Featured Comment
From A: “Made these for a back to school dinner, and everyone loved them. Thanks for a great alternative to regular gluten rolls. I will be making these for Thanksgiving for sure!! ★★★★★”
From Jenny: “These were amazing! My non gluten free relatives didn’t even know they were gf! Will definitely be making again ★★★★★”
From Amy: “These are so good! Your recipes are so easy to follow and turn out delicious every time! ★★★★★”
Why Try These Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls
These gluten-free crescent rolls bring back a Thanksgiving tradition from my childhood! After years of trying to recreate my Mom’s crescent rolls, I finally found success with King Arthur gluten-free bread flour.
Outside of the holidays, I typically serve them with gluten-free pot roast or gluten-free beef stew for a comfort meal my whole family loves!
- Only one rise: The shaped rolls rise until doubled before baking, so there’s no second rise to worry about.
- Classic crescent roll shape: The gluten-free dough is workable enough to roll out and shape into the traditional crescent shape.
- Soft and fluffy texture: Gluten-free bread flour helps create the tender texture that’s difficult to achieve with a standard gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
What You Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free crescent rolls. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free bread flour. I use this gluten-free bread flour, which contains gluten-free wheat starch and xanthan gum. It creates a dough that’s easy to roll and shape. This is the key to making gluten-free crescent rolls that are as good as the original!
- Almond flour. I like to add a little almond flour for extra flavor and browning. I use the same trick in my gluten-free sandwich bread!
- Instant yeast. I’m a big fan of using instant yeast since it can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients. If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm liquids first.
- Whole milk powder. This is a newer addition to my recipe! I’ve tested it multiple times, and the rolls turn out softer and more flavorful than ever. It’s a small change that makes a noticeable difference!
How to Make Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Make the dough. I start by combining the dry ingredients, then slowly add the liquid ingredients with the mixer on low. I increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes, until very smooth. The dough should look like thick cookie dough!
Cover and chill. I oil a spatula then scrape the dough away from the sides and bottom, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes. I find this makes the dough much easier to roll out and shape!
Erin’s Tip
I prefer using the paddle attachment on my stand mixer, rather than the dough hook. In my experience, the paddle mixes this thick dough more evenly.
Roll and slice. Lightly flour your work surface, then scoop out half the dough. Roll it into a 12-inch circle and brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 12 wedges. I aim for equal-sized wedges, but honestly, mine always vary a little and still turn out great! Repeat with the remaining dough.
Shape and rise. I start at the wide end to roll up each wedge, then place the rolls point side down on the prepared baking sheets. Make sure you curve the ends to create the classic crescent shape! Cover the baking sheets and let them rise in a warm place until doubled in size. In my kitchen, this usually takes 45 minutes to 1 hour!
Erin’s Tip
I like using this silicone baking mat with circle measurements to make it easier to roll the dough into a 12-inch circles.
Bake and serve. Bake until the edges start to turn golden, then immediately brush the warm rolls with extra melted butter. I love serving these fresh from the oven while they’re still warm. So good!
More Gluten-Free Bread Flour Recipes
Buttery, Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls
Video
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 4 cup (600g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour
- 2/3 cup (75g) almond flour
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (20g) dry whole milk powder
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (240ml) water, warm
- 1 cup (250ml) whole milk, warm
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons (56g) butter, melted
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the gluten-free bread flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, milk powder, instant yeast, salt and baking powder. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the water, milk, eggs and melted butter. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes. The dough will resemble thick cookie dough, this is normal.
- Using an oiled rubber spatula, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for20 minutes. (Refrigerating the dough makes it easier to roll out.)
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- On a lightly floured surface, scoop out ½ of the dough. Roll into a 12-inch circle. Repeat with the other ½ of the dough. Brush the top of the dough with melted butter, about 2 tablespoons per circle.(You’ll brush the rest of the melted butter on the rolls when they’re done baking.)
- Use a pizza cutter to slice each circle into 12 equal wedges. (They might vary in size a bit, but that’s fine.) Roll up each wedge, starting at the wide end, into a crescent shape. Place the rolls point side down, 2-inchesapart, on the prepared baking sheets. Curve the ends to form crescents.
- Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 22-26 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the rolls with melted butter. Best served warm.
Notes
almond flour. To Make-Ahead: I like to make these gluten-free crescent rolls ahead of time, then freeze them. This way I know I get the perfect rise and structure! To Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to refresh them by slicing the rolls in half, spreading a little butter on each half, then broiling the rolls for 2-3 minutes until warm and toasty. To Freeze: Place cooled rolls in a large zip-top freezer bag, press the air out, and seal tightly. The rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend thawing them at room temperature for 1-2 hours before warming and serving.
I’m a teenager with celiac disease. I only trust Meaningful Eats with gluten-free baking, so I was very excited to see this crescent roll recipe! I just got around to making these for Thanksgiving and WOW, these rolls are absolutely INCREDIBLE! By far the best gluten-free yeasted recipe I’ve made to date (and I’ve tried a lot!). They even taste like the Sister Schubert bread rolls I used to love before I went gluten-free. Thank you Mrs. Erin for yet another amazing recipe!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear how much you loved the recipe, Molly! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us. Happy baking!
Going to make these for Thanksgiving. I, too, tried making half a batch just to test-run the recipe. Ended up with sticky mess and ended up throwing it away ! Tomorrow will be making full recipe. Wish me luck!
My question is not related to recipe , but I’d like to know how a pizza cutter is used and it doesn’t destroy the pastry pad. I completely destroyed my pad and had to buy another.
Has anyone mixed the day before?
