Three-Cheese Crescents

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 3 hr 40 min
  • Inactive: 3 hr 15 min
  • Cook: 25 min
  • Yield: 24 rolls

Ingredients

Basic Dinner-Roll Dough:

Directions

  1. Make the Basic Dinner-Roll Dough, using the Parmesan as the mix-in. Let rise as directed.
  2. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll or stretch each half into a 12-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush each round with some of the beaten egg and sprinkle with the Havarti and Cheddar, leaving a 1-inch border. Lightly press on the cheese to ensure it sticks.
  3. Cut each round into 12 wedges with a pizza cutter or chef's knife. Starting from the wide ends, roll up each wedge. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheets, bending the ends slightly to create a crescent. Loosely cover with plastic wrap; let stand until puffy, about 45 minutes.
  4. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds and salt in a small bowl. Brush the crescents with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with the seed mixture. Bake, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Basic Dinner-Roll Dough:

Yield: 2 1/4 pounds dough
  1. Warm the milk and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan or in the microwave until very warm (110 degrees F). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; mix in the sugar, yeast and 1 cup flour until combined but still lumpy. Let stand until the mixture is very bubbly, about 30 minutes.
  2. Add the butter, salt and 2 cups flour; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs until combined, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl as needed. Add 1 1/4 cups flour and the mix-ins, if using; mix until the dough is smooth and starts to gather into a loose ball, about 4 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky; if it's too wet, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour.
  3. Lightly oil a large bowl; scrape the dough into the bowl and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Cook’s Note

Yeast Tips Check the label: Make sure you use the type of yeast in the recipe. Active dry yeast is not interchangeable with rapid-rise or instant yeast. Use a thermometer: Don't guess the heat of the liquid you're adding; take its temperature. It must be at least 110 degrees F to activate the yeast. Watch your dough: Rising times can vary depending on the heat of your kitchen. Use the times as a guideline and follow visual cues for all the steps. You can freeze the finished rolls for up to a month. Before serving, thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes, then reheat in a 375 degrees F oven for 10 minutes.