Carrageenan Free Crescent Rolls
Soft, buttery, and golden from edge to tip, these homemade crescent rolls are the kind of thing that disappears from the table before they've even had a chance to cool. The dough is enriched with whole milk, egg, and real butter worked in gradually, which gives each roll that signature tender, pillowy pull. For anyone avoiding carrageenan — a thickener and stabilizer that sneaks into many commercial dairy products and store-bought dough — making these from scratch with simple, whole ingredients is the cleanest way to go. There are no processed shortcuts here, just flour, yeast, milk, and butter doing exactly what they're supposed to do. Brushed with melted butter before rolling and finished with an egg wash, they bake up with a deep, glossy brown that looks genuinely impressive. A pinch of flaky sea salt on top right before they go into the oven takes the flavor somewhere close to irresistible. Serve them warm straight from the rack and watch them vanish.
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Learn more →Ingredients
16 servings
For the dough
- ¼ cup warm water (105–110°f / 40–43°c)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar, for proofing
- ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to about 100°f (38°c)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
For shaping and finishing
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir briefly and let stand until foamy and fragrant, about 5–10 minutes. If the mixture does not foam, the yeast is inactive — start over with fresh yeast.
- 2
Add the warmed milk, remaining 3 tbsp sugar, salt, and egg to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until combined, about 1 minute.
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