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Homemade Crescent Rolls are light and fluffy and so flaky! This recipe makes a large batch, perfect for a crowd or for freezing some for later.
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These crescent rolls are a family staple at nearly every meal. My mother always made sure we had a basket of her homemade fluffy, buttery rolls whether it was a Sunday roast, full Thanksgiving dinner, a pot of chili or even a simple summer salad. Now that I have my own family, I find myself making them all the time, too.
Dinner just doesn’t seem complete without a basket of dinner rolls on my own table. The warm smell fills the house as they bake and gets everyone excited to gather around the dinner table. Plus this crescent rolls recipe makes a huge batch, which is perfect because it’s nearly impossible to stop at just one roll!
Ingredients in Homemade Crescent Rolls
Besides the usual flour, water and yeast there are a couple of surprise ingredients in this homemade crescent roll recipe that make the crescent dough light and fluffy and give them the best flavor ever. Here’s what you need:
- Active dry yeast – about three teaspoons
- 2 cups warm water
- Room temperature butter – unsalted butter is great for this recipe.
- Nonfat dry milk powder – you can find this in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
- Sugar – white, granulated sugar
- Mashed potato flakes – these give the rolls a softer, more pillowy texture. Delish!
- 2 Eggs
- Salt
- All purpose flour – about 6 cups to start but add a little more if the dough is too sticky.
- More melted butter – to brush on top of the baked rolls
How to Make the Crescent Shape
- Once you’ve made the dough and let it rise once, roll the dough into two 14-inch circles, then cut each circle into 12 wedges with a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
- Roll up the wedges, starting at the widest end first, to form a crescent or croissant shape.
- Place the rolls on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or silicone, cover and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. This is a short rise because they will get bigger as they bake.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.
Fun Recipes to Make with Crescent Rolls
- Pigs in a Blanket – Roll a hot dog up into the dough before baking for a meal kids love.
- Cheese Rolls – Roll a cheese stick into the dough for a snack. Add ham to make it a lunch or bacon for breakfast.
- Apple Rolls – Roll an apple slice into the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for a yummy dessert.
- Nutella Rolls – Fold up some strawberries and Nutella in the rolls before baking.
Mashed Potato Flakes in Crescent Rolls
Using mashed potato flakes will help make these the softest, flakiest, most delicious rolls you’ve ever tasted. If you’ve ever had potato bread or potato rolls, you know what I mean. Any kind of instant potato flakes will work just fine to make a soft dough. A bag of potato flakes will last for several batches of these rolls. They won’t taste like potatoes; they’ll just improve the soft, pillowy texture of these delightful rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions about Crescent Rolls
While the two are similar in shapes, but dough is actually quite different. Croissants have more of a puff pastry dough to give them lots of thin layers. Crescent rolls are still light and fluffy but more of a homemade roll texture.
This recipe makes a lot of dough, and I even like to double the batch so I can freeze about half of it after rolling the dough into crescents. Once they’re formed, freeze them on a cookie sheet, then store in a freezer safe container for up to two months. When you’re ready to use them, just thaw the rolls on a greased cookie sheet, allow them to rise, then bake.
Using too much flour can make the rolls too stiff or tough. Rolls are better with a softer dough.
Crescent rolls make the perfect side to any protein, like beef, pork, or chicken. Add a tasty vegetable and you have a meal.
More Bread and Roll Recipes
From cinnamon rolls to savory breads, I love to have something baking. Try some of these delicious recipes for your own family!
- How to Make Bread with a Bread Machine
- Irish Soda Bread
- Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia Bread
- Sally Lunn Bread
- Parmesan Pull-apart Bread
- Honey Whole Wheat Bread
- Australian Sausage Rolls
- Peach Cinnamon Rolls
- Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Rolls)
How to Make Homemade Crescent Rolls
Homemade Crescent Rolls
Video
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer optional
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup mashed potato flakes
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6-6 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the softened butter, dry milk powder, sugar, potato flakes, eggs, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth with whisk or paddle on your mixer.
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides. Knead for 5-6 minutes to form a firm dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Grease a large bowl and place dough ball in the bowl rolling the top in oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and separate the into two balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into two 14 inch wide circles and cut each circle into 12 wedges with a pizza cutter.
- Roll up wedges, starting at widest end first, to form a crescent shape.
- Place crescent rolls on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet, cover, and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees during this time. This is a short rise because they will get bigger as they bake.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter on the tops while they are hot. Serve warm.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Using too much flour can make the rolls too stiff or tough. Rolls are better with a softer dough.
- Using mashed potato flakes will help make these the softest, flakiest, most delicious rolls you’ve ever tasted. Any kind of instant potato flakes will work just fine. A bag of potato flakes will last for several batches of these rolls.
- This recipe makes a lot of dough, and I even like to double the batch so I can freeze about half of it after rolling the dough into crescents. Once they’re formed, freeze them on a cookie sheet, then store in a freezer safe container for up to two months. When you’re ready to use them, just thaw the rolls on a greased cookie sheet, allow them to rise, then bake.
This recipe is awesome! One batch makes far more than 24 rolls, however. I made 32 rolls and they were still as big as your head. Very impressive! I got lots of compliments. I made them for Thanksgiving Dinner and I’m making them again for Christmas Dinner. After baking they freeze beautifully. Thanks for a real keeper.
I’m considering freezing these after shaped but before the second rise. Opinions please?
This is the only crescent roll recipe I will use. They are the best!
Can I use a stand mixer and if I do, how would that change the directions?
How are these if you bake them first, then freeze them & reheat them when needed?
Haven’t tried it that way before but I am sure they will be fine! If you try it let us know how it turns out
I always make the rolls ahead of time and freeze them.. They reheat beautifully! This is the best recipe EVER!
Can you plz elaborate mashed potato flakes….do we grate raw potato or boil and then mash it?
They are usually in a box. They are sold as dry potato flakes and you add water to make them mashed potatoes.
Can I use powdered buttermilk?
these look awesome! Sharing on fb next week!
Thanks Cariann!!! I just made your pumpkin marshmallow cookies at ohsweetbasil.com and they were amazing!
Made a batch today and I love the flavor of the dough. I froze half the batch. Was very easy and liked the one raise process. I love to bake and usually use my sister-in-law’s bun recipe. This may be my new go to one.
Just put everything together and now they’re sitting to rise. I accidentally doubled the yeast (tbsp vs tsp) right from the start, so I just went from there. what a huuuge batch! Ive got 2/3 of it in the freezer. Thank you so much for posting this! I’m excited to feed the man well tonight!
The family gave this one a big thumbs up. This was delicious and very easy. I will definitely make these again.
FYI, I didnt have the dry milk powder. I only noticed it after I started making it. I left it out, and they were still fantastic. I will try it again with the milk powder.