Crescent Rolls Recipe

These homemade crescent rolls are soft, airy, and full of buttery flavor. The tangzhong dough gives them a tender, light texture that stays soft even after baking. Fresh chives add a subtle savory note, making these rolls a standout addition to any dinner spread.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons bread flour, (22 grams), (King Arthur brand)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 3/4 cups bread flour, (330 grams), (spooned)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream, full-fat
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, (Diamond Crystal)
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, (melted)
• 1/3 cup chives, (finely chopped)
• 1 large egg, (for egg wash)
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, (room temperature)
• flaky salt
• 2 tablespoons cold salted butter, (for tops of cooked rolls)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Tanzhong ---
2. 2Scald the milk. Place milk in a small sauce pan and heat over medium low heat. Do not allow the mixture to come to a boil, rather you want to see steam rise from the liquid and a thin film of wrinkled skin develop over the milk. Once that develops, cook for 1 min, then carefully transfer ¼ cup milk to a small bowl (this is for the yeast mixture).With remaining milk, add ⅓ cup water and ¼ flour to make the tangzhong and whisk over low heat until a paste forms and no lumps remain. Set aside to cool.
3. 3--- Yeast ---
4. 4Once reserved ¼ cup milk mixture lowers to 115°F, add yeast and sugar. Stir lightly and leave for the mixture to bloom, should take 5-10 minutes.If yeast does not bloom in 10 minutes, you will need to do the yeast mixture step again.
5. 5--- Crescent Rolls ---
6. 6In a standing mixer bowl, add ½ of bread flour, sugar, sour cream, salt, eggs, melted butter, bloomed yeast mixture, and tangzhong.
7. 7Mix on low until mixture comes together then add remaining flour. Once the flour is incorporated, knead on med high for 5 minutes. Dough should have a tacky, not sticky texture. If dough is still sticky, add more bread flour in increments of 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is not longer sticky.
8. 8First rise. Grease mixing bowl with butter. Form the dough in to a ball Add dough, and transfer to prepared bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 45-90 minutes OR until dough has doubled in size.
9. 9Once dough has doubled in size, remove plastic wrap and punch down the dough to remove air. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 min.
10. 10Form rolls. Roll dough into a 12-inch square and top with chives, reserving a 1-inch border. Lightly roll into a log and roll again into a 15 x 15 rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to segment the dough into 16 pieces.
11. 11Roll dough into a ball. As you roll, lightly pull the sides to the bottom until the tops of the dough ball are smooth, then roll the bottoms on the counter to seal the bottom.
12. 12In a 11x11 baking pan, add 2 tbsps of room temperature butter to the pan.
13. 13Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough into the shape of a long V. Once rolled out to about 5 inches long, carefully fold in the sides about ½ inch then roll out one more time. Starting from the top (widest part of the dough, roll dough towards you until you reach the bottom. Transfer to the prepared pan and repeat with remaining dough.
14. 14Second rise. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Wait 1 hour or until the dough balls have doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare egg wash. In a small bowl, add one egg and 1 tablespoon water. Mix well. Using a pastry brush, gently brush tops of rolls with egg wash.
15. 15Bake. Bake rolls for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. If dinner rolls are browning too soon, lightly cover the pan with foil.
16. 16Brush with Butter and Salt. When ready, remove from oven and brush tops with remaining 2 tbsps cold butter. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired. Best when eaten warm.