Sunday Dinner Rolls

These are old-fashioned crescent rolls, the soft, faintly sweet kind that pull apart in fluffy layers. An enriched dough of eggs, oil, and sugar is what makes them so tender and gives the crust its golden color.

Do not panic when the dough turns out sticky; that is exactly right, and resisting the urge to add more flour is what keeps the rolls light rather than tough. A long overnight rise does double duty, deepening the flavor and splitting the work across two days.

The next day, roll each piece into a circle, cut it into wedges, and roll up from the wide end into crescents. After a final rise they bake in just minutes.

Kitchen Tips

• Embrace the sticky dough; extra flour means dense, heavy rolls.
• Give the shaped rolls their full second rise until puffy, or they bake up squat.
• Watch them closely; with such a short bake, the line between golden and overbaked is thin.
• Brush the warm rolls with melted butter for shine and softness.

Variations

• Shape into knots, balls, or a pull-apart pan instead of crescents.
• Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds before baking.
• Add extra sugar and a cinnamon-sugar smear to turn them sweet.