Homemade sourdough crescent rolls leavened with just sourdough starter. They're everything you want in a crescent roll - pillowy soft, slightly sweet, and undeniably buttery. Plus, they have the best flavor from the slow rise. These could not be easier to make, and rival anything you find in a tube!
Like these ever-popular soft sourdough dinner rolls, and my favorite sourdough cinnamon rolls ever, these crescent rolls are enriched with milk, sugar, and melted butter. BUT, they're mixed fully by hand - no kneading required (just one round of stretch and folds) - making them SO easy, with such good flavor and texture payoff!
Quick Look: Sourdough Crescent Rolls
- Recipe Name: Sourdough Crescent Rolls
- Ready In: 9 hours.
- Serves: Approximately 8 - This recipe makes 16 rolls.
- Calories: 127 calories per roll.
- Main Ingredients: Active sourdough starter, melted butter, milk, sugar, all purpose flour.
- Why You'll Love It: They're everything you love in a crescent roll, but leavened entirely with sourdough starter. The dough is so easy to make, and so nice to work with, and crescent rolls are a fun addition to any meal!
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Is there anyone who doesn’t love making (and eating) crescent rolls? They’re like the perfect midpoint between classic dinner rolls and breadsticks.
These sourdough crescent rolls are ultra-soft and are so fun to make! Eat them with honey and jams for breakfasts, to round out a soup/salad lunch, with casual weeknight dinners or elaborate holiday spreads. They go with almost every meal and are always a crowd pleaser!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No mixer required - This is all mixed by hand, no kneading OR mixer required. You'll do one round of stretch and folds after mixing, then let the dough rise until it's ready to shape.
- The best texture - These are so soft thanks to the butter, sugar, and milk in the dough. I think the texture is one of the best parts of store bought crescent rolls, and these definitely deliver!
- They are FUN to make - Does anyone not love rolling up crescent rolls?
- A really pleasant dough to work with - Not only is this dough so easy to mix up, it's also so nice to work with. Not overly sticky, very easy to handle.
Key Ingredients
Melted butter - Melted butter in the dough adds lots of flavor and makes these so soft. There’s also melted butter brushed over the tops of the rolls after they come out of the oven, which keeps them ultra soft - don’t skip it!
Sugar - It might seem like a lot of sugar at first glance, but keep in mind that crescent rolls are on the sweeter side. Not only does the slight sweetness pair really nicely with the hint of sourdough tang, it also helps to keep these soft for days after they’re baked.
Milk - Using milk in addition to water adds fat, flavor, color, and good texture to the rolls. I recommend using whole milk.
All purpose flour - Regular all purpose flour will do the trick here!
How To Make Sourdough Crescent Rolls
Expert Tips
- Don't let these proof for too long - If these are over proofed during their second rise, they will loose a lot of their definition and kind of come out as ovals. They will still taste amazing, though!
- Adjust the triangles while shaping - Crescents look best when the shorter side of the triangle (where you start rolling) is elongated for a more exaggerated crescent shape. Don't be afraid to stretch these points out before you begin rolling.
- If you want perfectly uniform crescent rolls, trim the rectangle before cutting into triangles. There will be a fair bit of variation otherwise, but they will bake up totally fine! It just depends on how precise you want to be 🙂
- Keep the tip slightly under the roll to prevent it from popping up while these bake.
Sourdough Crescent Rolls FAQ’s
Croissants use laminated dough for a pastry that's ultra flakey, whereas crescent rolls are more like regular dinner rolls in the shape of a crescent. Croissants are infamously challenging to make, whereas crescent rolls are extremely easy!
Yes! These will absolutely work for things like pigs in blankets, wrapped brie, and more. You'll want to go by dough weight, as exact crescent sizing can differ from the tubes.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Storage - Baked rolls can be stored in a plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Making ahead - You can shape these, cover well, and let them do the second rise in the fridge overnight. If they don’t look like they’ve puffed up, you may need to let them finish rising at room temperature for an hour or so before baking.
More Slightly Sweet Sourdough Recipes You’ll Love
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Sourdough Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 100 grams water
- 100 grams active sourdough starter
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 45 grams milk
- 50 grams sugar
- 330 grams all purpose flour
- 9 grams salt
- For brushing: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the water, starter, butter, milk, and sugar. Add the flour and salt and mix until very well combined. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes-1 hour.
- Do a round of stretch and folds and form the dough into a nice ball. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 6-8 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll into a roughly 10 x 12-inch rectangle. Cut in half longways then in quarters shortways, for a total of 8 rectangles. Then cut each rectangle in half diagonally to make 16 triangles (see the post photos if you’d like a visual!). Roll each triangle up starting at the shortest end toward the point. Leave the tip tucked slightly under the roll as it tends to want to pop up during baking. Gently curve the outside points inward to form a crescent. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining triangles. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours more, until noticeably puffed up.
- Toward the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until baked through and browned to your liking. Brush with the melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven, and serve warm.
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