In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
In this order, add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, whole milk, butter, and eggs. Add 2 cups of flour and salt. Mix with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon until well combined.
Switch to the dough hook and turn the mixer on low speed, or continue mixing by hand with the wooden spoon. Add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time, kneading until a soft dough ball forms and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 15 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45 minutes.
Gently punch down the risen dough and divide it in half. On a lightly floured surface, shape each half into a ball and roll into a 12-inch circle. Using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut the circle into 12 wedges.
Starting at the long edge, roll each wedge up to the point to form the crescent roll shape.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place crescent rolls on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Loosely cover and let rise until puffed, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush with melted butter and serve warm.
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Notes
Fully preheated the oven before you put the crescent rolls inside. If the temperature is not at 400°F, you risk the rolls being underbaked or falling flat.
Don’t place the dough in a place that’s too warm, like direct sunlight, or it’ll prevent the dough from rising properly. An excellent place to let your dough rise is inside the oven with only the oven light turned on.
Too much flour will cause your rolls to be dense. The most accurate way to measure flour is by using a kitchen scale but if using cups, make sure you spoon the flour into the cups and level it off with a knife. Do not scoop straight from the bag or you’ll likely measure out too much flour.
I recommend using a stand mixer, but you can knead this dough by hand as well. It will just take longer to do so.
You can brush on garlic butter at the end instead of regular butter to change things up.
Roll the dough around mini cocktail smokies before baking to transform this into pigs in a blanket.
The order in which you add the ingredients to the mixing bowl is important as the salt shouldn't come in direct contact with the yeast at the beginning as it can kill the yeast or slow down its ability to make the dough rise.
I provide a range of the amount of flour needed. The dough can be sticky so you can add extra flour until the dough gets to the right smooth consistency.