Growing up, my mom used to always bake up some Pillsbury crescent rolls on major holidays. She would serve them warm as an appetizer while preparing the main meal.
Sadly, at the time of writing this post, Pillsbury still doesn’t make a gluten free version of their crescent rolls. I have tried many gluten free crescent roll recipes over the years. This one, from The Loopy Whisk, has come closest to hitting the mark. They even still taste good the next day, unlike many other gluten free yeasted recipes. Now you can safely include crescent rolls into your family’s traditions. 🙂
Please note that these crescent rolls contain dairy.
Ingredients
Gluten free enriched dough:
- 15 g (3 tbsp) whole/rough psyllium husk (If using psyllium husk powder, use only 13g.) You can buy whole psyllium husks at Whole Foods or Fresh Thyme.
- 180 g (¾ cup) warm water
- 160 g (1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp) tapioca starch (You can use an equal weight of arrowroot starch, cornstarch (US)/cornflour (UK) or potato starch instead.)
- 135 g (1 cup) millet flour, plus extra for flouring the surface (You can use an equal weight of finely milled/ground brown rice flour instead, but your rolls might be slightly less fluffy.)
- 25 g (3 tbsp) sorghum flour (You can use an equal weight of light buckwheat flour, white teff flour or oat flour instead. Use the latter only if you’re not sensitive to oats.)
- 25 g (2 tbsp) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
- 6 g (2 tsp) instant yeast (If using active dry yeast, use 8g.)
- 6 g (1½ tsp) baking powder
- 5 g (2 tsp) xanthan gum
- 5 g (1 tsp) salt
- 100 g (⅓ cup + 1½ tbsp) whole milk, warm
- 1 US large/UK medium egg, room temperature
- 35 g (2½ tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
You will also need:
- ▢ 1 US large/UK medium egg, whisked (for egg wash)
- ▢ 2-3 tbsp melted unsalted butter
Instructions
Making the gluten free enriched dough:
- To make the dough, I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. You can also make the dough by hand, but the mixer makes it much easier and results in a smoother dough.
- Make the psyllium gel: In a bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and warm water. After about 30-45 seconds, a gel will form.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, whisk together the tapioca starch, millet flour, sorghum flour, sugar, instant yeast, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.Tip: If using active dry yeast instead, you need to activate it first. Mix together the active dry yeast, half of the sugar and the warm milk. Set aside for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture starts frothing. Then, add it to the dry ingredients along with the psyllium gel, egg and melted butter.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the psyllium gel, warm milk, egg and melted butter.
- Knead the dough until smooth and all the ingredients are evenly incorporated, then knead for a further 5 minutes (if using a stand mixer) or 8-10 minutes (if kneading it by hand). Use a rubber spatula to occasionally scrape along the sides and bottom of the bowl to prevent any dry patches of unmixed flour.Tip: This extra kneading time will make the dough EXTRA smooth, which is the key to crescent rolls with a nicely smooth surface without any cragginess.
- The final dough will be slightly sticky to the touch – that’s okay, you’ll be working on a lightly floured surface so it shouldn’t be a problem. Resist the temptation to add more flour to the dough, as that can make the final rolls too dense and dry.Tip: If you find the dough too sticky to easily handle (even on a floured surface and with floured hands), you can chill it in the fridge for about 1 hour before proceeding to the next step. This will give the flours in the dough time to properly hydrate and also firm up the butter in the dough – both of these factors will make the dough firmer, less sticky, and therefore easier to handle.
Shaping the crescent rolls:
- Get a quarter sheet pan (measuring 9×13 inches/23x33cm) ready to have on hand. You can either grease it lightly with some butter or line it with parchment/baking paper.Tip: This recipe makes 12 crescent rolls. If you arrange them on a quarter sheet pan, they will touch lightly once proofed and baked. If you don’t want them to touch or if you want to scale up (double or triple) the recipe, use a larger baking sheet.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball.
- Roll it out into an approximately 14-inch (35cm) circle.
- Use a pizza cutter (or a sharp knife) to divide the circle into 12 equal wedges. Tip: To do this, I like to divide the circle first into quarters and then divide each quarter further into three equal sections. I’ve found this to be the easiest way to get approximately equal portions.
- To form the individual crescent rolls, roll up each wedge, from the wide end to the tip, until you get a croissant-like shape.
- Transfer the rolls to the prepared baking sheet.
Proofing the crescent rolls:
- Proof the crescent rolls in a warm place for about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until about doubled in volume. Lightly cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap (cling film) to prevent them from drying out during proofing.Tip: If your kitchen is on the cold side, you can proof them in a lukewarm oven (the ideal proofing temperature is around 79ºF/26ºC). I usually place a cup of hot water inside the oven, to maintain a fairly humid environment.
Baking the crescent rolls:
- While the rolls are proofing, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Once the crescent rolls have doubled in volume, gently brush them with the egg wash.
- Bake them at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 15-16 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Immediately out of the oven, while the crescent rolls are still piping hot, brush them generously with melted butter. Tip: This will keep their crust nice and soft, as well as make them even richer and more buttery.
- Serve while the gluten free crescent rolls are still hot or warm.
Serving and storage:
- These rolls are best served while they’re hot or warm. So, unlike with many other gluten free bread recipes: you don’t need to wait for them to cool.
- They’re at their best on the day of baking, but you can keep them in a closed container for up to about 2-3 days, and reheat them before serving.I usually reheat them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. If you’re reheating several rolls at once, you can pop them into a hot oven instead.