You may have guessed it by now, but I really love carbs ;). And there’s pretty much nothing better than a flaky croissant or crescent roll. So just go ahead and clear your schedule, because you’re going to want to make these rolls! I couldn’t stop eating them…so light and flaky. Delicious! They really aren’t hard to make, just time consuming because of the laminating in order to get that flaky texture–totally worth it though. I probably ate 6-8 the first day I made them…I just couldn’t make myself stop. =) You can store the leftovers in a plastic container at room temperature for a couple days or bake until just barely golden brown, let them cool, and pop them in the freezer in a ziploc bag. Then you can reheat them 1 or 2 at a time.
If you wanted you could easily turn this dough into a killer dessert by spreading each triangle with nutella or sprinkling with chocolate chips before rolling them up to rise. Then you could top them with powdered sugar or a simple glaze. I’m going to try that with half the dough next time I make these. Imagine chocolate in between the flaky layers–yum! Just go ahead and put on your stretchy pants and plan to run a couple extra miles when you make these. Enjoy!
Flaky Crescent Rolls
for dough:
1 (1/4th oz) package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees) + 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup milk, scalded and cooled slightly (should be about 100 degrees too—not too hot, not too cold. To scald milk, heat on medium high heat until bubbles form around the edges of pot. Be careful–milk can easily burn!)
1 egg, beaten with a fork
1 tbsp shortening
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
for laminating:
6 tbsp butter, softened
for baking:
1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp warm water for egg wash
1. Combine the yeast and the warm water/sugar in a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Mix with your finger until combined (no yeast clumps) and let sit for about five minutes until foamy and creamy.
2. Meanwhile, combine the beaten egg, the milk, the shortening, the sugar and the salt in a large bowl.
3. Add the flour and the yeast and mix for about six minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. If using a Kitchen Aid, use your paddle or dough hook attachment and mix on medium high speed until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. It will seem sticky at first, but keep mixing (or kneading by hand) and it will become smooth.
4. Place dough ball in a greased bowl, cover with a dishcloth or plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, remove dough from fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a large rectangle that’s about 1/4th inch thick. Spread your softened butter all over dough, leaving an inch around the sides of the rectangle, being careful not to break through dough with butter.
6. Fold one half of the rectangle towards the center and fold the other half over as well on top of the first layer so you have three dough layers (like a letter). Fold in half one more time, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
7. Roll out dough again to a long rectangle (being careful of the butter—roll gently) and fold dough again into thirds like a book. Place back in fridge for 30 more minutes. Repeat this process two more times.
At this point, you can either proceed with the directions or you can wrap your dough tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
8. To proceed, roll dough out to 1/8th inch thick. Slice into triangles. Roll each triangle up, starting with wide end and tuck the “tail” underneath the roll.
9. Place rolls on a lined baking sheet, cover with a dishcloth or more plastic wrap and let rise 1-1.5 hours until double in size.
10. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
11. Combine egg yolk and warm water and brush on each roll. Bake rolls for 12-14 minutes (depending on how big you make them) until golden brown.
*Since these rolls take so long to make, you could bake them until they are just starting to brown. Cool and place in ziploc bag in the freezer. Then when you want to reheat, just place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees until reheated and golden brown.
*from Eat, Live, Run
