Homemade Crescent Rolls

These Homemade Crescent Rolls are made with orange zest and yogurt. The perfect breakfast or snack recipe for any day of the week. Shaped like a croissant but denser and easier to make, but just as delicious!

I  love making breakfast a little bit fancier sometimes, from fluffy Pancakes to a tasty Italian Breakfast Cake.

Recipe Ingredients

• Milk – lukewarm, 2% or whole milk
• Yeast – active dry
• Flour – all purpose flour
• Orange – fresh, zest
• Salt
• Egg – large
• Yogurt – vanilla whole regular yogurt
• Vegetable Oil – I use sunflower or corn oil
• Sugar – granulated

How to tell if the yeast is active

The yeast you are using could be old or dead, to tell if the yeast is still active, in a small bowl add a 1/2 cup of water, sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast and a pinch of sugar over the top, stir it up, then let it stand for about 5 minutes.

If the yeast is still active, it will dissolve completely into the water and the liquid will start bubbling.

Make sure your water isn’t too hot or too cold. Too hot and you will kill the yeast, too cold and it will take a long time for the dough to rise. The perfect temperature is 100-110F.

What is the difference between Croissants and Crescent Rolls?

They are a bit similar, they are both rolled the same way, but Croissant are more of a puff pastry dough and are very flaky, whereas crescent rolls are more of a roll dough texture.

How to make Crescent Rolls

• In a small bowl add the milk and sprinkle the yeast on top, let sit for 5 minutes then stir to combine.
• In the mixing bowl of a stand up mixer whisk together the flour, salt and zest.
• Make a well in the middle and add the egg, yogurt, oil, sugar and yeast mixture and start to knead.

• Continue to knead for about 4-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and compact and pulls away from the sides of the  bowl.

• On a flat surface place the dough and form into a ball.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled medium to large bowl, cover with plastic and a clean tea towel, place in a warm draft free area and let rise 2 hours or doubled in bulk.

• Roll the dough into a circle, cut into 8 more or less even triangles.

• Cut a slit in the triangle (as shown) and roll up, place on a parchment paper lined cookie.
• Cover with the tea towel and let rise one hour.

• Gently brush the crescent rolls with an egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes.
• Let cool then dust with icing sugar and serve!

Can you use greek yogurt?

For this recipe, you can substitute with greek yogurt although you may need to add an extra tablespoon of room temperature milk to help bring the dough together.

Why do you make a slit in the dough?

A slit or incision is made in the dough because it helps remove tension, which helps make the yogurt spread better during the baking. In traditional crescent rolls it would be the butter.

Tips for making the best Crescent Rolls

• Make sure your milk isn’t too hot or too cold, the perfect temperature is between 100-105F.
• Make sure your yeast is active. In a small bowl add a 1/2 cup of water, sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast and a pinch of sugar over the top, stir it up, then let it stand for about 5 minutes.
• If the yeast is still active, it will dissolve completely into the water and the liquid will start bubbling. If not the yeast is dead and time for a new package.
• Make sure your oil, zest and egg are all room temperature. Remove any refrigerated ingredients at least 45 minutes before using from the fridge.
• Be sure to use whole fat yogurt, a vanilla yogurt is the best choice. You can substitute with greek yogurt although you may need to add an extra tablespoon of room temperature milk.
• Make sure to let the dough rise covered in a warm draft free room.
• When baked let the crescent rolls cool for 2-3 minutes then move them from the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.

When are crescents done?

The croissants will be done when they are a deep golden brown and they should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

An instant read thermometer will read 190°F at the centre of the crescent roll when done. If you find they are  browning too quickly then cover the pan loosely with foil and continue baking.

How to store them?

Store the cooled baked crescent rolls in an airtight container or bag. They will keep for up to three days at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge.

Can you freeze them?

They can be frozen once they are cooled completely. You could freeze them first on a cookie sheet then place them in a freezer safe bag or container.

Or you could freeze them in a freezer safe container in single layers separated by parchment paper. They will keep for up to a month in the freezer.

If you are looking to add a little something to breakfast or snack, I hope you enjoy these Yogurt Crescent Rolls. Happy Baking and Enjoy!

More Crescent Recipes

• Sourdough Breakfast Crescents
• Meatball Stuffed Crescent Rolls
• Easy Chocolate Crescent Rolls