These Crescent Rolls are one of the easiest dinner rolls you’ll make! They’re soft, slightly sweet, and extra buttery; perfect for a weeknight dinner or holiday gathering.
These crescent rolls, or fairy rolls as my mom calls them, are my mom’s signature dinner rolls.
She makes them for Sunday dinners and holidays.
I didn’t always love them growing up, but once I realized how easy they are to make, and how good they are with a little extra butter, I added them to my recipe box.
This recipe works because it’s:
- So easy to make. There’s no kneading or waiting for yeast to activate in this recipe.
- Perfect for a crowd. This recipe makes 24 rolls and can easily be doubled depending on how many you need.
- Great for holidays. These crescent rolls are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners.
- Simple and delicious! Everyone needs a go-to roll recipe, and this one is extra tasty.
Step-by-Step Instructions
IN a large mixing bowl, beat together 1/2 cup melted (and slightly cooled) butter, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 egg.
IN a separate mixing bowl, gently mix together 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3¼ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast.
SLOWLY add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and combine using a wooden spoon.
COVER the bowl with a towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until double in size, at least 30 minutes.
ONCE risen, put the dough on a floured surface and split into two equal pieces.
ROLL one of the pieces into a large circle about 12 inches wide. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 12 equal pieces.
STARTING with the widest edge of each dough triangle, roll the dough up until it forms a crescent shape.
REPEAT the process with the remaining dough until you have 24 rolls.
PLACE the rolls on a lightly greased half sheet baking pan (jelly roll pan) making sure to put the point of the roll on the bottom. Cover the pans with a towel and allow them to rise again in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
WHILE the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
BAKE each pan for 10-14 minutes, until rolls are golden brown.
ALLOW rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes and brush tops with additional butter if desired.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Be sure that the butter is melted, but also cooled with you mix it with the water and egg. If it’s too hot, it can cause the egg to scramble and you don’t want that!
If you want to speed up the rising process but are making these rolls in the fall or winter when it’s cold outside, preheat your oven to 175 degrees. Once it’s preheated, turn the oven off, and then place an oven-safe bowl into the oven to rise.
You can definitely fit 24 rolls on the same pan, but you’ll need to be careful about the size. If you want larger rolls, they won’t all fit on the same pan. It all depends on how large you roll your circles.
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FAQs
They aren’t.
These crescent rolls are closer in flavor and texture to a regular dinner roll rather than a croissant, even though their shapes are very similar.
Even the Pillsbury crescent rolls are different from croissants (and these rolls). Pillsbury crescent rolls are made with shortening and without yeast or eggs. Croissants are made without eggs or baking powder.
Yes!
Active dry yeast and instant yeast will do the same thing in these rolls, but the method of incorporating them into the dough is different.
If you want to use active dry yeast, just add 2¼ teaspoons to 1 cup of warm water. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast activates. Then you’ll combine the yeast mixture with the butter, sugar, and egg and follow the recipe the same way.
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No-Knead Crescent Rolls (Fairy Rolls)
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 ¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast, NOT active dry
- additional butter for brushing on rolls, if desired
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together melted (and slightly cooled) butter, water, sugar, and egg.
- In a separate mixing bowl, gently mix together salt, flour, baking powder, and instant dry yeast.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and combine using a wooden spoon.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until double in size, at least 30 minutes.
- Once risen, put the dough on a floured surface and split into two equal pieces.
- Roll one of the pieces into a large circle about 12 inches wide. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Starting with the widest edge of each dough triangle, roll the dough up until it forms a crescent shape.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough until you have 24 rolls.
- Place the rolls on a lightly greased half sheet baking pan (jelly roll pan) making sure to put the point of the roll on the bottom. Cover the pans with a towel and allow them to rise again in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake each pan for 10-14 minutes, until rolls are golden brown.
- Allow rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes and brush tops with additional butter if desired.