SUPER SOFT CRESCENTS WITH A THIN CRISPY CRUST
Deliciously soft inside with a light, crisp crust — perfect plain, for sandwiches, or any time! The secret to their fluffiness lies in a special first step that creates a moist, tender crumb and keeps them fresh longer.
⏲️ Prep Time: Overnight + 2.5 hours
🍳 Bake Time: 20 min
🍽️ Yields: 12 crescents
🥣 Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 350 ml milk
- 25 g butter (room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 packet (about 7 g) dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For brushing & topping:
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp milk
- Coarse sea salt, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds
👩🍳 Instructions
- Dissolve 50 g flour in 200 ml milk in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring vigorously nonstop for about 4 minutes until thick like a paste. Let cool, stirring occasionally.
- In bread machine (or bowl), add remaining warm milk, sugar, cubed butter, egg yolk, and the cooled flour paste. Sprinkle yeast on top. Add remaining flour and salt last.
- Use bread machine’s kneading program (~13 minutes) or knead by hand for 15 minutes until elastic.
- Transfer dough to a bowl greased lightly with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap pressed on the surface to prevent crust formation. Refrigerate overnight (or up to 24h) — dough will nearly double in size.
- Remove dough from fridge 1.5 hours before shaping. Keep it in a warm place to come to room temp and rise slightly.
- Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Shape each into a ball and let rest, covered, in a warm spot for 1 hour.
- Roll out each ball into a 30 cm square. Trim edges with a rolling pin for neatness. Cut square in half to form two rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 4 triangles (total 8 triangles per ball).
- Roll each triangle from the short side towards the tip to form crescents. Moisten tips with water to seal; optionally curve ends slightly.
- Place crescents on baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Place a small oven-safe dish with water at bottom rack to create steam.
- Brush crescents with beaten egg mixed with milk. Sprinkle with coarse salt, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds as desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Store cooled crescents in a bag to maintain softness.
💡 Tips
- The first flour-milk paste is key for moist, soft crumb.
- Steam in oven helps develop thin crispy crust.
- Don’t skip chilling and resting steps for best texture.
- Use good quality butter and fresh yeast for best results.
🍞 Perfect for
- Breakfast with jam or butter
- Elegant sandwich base
- Afternoon snacks with tea or coffee
- Freezing and reheating later (wrap well)