Nothing says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven! Right? Hot, buttery homemade crescent rolls make any meal special, especially those holiday gatherings. This easy recipe is sure to become a lasting part of your family’s holiday meal traditions.
There’s an old saying, “Anything homemade is better than anything store-bought.” Over the years, I’ve come to see this is true of most foods. There’s just something unintelligible that goes into the food you prepare from scratch. There’s a quality that you can’t really put a name on. I say it’s the energy of love and joy that goes from you into the thing you are creating that makes it uniquely you.
Am I saying you aren’t doing right by your family if you don’t make food from scratch? Why certainly not! If you don’t enjoy cooking from scratch, the energy transfer will not be the same. For those of us who do enjoy it, this flaky, flavorsome recipe will be a hit.
When I first made homemade crescent rolls, I felt intimidated. Once I got started, I realized it isn’t hard at all. Most of the time is spent in waiting for the rising, like most breads.
My sons would think the holidays were incomplete without their crescent rolls or homemade cranberry sauce. When we made the transition to a non-GMO, organic lifestyle, the necessity of a crescent roll recipe was foremost in their minds. That meant it became this mom’s mission to make it happen.
I tried to find an easy, peesy recipe. After a lot of searching, I combined some of the ones I found to create this one. The family loved them. They even said they were better than…well you know…the ones made by the little fat boy who likes his tummy tickled.
We have since had to leave modern wheat flour behind and switch to Einkorn flour. If you have gastrointestinal issues due to the gluten in modern wheat, try my recipe for homemade Einkorn flour crescent rolls.
Easy, Homemade Crescent Rolls
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
1/3 cup warm water
3/4 cup warm milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
Filling:
5 tablespoons butter, softened
Instructions:
1) In a large bowl, mix the flour with sugar and salt.
I have an amazing tool the kids gave me once for my birthday. I could not believe how well it works even on bread dough.
2) Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add that to the flour mixture.
3) Add the eggs and warm milk mixing everything really well.
4) Add the 4 tablespoons of very soft butter and mix well.
5) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until it’s smooth and soft – about 10 minutes.
6) Grease the bowl and return the dough to it, turning the dough to coat both sides. Cover the bowl with a clean, dry cloth and let rise until doubled. This takes about an hour in a warm place.
7) When the dough has doubled, punch down with the flat of your hand and divided it into two equal parts. Shape each half into a ball.
8) Place one ball on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll one of the halves into a 16 to 17-inch round or roundish shape. Use a small spoon to spread about half of the 5 Tablespoons of softened butter onto the circle of dough.
9) Use a pastry wheel to cut the round into 16 triangles, kind of like you’re cutting a pizza.
10) Starting with the wide outside edge, roll the triangle pieces into crescents. Once you’ve rolled a piece, place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet or a lightly greased baking sheet.
11) Curve the edges in to make the crescent shape. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Let rise for about 20 minutes.
12) Preheat oven to 400 while the rolls are rising. Before placing in the oven, brush the tops with melted butter. For a softer top, brush with butter after baking instead of before.
13) Bake 15 to 18 minutes, depending on your oven until rolls are puffed and golden brown. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Easy Homemade Crescent Rolls
- 4 cups flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
- ⅓ cup warm water
- ¾ cup warm milk
- 1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour with sugar and salt.
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add that to the flour mixture.
- Add the eggs and warm milk mixing everything really well.
- Add the 4 tablespoons of soft butter and mix well.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until it's smooth and soft – about 10 minutes.
- Grease the bowl and return the dough to it, turning to coat both sides. Cover the bowl with a clean, dry cloth and let rise until doubled. This takes about an hour in a warm place.
- When the dough has doubled, punch down with the flat of your hand and divide into two equal parts. Shape each half into a ball.
- Place on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll one of the halves into a 16 to 17 inch round(ish) shape.
- Use a spoon to spread about half of the 5 Tablespoons of softened butter onto the circle of dough.
- Use a pastry wheel to cut the round into 16 triangles, kind of like you’re cutting a pizza.
- Starting with the wide outside edge, roll the triangle pieces into crescents. Once you’ve rolled a piece, place it on a parchment lined baking sheet or a lightly greased baking sheet and curve the edges in to make the crescent shape.
- Repeat with the second half of the dough.
- Let rise for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 F while the rolls are rising. Before placing in oven, brush the tops with melted butter. For a softer top, brush with butter after baking instead of before.
- Bake 15 to 18minutes, depending on your oven, until rolls are puffed and golden brown. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Nutrition
I truly hope you have a holiday season filled with memory-making moments of love, laughter, and loads of good food. If you like this recipe for homemade crescent rolls, be sure to let me know. Remember to share The Farmer’s Lamp with your family and friends and connect with me on our social media pages.
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