Easy Gluten- Free Crescent Roll Recipe (2024)

Flakey, buttery, and pillowy soft. This gluten-free crescent roll recipe has 20 to 30 minutes of hands-on time, less than 15 minutes to bake, and two brief resting periods. If you have been looking for a go-to gluten-free dinner roll recipe then you are in the right place. These are even better than the store-bought ones I used to love.

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This year I created an entire gluten-free Thanksgiving menu with all your needed recipes. From the perfect gluten-free turkey gravy to roasted cranberries and maple creme brulee. But I needed the perfect GF bread or roll to accompany it.

I tried so many gluten-free crescent roll recipes from a variety of other websites and even a crescent roll mix. But was disappointed every time. I tested out 6 new recipes, with varying degrees of success before realizing that I was going about it all wrong.

Traditional methods of making crescent rolls with warm milk result in a gummy texture or are too heavy.

This dinner roll recipe is about the method, NOT using specialty flour mixtures. Gluten-free specialty flours can be expensive, especially when you have to purchase multiple bags for one recipe.

Using a one-for-one baking mix was key to the success of a dinner roll recipe. A simple bag of gluten-free flour that could produce beautiful rolls. And the recipe can be made dairy-free.

The dough can be made in advance and baked when needed. Making them perfect for weeknight dinners and holidays.

These GF dinner rolls are also long-lasting. Once baked they can be frozen and thawed out as needed.

Versatile gluten-free dough that can be used in all your favorite recipes that typically use store-bought crescent roll dough. Rejoice!

🧾Ingredients

The beauty of this recipe is that it uses a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend. I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Blend. You should be able to use any 1:1 blend with similar results but I can guarantee lovely rolls with Bob's blend.

If your blend does not contain xanthan gum you will need to add a small amount. Xanthan gum gives the dough texture and structure normally provided by the gluten proteins.

Do not use specialty GF flour blends like cake, pizza, bread, paleo, or pie doughs. I tried several of these types of flour blends and found the rolls to be too heavy and dense.

Plus they didn't work in other applications like pizza rolls.

All the other ingredients are straightforward. Unsalted butter is recommended and remember to always use COLD butter.

See the recipe card for exact quantities.

🥐 Why This Recipe Works

This recipe came our flakey and buttery because we used a rough puff or flakey pastry method for the dough. If you never made a rough puff before it is in between a shortcrust dough (i.e. pie dough) and traditional puff pastry.

It works here because we get some lamination (i.e. buttery layers) without the work of making puff pastry or using gluten. But we also get resting time which hydrates the gluten-free flour (important, as we talked about in our zucchini bread recipe post).

I also found that using traditional warm milk style dinner roll recipes resulted in a dense dough that wasn't reminiscent of the light and airy Pillsbury crescent rolls. So rough puff it is!

The final key to the recipe is using baking powder. Not typically found in yeast recipes, I find yeast plus additional leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder are critical to getting a proper rise when baking with gluten-free flours.

The rising dough does take a bit of time, if you are looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner bread then check out our gluten-free garlic bread.

⏲️How to Make GF Crescent Rolls

It might seem like a lot of steps but in fact, making crescent rolls gluten-free style is super easy. But I like to break things into smaller steps when baking to prevent any confusion.

The high-level process is mixing the dry ingredients, working in cold butter, and finally adding the wet ingredients until we get a dough ball. Rest. Then roll and rest again. A final roll, shape, and proof. Then a short bake.

Step 1- Dry Mix

Start by deciding if you want to make this in a bowl using a pastry blender, or even your hands, or in a food processor. All three work well.

Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl (or food processor) and give it a quick mix. This includes the flour, xanthan gum (if needed), sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder.

Step 2- Cut in Butter

The next step is to cut in the butter. I prefer not to use my hands for this. Work the butter into the flour until you get small pea-size pieces or even a bit smaller, like the picture below.

Step 3- Form Dough and Rest

Whisk the egg, milk, and water in a small bowl. I actually measure out the milk and water in a glass measuring cup and whisk the egg in that. Add to the flour and butter mixture.

Use a spatula to stir together until a dough forms. Form the dough into a round disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 4- Roll, Fold, and Rest

Dust your work surface, I prefer to roll out on a Silpat. Roll the dough into a rectangle shape. Fold one-third in and then the other third. Like folding a letter to put into an envelope.

See Also

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Turn the dough 90 degrees. Roll out into a rectangle again, fold in one third then the other. Turn 90-degrees again. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times until the dough is smooth.

Rewrap in the plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Step 5- Form and Proof

Divide the dough into two equal portions, put one back in the fridge. Roll out the dough to ⅛ to ¼ inch thick, in a rectangle about 15 inches by 6 inches.

Cut triangles with a small knife. Depending on what size roll you prefer, you can make the triangles anywhere from 2 inches to 4 inches at the base. Repeat with the second piece.

Roll each triangle from the wide end to the thin end. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet with the end tipped tucked under the roll. Gently push the end towards each other to form a crescent shape.

Step 6- Proof

Cover with a towel and let the rolls sit in a warm place for one hour to proof. They are ready when they roughly double in size.

If you substitute instant yeast they will be ready in 30 to 45 minutes.

Step 7- Bake

Brush with an egg wash. Technically this is optional but it gives the rolls a beautiful color.

Bake at 400 F degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown. I start checking around the 10 minute mark.

🥗 How to Use Crescent Rolls

Homemade gluten-free crescent rolls are perfect with any holiday meal, or weeknight dinner. We also love them paired with our creamy roasted red pepper soup or our sesame and citrus salad.

Crescent roll dough can be used to make

• Ham and Cheese Rolls Ups
• Pizza Rolls
• Pigs in a Blanket
• Mummy Hot Dogs for Halloween and more!

💭Dairy-Free Variation

I recommend using the Earth Balance baking sticks in place of butter and Oatly oat milk in place of the cow's milk.

I have not tested with an egg replacer so I am not sure if they can be successfully made vegan. If you try it, please let me know!

🌡️ Make Ahead and Storage

To make the recent rolls in advance I recommend making them through the second resting period when the dough is folded like a letter.

The next day, rest the dough at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling out and proofing.

Baked rolls can be kept in a plastic bag at room temperature for 5 days. After the 3rd day, they will start to feel stale. No worries, just pop them in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds to soften up.

💬Frequently Asked Questions

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📖 Recipe Card