Anytime I’m asked to write about breads that use dry yeast, I can’t help but take the recipe into my kitchen to create a sourdough version. That’s what sparked my newest sourdough recipe.
It follows the same steps as the brioche mother dough I shared earlier this month but has different ingredient ratios. Compared side by side, crescent roll dough is drier and sweeter, with less egg and milk and more flour and sugar. These differences mimic the taste and texture of pop-can pastry dough, but with a sourdough flair.
If you prefer the flaky, egg-rich texture of Sourdough Brioche Rolls, just shape the brioche mother dough into crescents. Both bake beautifully. If you need sourdough starter, request it in the Sharing fermented starters Facebook group.
Sourdough Crescent Rolls
Makes 16 rolls
75 grams (about 5 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 large egg (about 50 grams)
About 60 grams (about 1/4 cup) milk
150 grams (about 1/2 cup) sourdough starter (100% hydration)
25 grams (about 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
240 grams (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
5 grams (about 1 teaspoon) sea salt
Egg wash: 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Into a small bowl, thinly slice or grate the butter. Leave it in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until softened but not melted or greasy.
Set a large bowl on a kitchen scale. Crack in and briefly whisk the eggs; add enough milk to equal 110 grams (about 1/2 cup). Lightly mix in the starter and sugar. Add the flours, mixing to form a sticky dough. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel; let rest for 10 minutes. Feed your starter.
Add the salt. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface; press it into a rough circle. Using your fingers, spread softened butter pieces into the dough, coating the circle. Fold in the edges, and then knead briefly to form a soft ball. Repeat as needed to incorporate all of the butter. Return the dough ball to the towel-covered bowl for about one hour.
Double letter fold the dough: On the floured surface, gently stretch the dough in four directions without tearing, forming a rectangle. Fold one-third up the rectangle and the other third over the top, like folding a letter. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat; rest the dough in the covered bowl for about 30 minutes. Repeat the fold-and-rest cycle until you have folded the dough three times. Divide the dough into two balls. Refrigerate, in the bowl or on a tray and covered with the redampened towel, for two hours to overnight.
To make crescents, on a barely floured surface, roll each ball into a 12-inch circle. Cut each circle into eight wedges. Roll each wedge from the wide end, firmly sealing the tip. Place the rolls, sealed tip down, 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Curve the ends into crescents.
Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until doubled. Brush with the egg wash. Bake at 400°F for 12 to 16 minutes, until golden. Cool on wire racks.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.