Recipe for Crescent Rolls

Many years ago I discovered the recipe for these crescent rolls and they have become sort of my trademark when it comes to baking. I don't dare fail to make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other family meal for fear of facing the ire of some family members.

I make my rolls in my large stand mixer, so I mix them directly in the mixer bowl.

Ingredients:

2 packages active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening (part soft butter)
4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

Soft butter or margarine (set aside)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from the side of bowl. (If you have problems getting the dough to the consistency you like, you can dump it out on a floured surface and knead it a bit until it's smooth. But that isn't usually necessary, and you don't want to work in too much flour. If you do that, you need to grease the bowl you return it to.)

Cover bowl and let rise in warm place until double. (If I'm in a hurry or the temperature is cool, I turn the oven on to 200 degrees and leave it on just long enough for the oven to get barely warm, then turn the oven off and put the rolls in.)

Allow the dough to rise till doubled in size, usually about 1 1/2 hours.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. (For this I lightly butter the top of my bar and roll them out on it. It's a bit harder than rolling them out without the butter, but at least they don't stick to the surface.)

Using the soft butter you have set aside, generously butter this circle of dough you have rolled out.

Using a pizza cutter, cut each circle into 16 wedges. It will look like a pie cut into slices. Starting at the wide end of a wedge, roll it up. Place on greased baking sheet with the point of the wedge on the bottom so it won't come unrolled during baking. I return these to a warm oven to rise, but you can cover them with foil made into a tent shape to rise. If I leave them rising in the oven, when they have risen enough, I just turn the oven on with them in it and let it come to 400 degrees. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Depending on how your oven works, you might need to lift a roll up from time to time to see how it's browning on the bottom.

If you like your rolls to remain in a distinct crescent shape and be a little firmer to the touch, space them far enough apart on the pan so they won't touch when they rise. If you like a light, airy roll and don't mind if they lose some of their shape, space them closer together and let them rise till they are touching and very high.

The original recipe called for preheating the oven, and if you are in the habit of baking rolls this way, by all means do whatever works for you.

Good luck, and enjoy!