these into gravy, top them with butter, cake them in jam, or enjoy them plain and they will be tender without falling apart.
Homemade Dinner Roll Ingredients
- Milk
- Butter, cold – I ALWAYS use salted butter.
- Dry, active yeast – This is the equivalent of 2 packets!
- Warm water – Target getting the water between 105° F- 113° F to foster yeast activation.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour – Yep! Regular all-purpose here, no need for specialty flour.
- Melted butter, divided – Again, salted butter here!
How to make Fresh Dinner Rolls
- Measure the milk into a microwave safe bowl. Heat until boiling.
- Place the cold stick of butter into the hot milk. Let the butter melt and then stir. Cool until almost room temperature.
- Mix the warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp of sugar together. Let the yeast activate while the milk is cooling. The yeast will get very bubbly, this means the yeast is alive.
- Pour the room temperature milk and the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add in 3 cups of flour, the remaining sugar and salt and briefly mix together.
- Add the eggs to the stand mixer, adding one egg at a time until combined.
- Add an additional 3 cups of flour and slowly mix until combined. This dough will be very sticky. If needed, add up to an additional 1 cup of flour. You should be able to touch the dough quickly without the dough sticking to your finger but if you were to set your finger on the dough for a second it would stick.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise. The dough should rise to nearly double the size.
- Punch down the dough and then allow it to rise a second time, for 20 minutes.
- Pour the dough out onto a floured surface. Flip the dough so both sides are floured. Gently roll into a large rectangle
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3 strips and then each strip into triangles.
- Brush some melted butter onto each roll before rolling them up.
- Roll the triangles up, starting with the straight edge rolling towards the point. Shape the roll into a ‘C’ shape and place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Repeat the above step with remaining triangles.
- Preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Cover and let the rolls rise while the oven is preheating.
- Once the oven has heated, bake the rolls on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Brush cooked rolls with the remaining melted butter. These are best eaten within the first 24 hours – enjoy!
Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe tips
- Be sure to scald your milk! . This will help deactivate a whey protein that weakens gluten that can prevent dough from rising properly. Then, let your hot milk melt your cold butter for you / let your cold butter cool your hot milk so it’s ready to be combined with the yeast. #smarternotharder
- Expect this dough to be STICKY! You should be able to touch the dough quickly without it sticking to your finger but if you were to set your finger on the dough for a second it would stick. If you’re finding that the dough is too sticky, add up to an additional 1 cup of flour and you should be good to go!
- Let your shaped rolls rise while the oven preheats! I typically place the pan on top of the oven to utilize a little warmth while waiting.
Crescent Roll Recipe variations
I love crescent-shaped rolls, but I don’t always have time to cut and roll them! If you’re looking for a quicker homemade roll, try my fresh dinner rolls!
How to serve Homemade Crescent Rolls
Honestly, I would eat these as a side to just about anything! Try these fresh crescent rolls with my Zuppa Toscana, Mississippi Chicken, or Creamy Ranch Chicken to get started.
Homemade Roll storage
Once cooled, store your finished rolls in an airtight bag or container on the counter! These are best enjoyed within 24 hours.
How to freeze Fresh Dinner Rolls
Allow your crescent rolls to cool completely. Then, place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Homemade Crescent Rolls Recipe FAQs
They likely did not have enough time to rise! Make sure that during each rising period, your dough is doubling in size.
Store in an airtight container on the counter! Do not store your homemade rolls in the fridge because it will zap them of their moisture and dry them out.
You sure can! Just place your dough in a pan, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready, pull the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
Homemade Crescent Roll Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup salted butter, cold
- 2 tbsp dry active yeast (2 packets!)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup + 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 6-7 cups flour
- 1/2 cup melted butter, divided
Instructions
- Measure the milk into a microwave safe bowl. Heat until boiling.
- Place the cold stick of butter into the hot milk. Let the butter melt and then stir. Cool until almost room temperature.
- Mix the warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp of sugar together. Let the yeast activate while the milk is cooling. The yeast will get very bubbly, this means the yeast is alive.
- Pour the room temperature milk and the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add in 3 cups of flour, the remaining sugar and salt and briefly mix together.
- Add the eggs to the stand mixer, one egg at a time until combined.
- Add an additional 3 cups of flour and slowly mix until combined. This dough will be very sticky, if needed, add up to an additional 1 cup of flour. You should be able to touch the dough quickly without the dough sticking to your finger but if you were to set your finger on the dough for a second it would stick.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 30 minutes. The dough should rise to nearly double the size.
- Punch down and then allow the dough to rise a second time, for 20 minutes.
- Pour the dough out onto a floured surface. Flip the dough so both sides are floured. Gently roll into a large rectangle
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3 strips and then each strip into triangles.
- Brush some melted butter onto each roll before rolling them up.
- Roll the triangles up, starting with the straight edge rolling towards the point. Shape the roll into a ‘C’ shape and place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Repeat above step with remaining triangles.
- Preheat oven to 450° F.
- Cover and let the rolls rise while the oven is preheating. Once the oven has heated, bake the rolls on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Brush cooked rolls with the remaining melted butter. These are best eaten within the first 24 hours – enjoy!