Gluten Free Crescent Rolls (dairy free option)

The BEST No-Fail Gluten Free Crescent Rolls – easy to make and ready in 1 hour! Soft, light, fluffy, these rolls are the perfect addition to any meal and come with a dairy free option.

When we started our gluten free journey 5 years ago, I knew we needed a really good roll recipe in our arsenal. It took some trial and error but over the years this gluten free crescent roll recipe was developed, and it is our favorite! 

It’s so versatile, we’ve used it for cinnamon rolls, chicken roll-ups, cheese and chive rolls, monkey bread, and much more! Get creative and let me know in the comments how you use this dough.

One of the top advantages to this recipe is that these gluten free crescent rolls are ready in one hour. I highly suggest investing in a pie crust bag, they’re inexpensive and make rolling out the rolls a cinch! 

If this is your first time making gluten free crescent rolls, I’ve written some detailed step-by-step instructions below, leave a comment below if you have any questions, I’m always happy to help!

One of the questions I am often asked is if this dough can be used for pizza crust. We have used this crescent roll dough for pizza, but our favorite recipe is this Gluten-Free Pizza Recipe from Gluten Free Palate. It’s a super simple recipe that is easy for beginners, and is also naturally dairy free.

How to Make Gluten Free Crescent Rolls:

STEP 1: MIX THE DOUGH

This dough is low maintenance. We’ve made it so many times and experimented with lots of different methods. We’ve found that adding all the ingredients as-is and mixing them together yields just as good results as mixing them separately and/or proofing the yeast. So all you’ll need to do is add the ingredients in the order given, mix for 3-4 minutes, and you’re done! The dough will start out looking much too thin but will thicken as you mix it. After a few minutes, the dough will be thinner and more sticky than traditional wheat dough.

STEP 2: ROLL AND SHAPE

 The trick to making gluten free crescent rolls (or any kind of gluten free roll) is to make the dough sticky by adding liquid and/or reducing the amount of flour. This recipe includes those changes. If you want to shape the dough – which we do – you’ll need to coat the dough in starch so it’s workable. We like to use starch instead of flour because it doesn’t weigh down the dough as much.

Be careful not to work the starch into the dough, coat it only as much as needed to be workable. Potato starch works best but you can use another starch you have on hand if needed. Worst case scenario you can use extra flour but the rolls might be more dry and heavier if you do so.

We love using a pie bag to roll out the dough, it helps keep the dough from sticking and makes it super easy!

STEP 3: RISE AND BAKE

 Gluten Free dough does not need a second rise. So you’ll mix the dough, shape it, let it rise once, and then bake. These gluten free crescent rolls only need about 15 minutes of rise time. I usually allow them to rise in a warm place such as on top of a preheated oven or inside an oven that has been heated to 110 degrees and then turned off.

If you allow the rolls to rise too long, they will split while baking. Keep in mind that they will puff up more as they bake.

CAN I MAKE THESE GLUTEN FREE CRESCENT ROLLS DAIRY FREE, TOO?

Yes, you can! We make them dairy free often by swapping the butter for avocado oil or a dairy free butter alternative.

BEFORE YOU BAKE:

• My flour mix works great for this recipe. I have also had success lighter blends such as GF Jules, Better Batter, Gluten Free Mama’s almond blend, and Thrive will work best.
• These rolls freeze great, try making a double batch and freezing the leftovers.
• To make these rolls dairy free, use substitute the butter for a dairy free alternative or oil (I use avocado oil). Brush with oil or butter alternative when they come out of the oven.

MAKING THIS GLUTEN FREE CRESCENT ROLL RECIPE??? snap a photo, and tag @LifeAfterWheat on social media – we love seeing what you make!

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Gluten Free Crescent Rolls

Prep 15 mins

Cook 15 mins

Inactive 15 mins

Total 45 mins

Author Celeste Noland | Life After Wheat

Yield 8 crescent rolls

Soft, tender, and light gluten free crescent rolls are SO EASY to make! They will be ready in 1 hour flat and are the perfect addition to any meal. Dairy free option.

Ingredients

• 2 cups high quality gluten free flour mix (gf Jules and Better Batter are our favs) -see notes
• 1 T instant yeast (if you keep in the fridge, bring to room temp)
• 2 tsp xanthan gum IF flour mix doesn't have any. see notes
• 3 T sugar or honey
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt (increase to 3/4 tsp if using oil or unsalted butter)
• 1/2 cup + 2 T warm water (barely warmer than room temp)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c butter, almost melted OR neutral oil
• potato starch (can use flour, but starch works best) for dusting
• Extra butter to brush when done

Instructions

1. In bowl of stand mixer, measure gluten free flour, yeast, xanthan gum if needed, sugar (if using honey, add that with the wet ingredients later), baking powder, and salt - add salt away from yeast. You don't need to mix it yet.
2. Add warm water, egg, and 1/2 c butter or oil, and mix with paddle attachment on a medium speed for 3-5 minutes.
3. The dough should be like a thick, sticky batter, a little too soft and sticky to handle as you would regular roll dough.
4. Lightly dust your pie crust bag with  potato starch OR dust your countertop with 2 T of potato starch. You'll need more starch for dusting if using a countertop.
5. Scrape the dough into a ball shape on your dusted area and sprinkle a little more starch over the top of your dough to prevent it from sticking. If using a pie crust bag, remove air and zip it up.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to about 14" circle. Using a pizza slicer (or very sharp knife) that has been dusted in starch or flour, cut the circle into 8 wedges. Carefully roll each wedge inward to form a crescent. If dough sticks to counter, you have not put enough starch/flour down. No worries, this happened to me too! Use a metal spatula to scrape extra potato starch onto the bottom of the dough as you roll it up. Gently pinch the end to secure the roll so it won't lose shape as it bakes. Use a little water to help if necessary. Gently place a few inches apart on a baking sheet and curve them slightly to form a crescent shape.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let the rolls rise on top of the oven while it preheats. they only need to rise for 15-20 minutes.
8. Bake for 9-12 minutes. Gluten free breads tend to not brown as much, so don't wait for these to be well browned before pulling them out or they may dry out. Flake with a fork in the center of a roll to see if it's done. Mine were done in about 11 minutes.
9. Brush with melted butter or oil and serve warm for best results. Store leftovers in an airtight container or bread bag at room temp for a day or two, or in the freezer. These can easily be re-warmed by wrapping in foil and placing in a 325 degree oven for about 5 minutes from fridge or 10 minutes from freezer.

Notes

• When dusting your surface and the dough, don't work the starch into the dough. It's just meant to reduce the stickiness on the surface.

IF USING GF JULES OR BETTER BATTER:

• Do NOT add xanthan gum.

IF USING LIFE AFTER WHEAT HOMEMADE FLOUR MIX:

• Add an additional 1 tsp xanthan gum to the recipe
• Substitute 1/2 cup of the flour mix for 1/2 cup potato starch

IF USING A FLOUR MIX WITHOUT XANTHAN GUM:

• We have had success with Gluten Free Mama's Almond Flour blend as well. Be sure to add 2 tsp xanthan gum to the recipe since this flour mix doesn't contain any xanthan.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 roll

Amount Per Serving
Calories 234
% Daily Value
Total Fat 12 g		18%
Total Carbohydrates 28 g		9%
	Dietary Fiber 2 g	8%
	Sugars 3 g
Protein 3 g		6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.