Soft Crescent Rolls
These rich, soft, buttery, crescent rolls are made from scratch. We make them with a no-knead dough using just six ingredients, which are mostly pantry staples and take just five minutes to combine.
Crescent is just a shape similar to a croissant. So these are crescent dinner rolls. The dough is rich and buttery, yet soft and light. You can eat these on their own with nothing on the side. My kids can’t stop at one every time I make these.
I always make a double batch of these and my no-knead knotted rolls. Because they are so soft they also freeze beautifully. I have them on hand in the freezer so the kids can have them to snack whenever they want. My Aadi will have these with butter while my Rhea wants them with jam.
About these rolls
This is a no-knead dough so you can mix this with just a bowl and spatula. But bread for me is therapeutic, so I always end up with my hands in there. But, feel free to not touch the dough at all.
This is also a soft dough rich in butter. The secret to getting this done perfectly, as I have in the video, is to chill the dough. Yes, if the butter chills, it makes the dough firm, which in turn makes it easier to roll and shape the crescents. I also make these as cinnamon roll crescents. In fall, I add some pumpkin puree to make these pumpkin crescents rolls.
The timeline for these rolls is very simple too.
- Prepare the dough- 5 minutes
- First rise – 60 to 90 minutes
- Chill the dough- 60 minutes
- Shape the dough – 10 minutes
- Proof the rolls – 45 minutes
- Bake the rolls – 15 minutes
Ingredients and substitutes
- Flour – Often, bread flour is recommended for making bread. And yet, I have been using all-purpose flour for over 15 years very successfully in most of my recipes.
- Instant dry yeast – I like to use instant dry because I’ve always had great success with it. You can use the same quantity of active dry yeast or 4 grams of fresh bakers yeast.
- Sugar – These are sweet rolls. If you prefer you can substitute sugar with 2 tbsp of honey as well.
- Butter – I like adding butter not just to feed the yeast but also to add flavor. You can substitute the butter for 2 tbsp of oil in this recipe.
Step by step instructions
Dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs.
- Add 1/2 the flour – combine well.
- Then, add the room temperature butter – combine well.
- Add the remaining flour – combine well.
- Bring the dough together in a dome (see video).
- Alternatively, you can add all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine until smooth.
- Cover and leave on the counter to rise for 60 to 90 minutes.
- Then, place in the refrigerator for another 60 minutes.
Shape
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge/refrigerator
- Knead for 30 seconds.
- Divide into 2 portions using a dough scraper or a knife
- Using a rolling pin, roll one portion into a 12-inch disc.
- Brush with room temperature butter.
- Divide the disc into 12 wedges (as shown in the video).
- Roll each wedge/triangle from the thicker end towards the tip.
- Do the same with the second portion (this batch makes 24 crescents).
Proof
- Place on a baking tray making sure the tips are on the bottom to prevent them from opening during baking.
- Cover and let proof for 45 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat oven at 160 C / 320 F. (start preheating the oven after 30 minutes of proofing)
- Brush each crescent with egg wash (combine an egg with 2 tbsp water to make an egg wash).
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the top is lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and brush with butter.
- Keep them covered under a clean kitchen cloth for 10 minutes to keep them soft.
- Then cool them on a cooling rack.
Frequently asked questions
If stored properly, these soft dinner rolls will stay for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. They can also be frozen for a month or more. Never store bread in the fridge as it dries out.
You want to keep bread covered in an airtight container or ziplock bag to prevent air from drying them out. I like to use my reusable silicone bags to keep bread fresh.
The best way to keep homemade bread soft is to contain the steam within the bread. So, while they are still hot, place a clean kitchen cloth over them and let them rest for 10 minutes. Keeping these dinner rolls covered will also keep them from drying out.
We use these as crescent rolls. So rich, soft, buttery, and delicious. These are great with any soup, stew, chili, or slow-cooked meat.
Troubleshooting
My dough did not rise?
Most often the simplest explanation for this is that the liquid (milk) used was not warm. You need the liquid to be no more than 110 F/ 41 C. Hotter than that will not activate the yeast. In some cases, it could also be that the yeast was old and not good.
My bread is not soft but dense?
