One of the joys of Thanksgiving in my house are the fresh yeast rolls that we bake every year. I always look forward to stealing some off the pan when they’re still warm, some on the table alongside the dinner feast, and then at least one every day in the following days for turkey sandwiches. That intoxicating smell of the rolls baking is one of my favorite holiday scents. It’s not Thanksgiving without rolls!
I’ve been experimenting in the world of artisan breads, but I’m a long way off from being able to share my own formulas for those types of breads with you guys. In the meantime, I want to continue sharing some basic and delicious homestyle breads like these with you! I’ve probably made yeast rolls 50 times at least, so I’d like to think I have it down to a science!
This bread is very easy and only takes a few hours to make from start to finish (and for most of that time you’re just waiting for the bread to rise, so you can be doing something else!). I have learned through experimentation and a little online research that you need at least 50% all-purpose flour to have the right balance of gluten and get the ideal flavor for a yeast roll. These crescents are half all-purpose and half white whole wheat flour, and the balance is perfect! After mixing the dough and letting it rise, you form the crescents by first rolling out the dough in a large circle.
Then, you take a pizza cutter or sharp knife and make 4 straight cuts to create 8 triangles.
Take each triangle and gently roll it up, starting at the wide end. With the point of the roll facing down, gently curve the ends to create a crescent shape.
Transfer them to a greased baking dish to rise a little more, and then they’re ready to bake!
If you make these for your friends and family, they will disappear quickly. The awesomeness put those sad little rolls that burst out of a can to shame.
White Wheat Crescent Rolls
by
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours rising time + 10 minut
Keywords: bread American
Ingredients (8 rolls)
- 1/2 c. scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 egg.
- 1/4 c. butter or shortening, softened
- 1 t. salt
- 1 package instant yeast
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. white whole wheat flour
- 1 egg yolk + 2 T. milk (optional)
Instructions
In the bowl of your mixer or food processor, combine the milk, sugar, egg, butter, and salt until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flours and yeast until combined. Add, half at a time, to the liquid mixture, mixing on medium speed (or pulsing if you’re using a food processor) until the dough comes together in a ball.
Mix for another 30 seconds, or until the dough is soft and springy.
Remove the dough to a bowl greased with a little olive oil, rolling the ball around to lightly coat it in the oil.
Cover with a dishtowel and let rest in a warm place (I like to put mine in an OFF oven with the oven light turned on to create some warmth) for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in bulk.
Gently punch down the dough with your hands and roll it out into a 12″ circle on a lightly floured surface.
With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough circle 4 times to create 8 triangles.
Roll each triangle up and bend into a crescent, with the point facing down, and place each roll on a greased cookie sheet.
Cover the cookie sheet with a towel and let rise in a warm place until the rolls double in size, about 45 minutes.
If you would like a shiny crust, whisk together the egg yolk and milk and brush it over the risen rolls with a pastry brush.
Bake the rolls in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.
NOTE: Scalding the milk really does make a difference, it helps to create a softer textured dough. To scald milk, just heat it in a small saucepan over high heat, without stirring, until the bottom of the milk starts to burn (yeah, I know it sounds weird). Then just empty the milk into a bowl and let it cool!
If you’ve never made bread before, this is a great one to try! You will impress yourself.
Don’t forget to try one warm out of the oven! It’s one of life’s finest pleasures. A little butter (or Earth Balance, in my case) just makes it even better.
I’ve got a few more Thanksgiving appropriate recipes coming your way–stay tuned!
Thanks for reading!
-Lauren
19 Responses
Tasha
Can I substitute the white whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour and get a similar result?
Lauren
Yep–they’ll be delicious! 🙂
Tasha
Thanksgiving, here we come!!
Katie
Can you refrigerate the dough for a day or two?!
Lauren
Sure! After the dough is mixed, you can stick it in the fridge covered in plastic wrap for up to a day. When you’re ready to bake, just let the dough rest for a few minutes to take out the chill and then proceed with the rolling and crescent shaping, etc.
Snippets of Thyme
My goodness these looks so yummy. And, yes, it’s cook’s right to eat one warm out of the oven! Yum.
Helen
You have answered my prayers, I was just thinking that I needed to google a recipe for crossaints, lol!
Oh and as for the turnips…I can’t believe that you have never had those being a southern girl! You are going to love them, I can’t wait for you to try 🙂
Lauren
I know, I’m surprised I haven’t had them either! Haha! I mean, I’ve had turnip greens but not the actual turnip part before. Should be fun to try! 🙂 I hope you try the roll recipe, they’re yummy!
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Keelin
would this work with scalded soy milk for a dairy-free version???
Lauren
I haven’t tried this particular recipe with soy milk, but I think it would work! You can skip the scalding though if you do use soy milk, I think the only reason to scald the milk is to separate the dairy protein in it. Let me know if you try it! 🙂
Tasha
Is 2 cups the correct measurement for the flour? Mine was runny and didn’t form a ball. I had to add more flour. Did I mess something up? It’s still resting so I don’t know yet if it’ll work.
Lauren
Yes, that’s the right amount. Sometimes you may need to add a little more flour, but the dough should come together into a ball with about that amount of flour. Are you sure you only used 1/2 c. milk? I can’t really think of any reason why it would be runny! I hope it turns out for you.
rebecca
I had the same problem — had to add another 1/3 cup of flour. The dough probably could have taken a bit more, but I got worried. It’s rising now and it looks all right, but it was definitely sticky.
Lauren
Hmmm, not sure why it comes out so differently when I make it. But sticky dough is fine so hopefully they will still turn out–let me know how it goes! 🙂
rebecca
They turned out fantastically. These are a new tradition in our house for Thanksgivings to come!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Lauren
Oh good–I’m SO glad to hear you enjoyed them! We had them on our Thanksgiving table too! 🙂
Tasha
Thanks Lauren! I guess runny was the wrong word. They were just very sticky. Almost impossible to form. But when I did round 2 I realized your measurements were correct. I just put a little flour on my hands and a small amount on the counter and it worked out just fine. They were SO tasty.