Every Thanksgiving as an adult I’ve always brought two kinds of rolls: Honey Potato Wheat Rolls and Crescent Rolls. In fact, I’ve eaten one or both of these my whole life. These recipes are written in my grandmother’s handwriting on index cards, complete with her notes and little bits of advice. Holding those cards feels like a hug from Grandma—I can nearly see her wink and give a secretive thumb-jerk toward the extra basket of rolls she kept on top of the refrigerator. I assumed she stashed them for me, though she wasn’t usually one for secret gestures.
I’m sharing this because it explains how important those rolls are to me, and how unusual it felt to even consider a different recipe so close to Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong: you can never have too many roll recipes. Still, the idea of replacing a roll that’s been in my family for generations nearly gave me the vapors.
That said, I would have to be persuaded by something special. Enter Zoë François of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and her Rosemary Crescent Roll. I’m a sucker for rosemary, and her recipe tempted me enough to try it. I told myself, “I’ll just try them—doesn’t mean they’ll replace Grandma’s at Thanksgiving.”
I decided to experiment, comparing ABin5’s Olive Oil Dough with my No-Knead Semolina Dough. I weighed the dough, rolled and shaped the rolls identically, and baked them the same way. I served both versions to some willing tasters (hi, Austins!), instructing them to sample one from the right hand and one from the left. They kindly ate two each and declared them both really, really good. When pressed to choose a favorite, the group split evenly: ABin5’s dough was preferred as a sandwich roll (I made those larger), while my semolina dough was favored for eating plain.
My husband was the tie-breaker. He tried one from each batch, chewed thoughtfully, and declared, “They’re both awesome.”
That meant whichever dough I had on hand the next time would likely become the go-to—because there would definitely be a next time. Then he surprised me: “I think we should have these at Thanksgiving.”
I balked. “But Grandma’s rolls!” I protested. He shrugged, pointing to the semolina version, and said he liked both but would pick that one.
I started imagining the rosemary-studded crescent rolls soaking up gravy, split open and filled with leftover turkey and a smear of cranberry sauce, or my late-night habit of dunking a roll into the gravy while standing at the refrigerator. The vision was irresistible.
This year, our Thanksgiving table would have three kinds of rolls. Progress, in the form of rosemary and bread, felt perfectly fine—an evolution I could live with.
No-Knead Rosemary Crescent Rolls
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound No-Knead Semolina Dough or olive oil dough from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
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Line a half-sheet pan (or two smaller baking sheets) with parchment and set aside.
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Lightly flour a clean work surface and your ball of dough.
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Roll the dough into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush the surface generously with olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with chopped rosemary and sea salt.
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Cut the circle into 8 equal wedges. Take one wedge in your hands and gently stretch the pointed end while holding the wide end to lengthen the piece.
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Lay the wedge back on the work surface and pull the wide end to stretch it gently. Roll the wide end tightly, jelly-roll style, toward the pointed end. When you near the point, stretch it another time and wrap it around the center.
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Place each roll on the prepared pan with the point tucked underneath to keep it rolled. Leave room for expansion. Optionally, curl the ends gently toward the center for a prettier shape. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free spot for up to an hour, or until puffy.
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Preheat the oven to 475°F.
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Brush the rolls again with olive oil and bake, rotating the pans halfway through, for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use and your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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Do you have recipes you always make every year, or do you try something new each Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear.