Crescent Rolls

From the Classified Files of The Farm Journal's Bread Cookbook

Requisite blog text: This is a Woltman tradition, my Mom makes them Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everyone likes them except for Mom ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

They're a good sweet roll, you should make them!

• 2 ½ tsp yeast (or 2 packets if that's more your speed)
• ½ cup warm water (between 110 to 115°F)
• ¾ cup milk (we use whole milk)
• ½ cup shortening (we use Crisco)
• ½ cup sugar (we use… sugar?)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4¼ to 4½ cups sifted (yeah right) all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ to ¾ stick of melted butter

1. Sprinkle yeast on warm water and stir to dissolve. Optional: throw a little sugar in there to make sure the yeast are alive, should see some bubbles.
2. Scald milk.
3. Pour scalded milk, shortening, sugar, and salt into mixing bowl.
4. Let the milk mixture cool to lukewarm because you don't want to murder the yeast.
5. Add 1½ cups flour to milk mixture and beat on low speed for about a minute
6. Beat in eggs and yeast
7. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour, a little at a time, to make a soft dough that doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.
8. Put the dough on a lightly floured board or table, and knead until smooth, satiny, and no longer sticky (about 5 to 8 minutes)
9. Place in a lightly greased bowl; invert dough to grease top.
10. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours.
11. Divide in half.
12. Roll the first dough ball out into a circle
13. Brush melted butter all over circle
14. Cut circle into 16 wedges, roll up each wedge from the outside to the center, then curve the ends to form a crescent shape (perhaps this is why they're called crescent rolls?)
15. Put on parchment paper-lined or greased cookie sheet and brush the tops lightly with butter.
16. Let rise again until doubled.
17. Bake at 350-375 until lightly golden.