I came across this recipe a long, long, long time ago and can’t remember where I saw it but I knew I wanted to try it! Before this Thanksgiving, I hadn’t really had a great occasion for which to bake these so I knew this was a must!
The two things I have to gripe about is the construction, the layers puffed up and separated, which I didn’t expect and don’t remember happening when I looked at the pictures that drew me to the recipe in the first place; secondly, it was not as buttery tasting as I thought they would be – but then that could just be my pregnancy taste buds kicking in… !
These were fun to make and require a large bowl for raising the dough, since it will double or triple in size – so be prepared, use the largest bowl you have and make sure to give the plastic wrap a bit more room before you securely seal it to the bowl.
These come out tasting a lot like Pillsbury crescent rolls, but so much better and fresh – and don’t let the yeast raising scare you away, it is totally easy to do and an easy problem to fix and you don’t have to invest hardly any baking supplies into if you should need to take another stab at activating the yeast. I suggest doubling the recipe if you would like to make a batch of buttery rolls and a batch of garlic rolls, since these don’t seem to last long after leaving the oven….
Best served within hours of leaving the oven, these aren’t very tasty the next day but the batter lasts a bit after rising in the fridge and can be made over a period of two or three days, so just make up as much as you have room for to proof and keep making these delicious, flakey rolls!
Ingredients:
- 5 tsp active dry yeast 2 individual packets
- 1/2 C warm water, 95 F -no warmer
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 C softened butter or heat it with the milk in the microwave
- 1-1/2 C warm milk, no warmer than the water
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 5-1/2 C flour
- 4-8 tsp softened butter for spreading
In a large bowl, combine the yeast, water and 1 tsp sugar. Let stand for ten minutes to “proof” the yeast. It should be a spongy mass, if the yeast rises – continue, if not, start again.
Add the butter, milk, eggs, 1/2 C sugar, and salt. Stir in 2-1/2 C of flour with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes until just combined. The dough will be very sticky. Let the mixture stand in a warm room for one hour. Then add the remaining flour, stirring with the wooden spoon for two minutes and then place the dough in a cold place (ie. fridge) overnight.
About 90 minutes before serving time, divide the dough into two balls – buttering your hands first and gently punch down the dough. On a floured surface, roll one ball out into a 12 inch circle, generously butter the surface and then cut the dough into 16 pizza slice looking wedges, I even use a pizza cutter to make it seamless and easy to cut into pieces. Roll up each wedge, starting with the largest, widest part and rolling it into the tip, tuck the ragged ends in and under each roll if you like and then place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Allow the rolls to rise, uncovered in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour or until almost doubled.
Bake at 350F for 12-20 minutes, or freeze the extras, tightly wrapped and placed in a freezer safe Ziploc bag.