Kittencal's Soft Tender Crescent Rolls

Kittencalskitchen's Note:

One of the best recipes for crescent rolls! ---I have made this dough using *all* butter in place of shortening and it was just *not* as good, although you could use 1/4 cup of each of shortening and butter if desired --- you could use two eggs for this recipe, but I find that the dough just takes forever to rise and using one egg is just as good :)

• Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 30

• 1 cup milk (full-fat or 2% milk is best)
• ½ cup Butter Flavor Crisco (can 1/4 cup each half butter and butter flavor shortening)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3 teaspoons yeast (for a quicker rising time use 1 tablespoon yeast, it will not effect the taste)
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (more as needed)
• melted butter

Directions:

1. Heat the milk, Crisco, sugar and salt on top of stove until fairly warm (just until the butter melts, but does not have to melt completely) remove from heat and cool until warm but not hot (if you are in a hurry, place in the fridge for about 20 minutes).
2. Warm egg slightly in warm water to bring to room temperature only.
3. When milk is still warm but not hot, place 3-1/2 cups flour in the Kitchen Aid stainless steel mixing bowl bowl with room temp egg and cooled milk/butter mixture, mix, cover with a towel to keep all ingredients warm while proofing yeast.
4. Proof yeast in water with 1 tsp sugar for 10 minutes until foamy, then add to bowl.
5. Start mixing/kneading (adding more flour until a smooth semi-sticky dough is formed (knead for about 8-10 minutes on the heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a kneader blade.
6. Remove the dough and let stand covered with a clean dish towel for 10 minutes.
7. Gather up dough and knead gently for a couple of times, then form into a ball.
8. Place dough into a well greased bowl.
9. Cover and rise for 1 - 1-1/2 hours.
10. Punch down dough.
11. Divide dough into two or three balls, (three sections will give you smaller crescents) then roll into an even circle with a rolling pin and spread/brush liberally with melted butter (use only butter!).
12. This is a great tip, roll out the dough and just sit a small pizza pan lightly on top of your rolled dough, then run a pizza cutter all around the edges of the pizza pan, you will have an even round circle.
13. Cut into even size triangles (I use a pizza cutter for this!).
14. Roll up the dough starting at the larger end.
15. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly brushed with melted butter.
16. Cover and rise for about 30-45 minutes or until almost doubled.
17. Bake for about 20 minutes at 375°.

Reviews

[Annz Recipez]

My kids LOVED these rolls. I cut the fat just a little bit--used 1/4 c. shortening and 1 T. butter with 1% milk. Also I used 1 c. white whole wheat flour and 2 c. bread flour. I made the batter in my bread machine--it was really sticky and I had to add at least 1/2 c. of flour. The end result was fantastic, though--very soft, fluffy and they smelled, and tasted, fantastic! Thanks for sharing, Kittencals.

[Amberngriffinco]

Excellent Karen! JUST needed more salt to me. By the way, do you think butter Crisco would make it buttery?? I almost added butter extract for taste and color. NO MORE BUYING for me@ 2/2010 I froze about a dozen of these.. they thaw out and rise well and baked wonderfully!!!!

[Heidi Mason]

i doubled this recipe and then divided each batch into 4 sections. i cut each circle into 12 "pie" slices, and wound up with 96 rolls! i baked half of them, and froze the rest before the 2nd rising. that way i just thaw what i want, and then let them rise until doubled, then bake! this was easy, fun, and definitely worth it.