Easy No-Knead Fairy Crescent Rolls
My mom’s no-knead “fairy” crescent rolls are the lightest and fluffiest white dinner rolls, and couldn’t be easier to prepare!
Everyone needs an easy and delicious go-to roll recipe, one that pairs well with everything from a holiday roasted turkey to a simple weeknight soup. These rolls meet those requirements, and then some!
These rolls have been handed down from my mom, and our family has been enjoying these little pillows of heaven for as long as I can remember. They’re so buttery and delicious, and best of all, these rolls are as easy as homemade gets. No-knead means the dough comes together in a bowl in just a few minutes! So fuss-free.
Why you’ll love these crescent rolls
In case I haven’t convinced you yet, here’s why you need to try these rolls:
- Buttery, rich and slightly sweet flavor
- Light and fluffy texture
- No mixer or kneading required
- Pretty crescent shape
- Not just easy, but practically foolproof too!
Ingredients you’ll need
So let’s get baking, shall we?
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Active-dry yeast
- Egg
- Sugar
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Water
baking tip:Why use yeast + baking powder?
Though not very common, this recipe calls for both yeast and baking powder to leaven the rolls. The baking powder helps give a quicker and higher rise than yeast alone. It also slightly improves the texture, resulting in a light and tender crumb.
How to make easy no-knead crescent rolls
- Mix dough. Let warm water and yeast sit for 5 minutes, then mix with butter, sugar and egg. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder. Mixture will be shaggy.
- Let rise. Cover and set bowl in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour till about doubled. Gently punch down dough, then work with your hands to shape into a ball.
- Roll, cut and shape. Divide dough in half, and roll one portion out on a lightly floured surface to about 12 inches across. Cut into 12 equal sized pizza-shaped pieces. Starting at the wider end, roll the dough up and place on a lined sheet pan, tucking the pointy end on the bottom. Repeat with remaining half of the dough. You should have 24 rolls.
- Let rise again. Cover shaped rolls loosely with greased plastic wrap or a towel and let rise for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake. Bake rolls until golden brown and puffed, about 20 minutes.
- Rub with butter. As soon as rolls come out of the oven, brush with melted butter. These rolls are best enjoyed warm!
Tips for these crescent rolls
- 24 may seem like a lot of rolls (my Mom’s recipe actually made 2 sheet pan, 48 rolls total!), but these are not large rolls and many guests may want more than 1 with their meal. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated to enjoy later.
- If you would like to cut recipe in half, most ingredients will halve just fine, but use 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons sugar.
- My favorite yeast to use for bread baking is Red Star Platinum Yeast.
- I prefer to use a dough whisk to mix dough in a large bowl. You can also use a large spoon or spatula (a wire whisk may be helpful in combining wet ingredients).
- I like to let dough rise in my oven. Heat the oven to its lowest setting for a few minutes, then turn it off. Place the covered dough on the center rack and close the door. More rising tips can be found here.
- You can brush rolls with melted butter using a pastry brush, but I always instead take a stick of butter, unwrap it partly and rub the butter all over the rolls. It’s how my mom did it too.
- Looking to make these rolls ahead of time? See my tip for 4 ways to prepare rolls in advance.
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This recipe was originally published November 2014.
Easy No-Knead Fairy Rolls
The lightest and fluffiest white dinner rolls couldn't be easier to prepare!
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (237 ml)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 envelope)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , melted and cooled (1 stick, 113 grams)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (66 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (480 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Additional butter , for brushing
Instructions
- Combine the water and yeast and allow to sit for five minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, butter, sugar and egg. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined and comes together into a ball.
- Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Split the ball of dough into two equal pieces and put one half back in the bowl. Roll out the other half on a floured surface to about 12 inches in diameter.
- Cut into 12 equal triangles. Starting with the fat end, roll up each triangle and place in a buttered baking pan. Repeat with the other half of dough.
- Cover the baking pan with a towel and let rise for an additional 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and then immediately brush with butter.
- Rolls will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Calories: 127kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 44mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 128IU, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 1mg
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review below or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.
These look yummy! I'm learning to bake yeast breads myself these days, and this seems like a great recipe to start with!
Nice buns! These look great. I forsee rolling some chees up in these…perhaps some ham and a brushing of mustard! Love it!
