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Hi Bold Bakers!
Crescent rolls are a must on a lot of tables over the holidays, but did you know homemade crescent rolls are super easy to make? Of course, it is convenient to pop open a tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, but you’d be shocked at how much of a difference homemade makes.
My Buttery Crescent Rolls From Scratch are so fresh and buttery, flakey, and chewy. I also bet that you already have all of the (just 6) ingredients you need to make them in your kitchen!
For some reason, having a homemade roll to share with family and friends over dinner just means more. Also, am I the only one who jumps every time someone POPS open those prepackaged baked goods?! This honestly takes the stress out of the holidays for me!
What Are Crescent Rolls? Crescent Rolls VS Croissants
In French, Croissant actually translates to crescent — and both of these baked goods are in the shape of the crescent moon! So what’s the difference?
Unlike my croissant recipe, I don’t use yeast in my crescent rolls. There’s still a flaky, buttery texture, but it isn’t quite the same fluffiness as a croissant. Personally, I think a crescent roll is more of a bread, and a croissant is a pastry. I wouldn’t bat an eye at using a crescent roll to sop up some gravy. I’m not sure if I feel the same way about a croissant!
What You Need To Make Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
How To Make Homemade Crescent Rolls
Nothing against the Pillsbury Doughboy, but… here is how you make the perfect crescent rolls at home (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Stir in the yogurt and then knead for about a minute until a smooth dough forms.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough into an 8×12-inch (20×30 cm) rectangle.
- Spread 1/3 of the butter over the dough, then fold it into thirds, like a letter, so the dough is in three layers. (See video for the technique!) Cover the dough and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Repeat the rolling, buttering, and folding 2 more times, chilling for 30 minutes in between. After, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
- As the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, roll it on a floured surface into a large, thin rectangle. You want it to be about 10×18 inches (25x45cm). Cut it in half, lengthwise, and then cut each half into 4 squares.
- Cut the squares of dough in half diagonally.
- To make the crescent rolls, gently stretch and roll a triangle of dough from the wide end to the tip. Place it on the prepared baking sheet with the tip facing down.
- Once they are all rolled, brush the crescent rolls with egg wash and bake on the oven’s middle racks for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Homemade Crescent Rolls
- This dough can seem difficult to roll out. If it springs back a bit as you roll it, just let it rest for a few minutes to let the gluten relax, and then try to roll again.
- You can make and shape the dough ahead of time. Store the unbaked rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Add some flavor! Before you roll the dough into the crescent shape, add some grated parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, crushed garlic and olive oil, pizza sauce, and shredded mozzarella. If you want a sweet treat, try some cinnamon sugar!
How Do I Store Homemade Crescent Rolls?
These rolls are best the day you make them, but you can store any leftover crescent rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days!
Make Bread and Dough!
- Crazy Dough: One Bread Recipe with Endless Variations
- 1-Hour Dinner Rolls
- Artisanal Whole Wheat Bread
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Buttery Crescent Rolls From Scratch Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (10oz/284g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (16oz/450g) whole milk yogurt
- 6 tablespoons (3oz/85g) butter softened
- Egg wash to glaze
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Stir in yogurt and knead for about a minute, until a smooth dough is formed.
- On a floured surface, roll dough into an 8 x 12 inch (20 x 30 cm) rectangle.
- Spread ⅓ of the butter over the dough. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, so that the dough is in 3 layers (see video above.). Cover and place in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Repeat this rolling, buttering, and folding 2 more times chilling for 30 minutes in between. Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a large, thin rectangle, about 10x18 inches (25x45cm), cut in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 4 squares.
- Cut all 8 squares of dough in half diagonally.
- For each crescent roll, gently stretch and roll a triangle of dough from the wide end to the tip and place on the prepared baking sheet with the tip under the roll.
- When all the dough is rolled, brush with the egg wash and bake on middle racks in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
- These rolls are best the day they are made but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Excellent recipe! These crescent rolls were very fun and easy to make. I watched Gemma’s video several times before attempting these and they turned out perfectly! Better yet, my family and I LOVED them. Delicious!
Thank you Gemma! 🙂
For whole milk yogurt, how much fat % should you use? Can you use greek yogurt? Can’t wait to try these!!!
problems from the start. when i put in the two cups of yogurt the dough was sooooo soggy. I had to add a lot of flour to get it to a good consistency. The dough is still very flimsy . we will see how it turns out. anyone else have this problem?
Gemma . I tried this one..the cresents rolls were under cooked.. can you pls tell how to cook them perfectly?
Thanks
I made these this weekend. I think I need to reduce the amount of yoghurt though as the dough was very soggy and I had to add more flour. I live in Colorado – so it’s extremely dry here and I usually have to add more moisture to recipes as a result, so that’s why I wasn’t cautious about putting the full amount of yoghurt in the recipe. I baked half the batch and have another batch in the fridge – will bake it tomorrow. They are a wee bit heavy – would that be because of the sogginess of… Read more »
Hi Gemma, unfortunately my dough didn’t work. I used my homemade yogurt which, despite being thick, may be quite wetter than yours. I had to keep adding flour to compensate, so the rolls did not rise. I’d suggest that one should add yogurt to the dry ingredients up to the point of having a proper soft but not sticky dough – which may vary by flour and yogurt types. I’ll try this recipe again – and, as always, many thanks!
This was such a yummy and fun recipe to make! I definitely want to make these again. My sister and I made these for Mother’s Day also using MADE TO BE A MOMMA’s recipe for Rasberry Crescent Rolls and it turned out delicious! Although I do recommend that if you’re making these into sweet croissants to add some sugar in the batter because it was missing that. But since this recipe was meant as a dinner roll, all is fine. 🙂 Definitely recommend it to anyone out there, it’s very easy to follow. My 12-year-old sister and I (16) made… Read more »
Hello,
I love your recipes, enjoy every email I get and I’ve bought both your books. I watched your video on making crescent rolls. Then I tried to make them. My dough was soo wet I could work with it. I reviewed my steps I had weighed my ingredients. Want to try again. Could you please send me your suggestions.
So excited I found this recipe, living in Australia they don’t have these crescent rolls that I used in several recipes. Do you have a recipe for the tube biscuits that you can buy in the US?
Gemma is there any way that I can use a low-fat yogurt because my daughter can’t have full fat yogurt? Also should I use regular or Greek yogurt?