I dream of soft, fluffy vegan crescent rolls fresh from the oven that I can tear open with my fingers, watch as the smoke dissipates right before my eyes, slather with a dab of vegan butter and raspberry jelly, and then take a huge bite of…now doesn’t that sound like heaven?
And after making these vegan crescent rolls I definitely was in heaven. Because not only are they are easy to make and impossibly elegant to look at, they are, of course, 100 percent vegan.
As flaky as these rolls are, don’t mistake them for their richer French cousins, the incredibly delicious croissants, which contain far more fat and are more puff-pastry-like in the way they’re made. These are regular rolls that shaped like crescents and they are not just great for breakfast but great at just about any time of day.
Go ahead and try them next time you have some time on your hands. And if you make them the previous day, just pop them into an oven for a few minutes to freshen them up. This recipe makes 16 rolls and since it’s usually just Desi and I who get to eat them all, I keep them in the refrigerator for days in an airtight plastic bag.
Here’s the recipe for these delicious vegan crescent rolls. Enjoy, all!
Vegan Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 package)
- 1/4 cup warm water (not hot. You don't want to kill the yeast)
- 1 1/4 cup soymilk
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix the yeast and water in a bowl and let stand for at least five minutes until the yeast is frothy and bubbly.
- Add the soymilk, oil, sugar and salt and mix by hand or on low speed in the stand mixer for no more than a minute.
- Add three cups of the all purpose flour and then add more gradually until you get a dough that's moist but not sticky.
- Knead for 10 minutes by hand or on medium-low speed on the stand mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turn over once to coat the top with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot until the dough has doubled, around 1 1/2 hours.
- Now punch the dough down and divide into two equal parts. Shape each into a smooth ball and then roll each out to a diameter of about 10-12 inches. If the dough is too resistant, let it relax for a couple of minutes, then try again.
- With a pizza cutter, cut eight wedges, as you would a pizza.
- Take one wedge, brush the top with a little oil, and then, using your fingers, roll from the broader edge toward the tip, forming a crescent shape. Once you've formed the roll, tuck the ends downward to form the crescent.shape.
- Shape all 16 wedges into crescents, placing them at least an inch or two apart on a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with some oil or with a mixture of soymilk and oil, and allow them to stand, covered loosely with a napkin, until they've doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Bake the rolls in a preheated 425-degree oven about 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are golden-brown.
- Serve fresh or preheat in the oven if serving leftover rolls.
- Enjoy!
Jaya Wagle says
December 30, 2009 atVaishali, these rolls do look heavenly, especially as you said with some butter and jelly. Can I substitute regular milk instead of soy for this one?
Also, wish you and Desi and all your lovely pets a very happy and prosperous New Year. 🙂
Mints! says
December 30, 2009 atoh! I can smell the freshness of these rolls! I will be making these for saturday breakfast.
Ms.Chitchat says
December 30, 2009 atWow,Wow super crescent rolls. They look so fresh and soft. Easy recipe too. Thanx for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Chitchat
http://chitchatcrossroads.blogspot.com/
Ms.Chitchat says
December 30, 2009 atWow,Wow super crescent rolls. They look so fresh and soft. Easy recipe too. Thanx for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Chitchat
http://chitchatcrossroads.blogspot.com/
Shreya says
December 30, 2009 atHi Vaishali, lovely rolls..fresh, fluffy and golden brown..love them any time with butter and home made mango jam:D
Wishing you and your family a happy and prosperous New Year..
The Voracious Vegan says
December 30, 2009 atWOW. That first picture is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, they are like soft fluffy pillows of YUM! You are such a genius, I can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
BangaloreBaker says
December 30, 2009 atNice pictures.
Laavanya says
December 30, 2009 atWowie! you made these at home? Stunning.
Maya Varadan says
December 30, 2009 atLooks Inviting.Any idea How would it be if wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour is substituted?
Preeti Kashyap says
December 30, 2009 atlovely pics Vaishali! They look super moist!
Parita says
December 30, 2009 atRolls look so soft and delicious!
Vaishali says
December 30, 2009 atJaya, A very happy new year to you. And yes, you could certainly use milk (although you’d make me so much happier if you used soymilk!) 🙂
Mints, Thanks– hope you like them!
Ms. Chitchat, thanks!
Shreya, a very happy new year to you, my dear. And I’d love some mango jam now!
Voracious– you’re really kind! Thanks!
Bangalorebaker, Laavanya, Thanks!
Maya, yes, you can substitute half the all-purpose with whole-wheat pastry flour or a third with regular whole wheat. More whole-wheat flour would make the rolls too dense and pastry flour is low on gluten so the dough would be difficult to work with if you used too much of it. Does that help?
Preeti, Parita, Thanks!
Anonymous says
December 30, 2009 atDear Vaishali
Thank you so much for this simple and wonderful recipe. Will try it soon.
Wish you all a Very Happy New Year.
Priya Narasimhan says
December 30, 2009 atfor the past few weeks i have been baking mostly your recipes and here is one more..just awesome.
Pavani says
December 30, 2009 atLovely looking vegan crescents.. Will definitely give these a try soon.
Priya says
December 30, 2009 atVegan crescent rolls looks fantastic..
Cham says
December 30, 2009 atThe first pic looks fantastic and imagine how soft it is… Quiet fat free version crescent!
