This is a super easy dough that I use for crescent rolls every holiday dinner. The kids love these, and I don’t complain about it either. The dough can also be used for cinnamon rolls and other pastries very easily.
Ingredients
- 5 to 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 packets yeast (instant is probably best for this, but active dry should work ok)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 3 eggs
Procedure
Combine 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Heat the butter and water to about 110 degrees F (this should be warm enough to melt the butter), and then stir into the flour mixture. Add the eggs and mix well. I do this by hand but you could use a stand mixer if you’d like – no actual kneading is necessary though. After the eggs are mixed in, add at least 3 cups of flour. The dough should be fairly stiff and not very sticky – if it feels very sticky add a bit more flour. Wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 48 hours. If you refrigerate longer than a few hours, you may need to punch it down once or twice.
If you want to use it the same day, you can just let it rise for 2 or 3 hours in a cool place prior to shaping.
Note: for a half recipe, you can use half of all ingredients, except use 2 eggs and reduce the water to 1/3 cup.
Crescent Rolls
Divide the full recipe into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece, shape into a ball and then roll out into a 10 to 12 inch circle. Brush with 1 tablespoon of softened/melted butter. Cut the circle into 10 wedges – this is the hard part, but 10 is a better size than an easier number like 8. Starting at the wide end of the wedge, roll towards the point. Don’t roll too tightly, because the roll will need some space to rise. Position the roll point down on a cookie sheet and shape into a slight curve. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-90 minutes (maybe even longer if the dough has been in a cold refrigerator). Bake at about 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
Cinnamon Rolls
For 9 small rolls use 1/4 recipe of dough. For 15 rolls use 1/2 recipe. Roll the dough out to a rectangle, about 8×12 inches for 9 rolls or 8×18 inches for 15 rolls. Brush the dough with about a tablespoon of melted butter for 9 rolls or two tablespoons for 15 rolls. Leave about 1 edge lengthwise without butter. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar – just enough to make a thin layer. Then sprinkle with ground cinnamon – enough to cover the entire surface fully. Roll the dough up lengthwise and cut into 9 or 15 equal pieces.
For 9 rolls, arrange in an 8×8 inch pan. For 15 rolls, use a 9×13 pan. I use a teflon pan liner on the bottom of the pan but parchment paper would work fine as well. I also spray with nonstick cooking spray to keep the rolls from sticking to the edges. I normally put these together the evening before baking and let them rise overnight. Because the dough is pretty firm I have never had a problem with it over-rising. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 18 minutes.
Cinnamon Apple Ring
This recipe had its own dough to go with it originally, but I just use the same sweet dough recipe as above instead. Using 1/4 of the dough:
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp soft or melted butter
- 3/4 cup finely chopped tart apples
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (I usually omit these)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Roll the dough to a 14×7 inch rectangle. Brush with butter. Combine apples, sugar, nuts, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the dough and roll up from the long edge and seal. Place the roll on a greased baking sheet (with a rim!) in a circle, with the sealed edge down, and pinch the two ends together. Using scissors, cut 2/3 of the way into the dough at 1 inch intervals, and turn each section to the side. Let rise for about an hour and bake at 350 F for about 22 minutes. This will be messy and will leak sugar/juice which will caramelize into a sticky mess. The result is still delicious though. Drizzle with icing if desired.
