Freezer Crescent Rolls

Aspen turning gold up high. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.

Elk chili in the dutch oven. Tomatoes from Meg's garden — Mom's old garden. Dried chiles. Non-alcoholic beer. Six hours low. Same recipe as always.

The week held. The work continues.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

The chili takes care of itself — six hours low, you just leave it alone. What it needs at the end is something to soak it up, something you can set on the table without another hour of work. I keep a batch of these crescent rolls in the freezer most of the winter. Pull them out, let them rise, bake them. By the time the bowls are on the table, the rolls are warm. That’s the whole point.

Prep Time: 20 min (plus rise time) | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min active, 2–3 hrs total | Servings: 24 rolls

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, divided

Instructions

Proof the yeast. Combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a large bowl. Stir gently and let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast is dead — start over with a fresh packet.
Make the dough. Whisk eggs and remaining sugar into the yeast mixture. Add salt and 6 tablespoons of the softened butter in pieces, stirring after each addition. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Knead and rise. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Shape the rolls. Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread each circle with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge from the wide end to the point to form a crescent. Curve the ends slightly.
Freeze or bake. To freeze: place shaped rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer to a zip freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake from frozen: place on a greased baking sheet, cover loosely, and let rise at room temperature 2–3 hours until puffy. To bake fresh: let shaped rolls rise on a greased baking sheet 30–45 minutes.
Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake rolls 13–16 minutes until deep golden brown. Brush immediately with remaining softened butter. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Freezer Crescent Rolls — Something Warm on the Side