Wish u a Wonderful New Year 🙂
Indhu says
December 31, 2009 atyou are killing me with this picture… these rolls with some butter and jam (blueberry in my case)… am in heaven 🙂
Mihl says
December 31, 2009 atI could eat food like this all day long. I love the soft texture of things like crescent rolls. Thank you for the recipe and Happy New Year!
evolvingtastes says
December 31, 2009 atSO PERFECT, and vegan to boot! Vaishali, your veganized versions of baked goods are always so admirable.
Happy New Year to you and yours!!!
Vaishali says
December 31, 2009 atAnon., a very happy new year to you!
Priya, glad to hear that! 🙂
Pavani, Priya, Cham, Indhu, Mihl, Evolvingtastes: Thanks, dears, and a very happy new year to you all!
Gita says
January 1, 2010 atWow, your crescent rolls look so good, much better than the store-brought ones 🙂 healthy too! Wish You a Very Happy New Year dear!!!
In says
January 1, 2010 atHappy New Year to you and your family Vaishali! These rolls look yummy. Will have to give a try some day. Your blog is the first I check if I am in need of a recipe. Recently I baked cinnamon rolls and used your recipe. I am not very good with baking yet it turned out good. Though not a healthy snack it tasted less unhealthy than the mall ones :). Thanks!
Indhu
TBC says
January 1, 2010 atVaishali,
Here’s wishing you and your family the very best in 2010. Hope you have a wonderful year!
Dips says
January 1, 2010 atHey Vaishali , its been great knowing you , your family of pets and your candid thoughts on so many subjects this last year..Hope you continue to do so in the new year . All my best wishes to you and yours.
kahliyalogue says
January 1, 2010 atOnce again you amaze me Vaishali with your innovative ideas!What lovely rolls!HAppy new year !Blessings of joy! mUch love,Mia 🙂
Shri says
January 2, 2010 atAbsolutely delicious!Wish you and your family a very happy new year.
Vaishali says
January 2, 2010 atGita, a very happy new year to you!
In, Welcome and thanks for your kind words. So glad you liked the cinnamon rolls– I love those too! 🙂 A very happy new year to you.
TBC, A very happy new year!
Dips, it’s been great knowing you too over this past year– happy new year!
Kahliyalogue, Shri: Thanks, and a very happy new year to you!
Anonymous says
January 4, 2010 atHi, I tried these rolls and they were good…except they didn’t brown like your picture…my rolls were dark on the bottom and a pale brown on the top…They did taste great…Can you suggest what went wrong ?? Do I have to turn them half-way during baking ??
Vaishali says
January 4, 2010 atAnonymous, here’s my first thought: did you brush them with oil or with the oil-soymilk mixture? That makes all the difference.
Also, sometimes the baking sheet you use can make a huge difference in the color of your finished product and the time it takes to bake. A darker cookie sheet, for instance, would result in a darker roll.
If you find you still don’t get the desired color, try also brushing the rolls with oil once halfway through baking.
Cat - Verdant Eats says
January 6, 2010 atWhat a beautiful recipe! I can’t wait to try it for brunch this coming weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Anonymous says
June 8, 2011 atHi Vaishali,
I tried baking them day before yesterday, and after many failures at baking this was my first success, and I was thrilled, excited and could not stop looking at the rolls. I realized that the problem is not my old traditional oven, but the yeast quality. As you rightly said that there is nothing great than having a bite of freshly home baked rolls. Million thanks to you.
Nisha.
God Bless.
Vaishali says
December 15, 2011 atNisha, congratulations! Baking always takes some practice, but you are getting there. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Steve Lassoff says
October 8, 2014 atOh I can smell the fresh baked bread smell now! I am working on building a community of vegans and would love for you to hop over to http://www.wedigfood.com and leave a recipe or restaurant review.
Beatriz says
January 25, 2015 atMade this crescent rolls…and they were delicious!!!…. I even post them in my FB and give your website…one thing though…you have to eat them when they are fresh from the oven, otherwise they become a bit chewy ..i..since I love them I put them in the toaster for a few seconds and they were still good..my husband eat half of them when they were fresh with a salad for lunch…. lwill definitely make them again.
Lily says
October 29, 2015 atMade some crescents with this recipe last night, but they came out too crunchy on the outside. Should I try with lower temperature setting next time?
VofN says
April 14, 2016 atCan I use this for bread rolls?
Vaishali says
April 14, 2016 atYes!
Cherie says
April 28, 2016 atHello! These look amazing but it doesn’t say how much flour? Can you tell us please? Thanks! I think my kids would like these better than the whole wheat to begin with;-)
BEAUTIFUL site and recipes – printing off a gazillion of them!
Cherie
Vaishali says
May 2, 2016 atHi Cherie, thanks for your kind words. I’ve added back the amount of flour– it must have dropped off when I transferred the recipe to the Easy Recipe format. Thanks for pointing out.
Cherie says
May 17, 2016 atThank you! I’m making them this weekend:-)
Side note – does anyone have any secrets to vegan baking at altitude? I live at 7400′ and have a hard time getting things cooked in the middle and not too brown on top. Regular baking is difficult enough but I find vegan baking more so w/out the eggs.
Pointers anyone?!