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–+ servings
two halves of a crescent roll on a white plate

Gluten Free Crescent Rolls

Sandi Gaertner
This soft buttery gluten free crescent rolls recipe is incredibly good! If you have been looking for the perfect gluten free rolls, you need to give this recipe a try!
5 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Rising Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Course Gluten Free Bread Recipe
Cuisine American
Servings 14 rolls
Calories 249 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the yeast starter

  • 3 teaspoons dried yeast * see note
  • 1 cup warm water no hotter than 110º F
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Making Rolls:

  • 3 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • ⅓ cup levain *optional, see note
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted

Butter Layers

  • 6 ounces European butter

Instructions
 

  • Before starting this recipe, go read the whole post and look at all of the step by step photos. This recipe can be tricky so please do this first so you understand the steps.
  • Add the yeast, sugar, and warm water and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy. Note I highly recommend using filtered water to rise your yeast.
  • Add the melted butter, sugar, levain (optional - you can read more about it and the benefits in the notes below), and egg to the yeast mixture. Mix well then add the gluten free flour. Pour in an additional 1/4 cup of water. Mix into a wet dough.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1-2 hours. I let mine rise overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Add more flour (the amount really depends on what gluten free flour blend you use and how starchy it is.) You want your gluten free crescent roll dough to be workable.
  • Place the dough on gf flour dusted wax paper and cover it with another piece of wax paper. Roll to 1-inch thickness. Allow it to rise in the refrigerator for 1 hour. While the dough is rising/resting, take out the butter and put it on the counter so it can warm a bit.
  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Dust with flour and roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness. Try to roll it into a more rectangular shape.
  • Put your softened butter between two pieces of wax paper and roll it to 1/4 inch thickness. Try to match the shape of the dough. 
  • Place the butter onto the dough. Center it.
  •  Fold your dough over the butter on all sides. Dust the flour with gluten free flour liberally so it doesn't stick.
  • Fold the dough into a tri-fold. Pull one side halfway up to the middle, then pull the other side up to that end. It will make a small rectangle shape that looks like Step 10. Roll to a thin large rectangle and fold again
  • Repeat this folding/rolling step 2-3 more times. This will really help thin and disperse the butter into the dough.
  • Roll the dough thin. Try to keep it in a rectangle shape.
  • Use a pizza wheel or knife to cut the dough into triangles. My dough was a bit sticky. It is okay to dust with flour lightly if this happens.
  • Start at the wide end and roll your dough towards the narrow end. Place the roll onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Use a cookie sheet with sides in case some butter melts out of the dough!
  • Repeat until you roll all of the dough into crescents. Cover in plastic wrap and let sit and allow to rise for 1 hour. 
  • Preheat the oven to 375º F. Mix an egg, cream, and salt in a cup and use a pastry brush to egg wash all of the gluten free crescent rolls.
  • Bake the crescent rolls for 15-20 minutes depending on their size. You will know they are ready when they are golden.

Notes

  1. I tested this recipe with Cup4Cup and Anthony's Gluten Free Flour blends. That doesn't mean others will not work; I just have not tested other flours. Note King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob's 1:1 state on their back that they do not work well with yeast.
  2. If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
  3. Double-check that the brand you use is gluten free. Red Star Platinum is NOT gluten free!
  4. These rolls will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
What is a Levain? Also known as a very plain sourdough starter, French pastry chef Dominique Ansel recommends this strongly in his croissant recipe that I was trying to convert to gluten free. You can use my gluten free starter recipe to create one if you choose. It takes about 5 days to grow a levain.
*Although using levain completely optional for crescent rolls, I feel it is worth using if you have one. Note to use a starter made from basic flour. Stronger starters with buckwheat and other flours will give an off-flavor.
TIPS:
  • Try not to roll your crescent roll dough too tightly. A tight roll will not allow air to bake into the layers, making your rolls denser.
  • When placing the rolled crescent rolls down on the cookie sheet, make sure the triangle tip is not tucked under the crescent roll. This will allow the crescent roll to expand more while baking.
  • Make sure not to rush your rises, especially in the cooler winter months. I really advise rising the dough in the bowl overnight.
  • I recommend using high-fat butter for this recipe. European butter brands and butter from Vermont have a higher fat ratio than traditional butter brands.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 249kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 464mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 455IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.