These are some of the best, most tender and flavorful rolls I’ve ever made. I am in love with them. The dough is Grandmother Bread, with egg, oil, and milk. It’s simple, easy, and will wow your family tonight! They are also pretty enough for company or a holiday meal.
How to make Herb and Swiss Crescents:
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour*
Filling and Topping:
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon herbs
4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
sesame seeds
*The flour measure is approximate–you may need slightly more or less. Use enough flour to make a good, pliable dough.
Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Cool–you want the milk mixture to be fingertip warm (110 to 115 degrees) before combining with yeast (or you will kill the yeast). Transfer milk mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the egg. Add the yeast and sugar; let sit five minutes. Add salt then stir in first two cups of flour with a heavy spoon. Add the remaining flour a little at a time as needed, stirring and adding flour until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. The amount of flour is approximate–your mileage may vary! Continue adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Because of the addition of oil (butter) and egg, you will need more flour than when making a standard Grandmother Bread recipe. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (Usually, about an hour.) Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before dividing in half.
On a floured surface, roll out half the dough into a pizza-like circle. Spread with about a third of the filling/topping mixture. Sprinkle on half the Swiss cheese.
Using a pizza wheel, cut into triangles, like slicing pizza. Make into eight or twelve slices, depending on size of rolls desired. (Smaller rolls are great for dinner. Larger rolls make great sandwiches!)
Roll up and curve slightly to make crescents when placing on a greased baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining half of dough. Use the reserved third of the filling/topping mixture to brush the tops of the crescents. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (No cheese goes on top–all the cheese is inside, for filling. And only use the sesame seeds on top, not inside.)
Let rise. Bake at 350-degrees for about 15 minutes, or until browned. Watch carefully–baking time will depend on the size of your rolls.
You could use any herb mixture you like, of course. I used a rosemary-garlic blend with peppers and dried onions. You could change up the cheese, too. Whatever you like goes!
Find all my recipes using Grandmother Bread here: The Grandmother Bread Headquarters.
See this recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.
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saitisntso says:
Dratz! I’m out of swiss, but I have sour cream and cheddar for those delicious Cheddar Bay biscuits.
I’m waiting on the magical baking energy since I totally wasted time and ingredients making fluffy white icing recently. For some strange reason I stopped following the directions and just plopped everything on top of the egg whites. The only peaks I was going to see was pics of the swiss alps. :/
Dratz! :moo:
On August 13, 2013 at 8:55 am
bonita says:
Need to check if I understand correctly:
Filling is yolks, oil, and herbs. Topping is cheese, seeds. Yes?
On August 13, 2013 at 11:00 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Use all the cheese inside, filling. Just yolk, oil, herbs, sesame seeds on top. I’ll make a note to clarify!
On August 13, 2013 at 11:01 am
LindaWelch says:
Can you substitute whey for the milk?
On August 17, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Linda, yes, you can always substitute whey for milk!
On August 19, 2013 at 5:01 am
saitisntso says:
I went ahead and made these using sharp cheddar and no seeds. I let rise 30 minutes and 16 big rolls I wound up with.
Delighted that they have that croissant texture! Lord knows I never attempted to make croissants, after watching Martha make some. Too many steps and repeats,Rolling, Refrigerating, and Resting. Oh Hell No!
Today I will stuff them with lunch meat and cheese. Individually wrap them up in foil and bake. On the temperature I’m going to be a bird and wing it. :moo:
On August 19, 2013 at 10:38 am
LindaWelch says:
I made these last night with whey and they were delicious! I will make these again. I think I may try to use the recipe to make hot dog buns, too!
On August 23, 2013 at 4:21 pm
deb in sc says:
I’m confused by this statment in the herb & swiss crescent recipe “Because of the addition of oil and egg, you will need more flour than when making a standard Grandmother Bread recipe.” I didn’t see any oil added in the directions for the bread? The oil only shows up in the ‘filling/topping’ part. Could you clarify, please?
On August 27, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Deb, I just clarified that in the post, I’m sorry for the confusion. The reference to oil is about the melted butter.
On August 28, 2013 at 6:48 am
deb in sc says:
Hello – I have been a fan of your website for quite some time, but finally registered so that I could ask a question about this recipe. OMgoodness, am I glad I asked. I made the dough, with a slightly different ‘sauce’ and both ham & cheese filling. The dough was, quite simply, AWESOME!!! I can hardly wait to make it again. Thank you so much for keeping up with this blog and recipes when I know you must have at least a thousand other things you could be doing.
On September 7, 2013 at 3:35 pm