If you add too much flour to the dough the bread will be dense, not soft. You want the dough to be soft, elastic, and still slightly sticky. Follow the recipe and look at the video to see my consistency of dough.
My rolls deflated when baking
Prove the rolls for only 45 minutes or until just almost double in volume. They will continue to rise some more in the oven when baking. If you overproof the rolls they tend to rise and deflate when baking.
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Crescent Rolls – No knead
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Video
Ingredients
- 4 cup (500 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ tsp Instant dry yeast ((1 envelope))
- 2 Eggs (large)
- ½ cup (8 tbsp) Butter ((1 stick) unsalted, room temperature)
- ¾ cup (180 ml) Milk
- 5 tbsp (80 g) Sugar (white)
Plus
- 4 tbsp (60 g) Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- ½ Egg (for eggwash)
Instructions
Dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs.
- Add 1/2 the flour – combine well.
- Then, add the room temperature butter – combine well.
- Add the remaining flour – combine well.
- Bring the dough together in a dome (see video).
- Alternatively, you can add all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine until smooth.
Rise
- Cover and leave on the counter to rise for 60 to 90 minutes.
- Then, place in the refrigerator for another 60 minutes.
Shape
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge/refrigerator
- Knead for 30 seconds.
- Divide into 2 portions using a dough scraper or a knife
- Using a rolling pin, roll one portion into a 12-inch disc.
- Brush with room temperature butter.
- Divide the disc into 12 wedges (as shown in the video).
- Roll each wedge/triangle from the thicker end towards the tip.
- Do the same with the second portion (this batch makes 24 crescents).
Proof
- Place on a baking tray making sure the tips are on the bottom to prevent them from opening during baking.
- Cover and let proof for 45 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat oven at 160 C / 320 F. (start preheating the oven after 30 minutes of proofing)
- Brush each crescent with egg wash (combine an egg with 2 tbsp water to make an egg wash).
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the top is lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and brush with butter.
- Keep them covered under a clean kitchen cloth for 10 minutes to keep them soft.
- Then cool them on a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Ingredients – Ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature except milk. Milk must be warm (110 F) not hot, not cold. If the eggs are cold they will cool the warm milk. If the butter is cold it won’t incorporate into the flour easily.
- No matter how quick you want these rolls don’t skip on chilling the dough for at least 45 minutes to an hour before you roll and shape the crescents
- Overnight Buns – The dough can be prepared a day in advance. Proof them for an hour on the counter then punch down and let the dough rest in the fridge overnight. Overnight proofing is a great way to add flavor to the bagels. The next day, continue with the recipe as directed, rolling, and shaping the chilled dough.
- Storing these rolls– These crescents do freeze beautifully. Cool the baked buns then place them in a freezer-safe storage bag. These can be frozen for up to a month.
- Kneading the dough – The dough does not need any kneading but if you want you can mix it using an electric mixer because the dough is soft and sticky.
- Bread machine – these rolls can be easily made in a bread machine. Pour all ingredients in the pan set to dough or manual. Start and let the dough run its cycle for about 9 to 10 minutes – continue with the recipe as shown above.
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
KNEADING DOUGH IS RELAXING,,I JUST CLOSE MY EYES AND GET GOING WITH THE KNEADING, I ADD ALL SORTS OF HERBS AND LOTS OF PUREED GARLIC, ….
THANKS …QUERINO..
Thank you Veena for sharing your recipes and also taking the time to make these videos for us. Your recipes and instructions are super easy to follow. You make everything look so effortless. I must say, you are very talented and very gifted not only in baking but in cooking other dishes as well.
I used to live in Mumbai too but presently living in Vancouver, BC. for the last 20 years and have been following your recipes for a couple of years now. I can’t thank you enough for sharing them with us. ?
God Bless you.
Thank you so much for your kind words Liz. I am happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes. Stay blessed
I love,love,love this recipe? It came out beautiful, light,soft and oh-so buttery???Your recipes and instructions are easy to follow. Hence, every single bake comes out perfect ( well,almost perfect) on my first attempt. Thank you Veena?
Thank you, so much. Lucy. So happy you enjoyed it