How to Make Soft & Buttery Homemade Crescent Rolls || Easy Recipe

By Rebecca St.Clair

This easy crescent roll recipe makes beautifully soft, fluffy rolls that pair perfectly with soups, salads, or your favourite holiday feast. These dinner rolls are golden, pillowy, and irresistibly buttery. They are a go-to bread recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or anytime you crave bakery-style dinner rolls.

Skip the store-bought crescent rolls and make these from scratch with this easy, foolproof recipe. They are everything you crave in a bread recipe — light and oh-so-soft with rich, buttery flavour. Make your table extra special with these crescent rolls.

With simple ingredients, this recipe is beginner-friendly but tastes like it came straight from a bakery. There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread!

How to store homemade crescent rolls

Room temperature

• Allow the crescent rolls to cool to room temperature
• Place leftovers in an airtight container or cover completely with plastic wrap.
• Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Fridge

This method tends to dry out fresh baked bread quickly. However, if you want to store your crescent rolls in the fridge for longer storage,

• Allow them to cool to room temperature
• Wrap the crescent rolls completely in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
• Store in the fridge for up to 5 days
• Warm the crescent rolls in the oven or microwave before serving.

Freezer

• Allow the crescent rolls to cool to room temperature
• Wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap.
• Place in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag
• Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Thaw at room temperature or reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10–15 minutes before serving.

Can I make crescent rolls ahead of time?

Yes! You can make the dough the day before. Form them into crescent rolls and place on a baking sheet to have their final rise in the refrigerator overnight. The cold temperature slows down the time needed for the bread to rise. Take them out and bake fresh the next day!

Can crescent roll dough be frozen?

Yes!

How to freeze crescent roll dough- Freeze the dough after you have shaped the crescent rolls but before the final rise. Place them on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 2 to 3 hours. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer.

When you are ready to use the dough, let it defrost at room temperature, on a lined baking sheet. It will take about 5 hours to defrost and do the final rise. Then continue on to baking.

Can I make crescent rolls without a machine?

You can make these by hand, with just a bowl and some arm muscle!

Mix all of the ingredients, in the order listed, in the bowl. When the dough comes together, tip it out onto the counter and knead for about 8-10 minutes.

I knead my dough by folding it over on itself, then pressing down and away from myself, with the heal of my hand. Rotate the dough, fold and press again. Repeat until the dough is smooth and elastic.

This may be a little bit more work on your part, but no special equipment is required! Continue on with the recipe to shape and bake the rolls.

Can I make crescent roll dough in a bread machine?

Yes!

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine and turn it onto the dough setting.

When the cycle is done, you will be at the step of splitting and shaping the dough. Continue on with the recipe as written.

Enriched dough

What makes these crescent rolls so soft? They are made with an enriched dough. This makes bread soft and pillowy!

An enriched dough, like in this recipe, is made with milk, eggs, and butter added in. These added fats make a soft, tender, pillowy bread.

How to know when the crescent rolls are done?

They will be golden brown on the top. When you tap on the top, they will sound light and hollow. The internal temperature should be between 190 – 210 °F (88 -99 °C).

How to make homemade crescent rolls

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, if making by hand), mix 2 cup warm milk and ¼ cup sugar.
2. Sprinkle 2 ¼ tsp yeast over top and allow it to soften. This takes about 5 minutes.
3. Mix in 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 egg, ¼ cup softened butter, and 2 tsp of salt.
4. In a machine, knead 1 minute on low then increase to medium and knead 4 more minutes. If kneading my hand, tip the dough out on a floured counter and knead for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
5. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and allow it to rise, in a warm place, until doubled. This takes about 1 ½ hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

Shaping

1. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and split into 4 equal pieces.
2. Fold each section over onto itself all the way around the circumference of the dough, flip it over and roll and tighten it to the counter. This will form a circular dough ball. Continue will all of the dough sections.
3. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

4. Roll each dough ball out into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.

5. Cut each circle like a pie, into 8 equal wedges.

6. Butter the top of each wedge with melted butter.

7. Roll each wedge up into a crescent shape.

Baking

1. Place the formed rolls onto a few lined baking sheets.
2. Cover and let rise, in a warm place, for about 1 hour or until doubled again.
3. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
4. Bake the crescent rolls 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

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