Crescent Rolls in the Oven

I love baking my mom's recipes, especially these rolls! I have volunteered to bring them to several events this holiday season.  Today, I will take them to our NOW group's luncheon today. I've baked them for our Dinner Group, and I'll be baking some for Christmas dinner of course! This recipe is also the one I use to make sweet rolls. Often, that's what I do. I'll make the crescents for dinner with half the dough and use the other half of the dough for sweet rolls for breakfast. Double yummy! 

CRESCENT ROLLS or SWEET ROLLS

1 stick margarine (or butter)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup warm milk
2 pkg. Yeast
1 Tbl. Sugar
¼ cup warm water
5 ½ cups flour (maybe ½ cup more)
1 tsp. Salt
　
Warm milk but do not boil (can microwave it for one minute). Mix yeast and sugar together in cup with warm water. Mix together sugar and margarine. Add eggs. Then add warm milk and then yeast. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt and mix well. Continue adding flour until soft dough forms. At this point you can put this in the refrigerator till later if necessary or set in a warm place to rise until doubled (30 to 45 minutes). Punch down dough and divide in two. For crescent rolls – roll out each half of dough into circle (approx. 18" diameter) and spread with margarine. I use a pizza cutter to slice into 12 – 16 wedges. Roll up from large end to small. Place on cookie sheet and let rise 30 to 45 minutes. Bake in preheated oven at 375-400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. For sweet rolls – roll each half of dough into rectangle 12 x 18 inches. Spread with margarine, cinnamon sugar and raisins. Roll up into log. Slice into 12 rolls and place on cookie sheet. Let rise 30 to 45 minutes. Bake in 375-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. While warm, ice with powdered sugar frosting (3 cups powdered sugar and a few tablespoons milk mixed to desired consistency).

In between baking rolls, I've made another loaf of french bread. JoPapa enjoys having a loaf we can slice up and have with dinner. It's such a quick and easy recipe I can mix it up and have it ready to serve in about and hour - if I take short cuts with it like not stirring in down more than once. This cuts the rising time and doesn't seem to adversely effect the outcome.  I use this recipe for pizza dough, little bread sticks, buns, two loaves of french bread, one large round loaf, etc. The baking time varies depending on the size of the loaves, so I have to watch and wait for the wonderful smell that let's me know it done.

French Bread
1 pkg yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon shortening
4 Cups flour
Mix all together. Let rise stirring down every 10 minutes. Do this 5 times. Shape into 24 buns or bread sticks or 1 large loaf. I also use this for 2 pizza crusts – no need to stir down the dough; just mix and use.
Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 to 15 minutes for buns and bread sticks. Longer if you make one loaf.

Well the crescents are out of the oven, covered in melted butter and the house smells yummy! Time to move on to the next project!