Hi Gena, to make the dough a day ahead you could try covering the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerating, then the day of let it sit out at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes to soften before shaping. The rise time after shaping may take longer to get it to double in size since the dough will be colder. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Have you ever tried freezing the rolls before baking? Curious if I could make a batch to have on hand in the freezer.
Hi Katie, we haven’t tested it out, but it’s worth a try! We’d recommend freezing the shaped rolls for 1-2 hours on a lined baking sheet before storing them in a freezer bag or airtight container for long-term freezing. Thaw on a prepared baking sheet in a warm area for 1-2 hours then bake according to the recipe. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi, I bought the silpat mat that is linked and on the mat it says not to cut or use a knife. The directions noted that you can use a pizza cutter to cut the rolls. Just wanted to be sure that I had the correct mat (looks the same) and that you are indeed cutting on it safely despite what it says on the mat. I’m going to be teaching a group of teens how to make these and bought the mat to make it easier. Just want to be sure that I ask about this as I’m sure that they will ask me.
Thank you! I’m excited to try these.
Hi Leslie, since the dough doesn’t require deep cuts to cut out the rolls, the pizza cutter shouldn’t hurt the mat. You just don’t want to cut hard enough to cause damage to the mats. We hope this helps and the teens enjoy the recipe!
Can dairy free butter be used in place of real butter?
Hi Meredith, yes you can definitely use dairy-free butter in this recipe! We hope you enjoy the crescent rolls!
Thank you!
Will almond milk work in place of whole milk? Thank you for all the gluten free recipes! Can’t wait to try them…
Hi Kelly, for a dairy-free option we recommend using Elmhurst Unsweetened Cashew milk. It has a similar fat content to whole milk and doesn’t have any added gums or stabilizers that could interfere with the rise/crumb of the rolls. Other dairy-free milks without gums/stabilizers could work too. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Instead of dry milk powder can I just use regular milk?
Hi Mallory, using regular milk instead of milk powder would add more liquid to the dough which would impact texture. Since the milk powder is optional in this one, we would recommend just excluding it if you don’t want to use it. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
We cannot have corn in addition to wheat, is there any way to substitute the bread flour? These look delicious!
Hi Stacy, thank you for your question! Unfortunately this recipe was designed with the KAF bread flour specifically and other flour blends, like gluten-free measure-for-measure flour, won’t yield the same results.
I have powdered non-fat milk. Should I use that or is it not worth it if it isn’t powdered whole milk?
Hi Sherry, thank you for your question! Since the powdered milk is optional in this recipe, the non-fat version should work fine, though it may slightly impact texture. We hope you enjoy the crescent rolls!
Thank you for this! I always do a make-ahead Thanksgiving and this is my first thing I made for this year. I didn’t want to buy dried milk powder and I remembered I always have buttermilk powder on hand. And I use it to make cakes tender, so why not rolls?
I followed the recipe exactly except for the buttermilk sub and they are perfect and delish. I can’t wait to try your stuffing!
Hi Lenora, we’re so happy to hear you loved the recipe! That’s great to know the buttermilk powder works well too! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. Happy baking!
Can the dough be mixed by hand? I don’t have a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
Hi Sheryl, you can definitely mix by hand! Stand mixers makes things easier, but they aren’t a requirement. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Made the mistake of making these with the King Arthur Measure to Measure flour the first time and if anyone is wondering if really does not turn out the same. Was very disappointed. Realized I used the wrong flour and remade them with the right flour and such a difference!!!! Thank you
Hi Shannon, that’s a bummer about the first batch, but we’re so glad you loved the second batch with the King Arthur gf bread flour! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us!
Do I need to let these rise or after you mix do you put them straight in the fridge?
Hi Julie, good question! After mixing the dough, make sure to scrape the dough off the sides and bottom with an oiled spatula, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and pop it right in the fridge. The only rise in this recipe is after the crescent rolls have been shaped.
I’m making these this week- I’m very excited! Thank you for making a delicious gf roll recipe that makes plenty of rolls for a group or holiday!! That is really hard to come by.
Quick question —
Will it end up being about 8 TBSP or butter because you add 4 to the dough and then 2 to each rolled out round? Thanks! Love your recipes, I have both your books and recommend your website to many !
I was wondering the same thing… Thanks for clarifying, Christie!
No problem, Marley — glad this helped! We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Sarah, thank you for your question! You’ll need 4 TBSP for the dough itself then additional butter for before and after baking. We generally recommend 2 TBSP per circle (the full recipe makes two circles) for covering the dough before baking then you’ll need more to top the baked rolls after. It might be safer to estimate 10-12 TBSP total, but it really depends on how much you brush onto the rolls those two times. We hope this helps!
For make ahead, I’m wondering if you’ve ever frozen right after shaping and then let them come to room temp and rise? Trying to get a head start on thanksgiving prep!
Can I make these the night before and bake the next day?
Hi Gretchen, refrigerating the dough overnight and baking the next day should work okay. We wouldn’t recommend keeping it in the fridge longer than one day though. Thanks for your question!
I never thought these would turn out so great! I’ve tried many gf yeast recipes and always end up with gummy, flat rolls or loafs. These Crescent rolls are so very very good. Rose to perfection, baked beautifully brown and texture and taste were perfect. I think much of it was the King Arthur Bread Flour. I followed the recipe but used buttermilk powder instead of regular. My dough was a little soft so I added probably an additional 1/2 cup of flour when rolling it out. I kind of goofed up because my silpat sheet wasn’t big enough so at first I tried rolling it out on parchment ….BIG MISTAKE. I made the silpat work. Even with all the handling the rolls were perfect.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
P.S. I have recipe for broccoli ham crescent rolls which I will adapt for Easter brunch.
Thank you for your feedback and tips, Janice! We’re so glad you enjoyed the crescent rolls!