Fluffy Crescent Dinner Rolls

When we first got married and ramen noodles and canned soups were our staple, a good friend of ours made the most amazing homemade crescent rolls.  They were divine!  She gave me the recipe and I tried my hand at it.  I don't know if I had ever made any kind of bread from scratch and had no idea what I was doing.  They were a total flop.  I tossed the recipe (kills me to think about that part!) and declared myself a hopeless breadmaker.  Over the years I've refined my bread making skills and have made many a successful bread recipes.  I've been on the look out ever since I've tapped into my inner bread maker for a good crescent roll recipe.  I was so excited when I got this one from my sister, Jamie.  They are so perfectly everything I've ever wanted in a crescent roll.  And they lived happily ever after.

Ingredients:
½ C warm water
½ C warm milk
1 egg
1/3 C butter, softened
1/3 C white sugar
1 tsp salt
4 C flour
1 ½ Tbs yeast
¼ C butter softened

Directions:
Add yeast and a sprinkle of sugar to warm water and set aside for 5-10 min to let proof. (I prefer to use instant yeast.  If that's what you're using, you can skip this first step and just add the water in with the other liquids and the yeast in with the dry ingredients.)  Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Whisk egg and 1/3 cup butter into warm milk, mix into yeast then add to flour mixture and stir well. Knead dough for a few minutes then cover bowl and let rise until double in size (about an hour). Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Brush on butter then serve warm.

*Source:  Jamie Young