My Mother-in-law Mary makes the BEST rolls. I mean THE BEST. These are NOT, I repeat NOT your standard run of the mill, buy in the deli section crescent rolls in a can. I have been to numerous dinners where she served these rolls and if you were to ask ANYONE what their favorite part of the meal was they would tell you, without hesitation, the rolls! Mary was kind enough to share the recipe with me and I have made them for special dinners and at Thanksgiving when we visited my side of the family. They were loved the same by my family.
If you ask Mary what the secret to her rolls are - she will tell you that it is the butter, and letting them rise for 2 1/2 hours. I think the fact that they are crescent rolls rather than the traditional parker house shape makes them extra special too!
Homemade Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
2 TBSP (one of the small packets of yeast = 1 TBSP) dry yeast
1 cup barely warm water
pinch of sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
3 beaten eggs
6 cups flour
Directions
In a bowl combine the yeast, warm water, and pinch of sugar. Set aside. It will foam up a little bit.
Meanwhile combine 2/3 cup sugar, salt, butter, and boiling water in a large bowl. I put it directly into my kitchen aid mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, stir until the butter melts and the water is cooled. Use the lowest setting, or even half a notch to the lowest setting to avoid splashing hot water everywhere.
Add the beaten eggs to your yeast mixture and then add the yeast mixture to your butter mixture. Switch from your paddle attachment to your dough hook and add about 6 cups of flour. Dough will be sticky.
Transfer to a gallon sized ziplock back and refrigerate overnight. This is my FAVORITE part (other than eating them) about making these rolls. I love that making the dough is done the night before. If gives you time to whip up another delicious side dish.
The next day roll out the dough onto a floured board. I usually do it in 2 batches. Roll the dough out so that it is about 1/4 inch thick and into the shape of a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter cut the rectangle in half length-wise and then into triangles.
Roll the triangles up, starting at the wide end. Place the rolls with the point down so there are no "ear" sticking while they rise or bake. Place rolls on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Let rise for 2.5 hours. Rolls will double in size.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Optional: brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an air-tight container. These also freeze great! Just place them in a freezer ziplock and throw them in your freezer.
Who doesn't love a big basket of warm rolls? Perfect for Thanksgiving or with homemade soup!
A favorite way to eat these at my Mother-in-laws house is with homemade strawberry jam...
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about how many rolls does this recipe make?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on how big you make each roll, but about 4 dozen.
Deletewhat does "1 cube butter" mean?
ReplyDeleteOne cube of butter = 1/2 cup of butter
DeleteOnce they are rolled into crescents, do they sit at room temperature to rise for 2 1/2 hours or in the fridge?
ReplyDeleteThey rise at room temperature.
DeleteBread flour or all purpose??? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAll purpose flour
DeleteGrrr! And how sticky? Really really sticky?
ReplyDeleteThe dough will be pretty sticky- which is why it has to be refrigerated overnight. The chilled dough will be easier to work with. I usually just cut the ziplock bag off the next day rather than trying to pry it out.
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