Gorgeous! There's nothing like a tried and true mom recipe 🙂
Mmmmm…cannot WAIT to try this!
Love the name of the rolls! I agree, nothing like a tried and true MOM recipe and for YOU to carry on the tradition!
There is nothing more delicious than rolls made by mom. Looks delicious!
What a fabulous name for these! I love it. I've never really made crescent rolls before – are they like croissants?
Jax x
I also have troubles with yeast breads, but I'm going to try these this week. Have you tried them with whole wheat flour?
Gotta love fresh rolls that are foolproof, delicious and easy! I have a go-to recipe for dinner rolls, but I could see this becoming a new favourite, what with that whole no-knead thing. Thanks to you (and your mom) for sharing.
So so so yummy! I made these yesterday for dinner, my family was so impressed, to be honest, I was so impressed. I will make these again and again, thanks!
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What kind of yeast are you using?
Made these for Easter 2012. They completely reminded me of the fairy rolls my grandmother used to make, however she would roll them and put them vertically in muffin tins to bake. I followed your recipe exactly and I cannot tell you enough how great they were. Thank you for this recipe.
Looks easy enough even for a total kitchen klutz like me. I wonder if I could add cinnamon sugar inside it?
I wondering if I could have the full recipe as I cook for a crowd. These rolls look awesome.
I just halved the recipe here, so all you’ll need to do is double it. Happy baking!
Thank you some times double does not work, I was worried about yeast.
Your reply is appreciated.
I made these today for Easter- my first experience with baking with yeast. They were fun to make and delicious- soft and light. I found myself sneaking a roll here and there throughout the day, too! Put the second half of dough in the fridge so that we can eat more tomorrow.
These are so adorable!
Easy and totally yummy looking! Love these.
These little babies look truly delicious! During Fall and Winter I’m all about a big, warm bowl of soup for dinner and these would be the perfect match! I have just one question: can I use the baking powder only or is yeast absolutely necessary?
While you can get away with making this recipe without the baking powder, it doesn’t quite work the other way around. I’d definitely use yeast. Sorry, hope this helps!
These look so yummy! Can any of this be done beforehand? i.e. making the dough, rolling them out/etc. then putting in the fridge the night before you’re ready to bake them?
Yes, absolutely! Go ahead and do exactly what you just said – and put the shaped rolls in the fridge overnight. Bake them within 12 and let them come to room temperature for an hour before baking. And enjoy! 🙂
awesome, thanks! one more question.. should I let them rise the second time for 20-30 minutes before then refrigerating overnight, or does the second rise take place in the hour that they sit out and come to room temperature? (Sorry…first time baker with yeast over here)
They actually will do their rising in the fridge overnight and a little bit more as you bring them to room temp. I can’t wait to hear how they turn out, good luck!
I want to lay on these rolls like a pillow. So fluffy and delicious!
I’ll trade you some of my rolls for some of yours! 😉
These are gorgeous and I love how easy they are to make. I’m definitely adding this to my holiday baking list. I think I’ll make them for our housewarming party too!
Annalise, help! I wanted to make these for Thanksgiving so I was doing a dry run and they didn’t raise. Any idea what I did wrong?
Oh dear! Have you checked to see that your yeast and baking powder haven’t expired? Also, be sure your water is warm but not too hot. If you want to be exact you can use a thermometer to measure the temp. It should be between 120-130 degrees. One last thing, if by chance you store your yeast in the freezer, make sure to bring it to room temperature before using. I hope this helps!
do these rolls freeze well?
Yes! You can freeze baked rolls just fine. You can also freeze the shaped rolls before baking them. Then just let them thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours before baking. Hope this helps!
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were delicious! I rolled them out and formed them into the rolls, then popped them into the fridge overnight and baked the next day. Worked wonderfully! Can’t wait for an excuse to make them again. 🙂
Yay! So happy they turned out! 🙂
Can i use this recipe to make appetizers?
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I made these this morning…lovely!! Easy and so delicious!
My family loves these rolls! Easy to make and so good.
My go to dinner roll. I cannot even count how many times I’ve made these. So easy and everyone loves them. They are best eaten the day they are made. If I make them ahead of time, I always freshen them up in the oven.