Keep my rolls puffy and pretty!

August 19, 2008 11:40 AM

Why do my crescent rolls always seem to go flat?

I'm a big fan of Pillsbury crescent rolls and use them to make a wide variety of stuffed treats. (I'm currently enjoying bacon and cheese wraps.)

When I take the crescent rolls out of the oven (stuffed with ingredients or made plain), they're light and puffy looking, BUT then after they sit out for a few minutes they fall flat and seem to collapse making them look kind of "tired."

What can I do to stop this from happening and keep them fluffy and pretty?

posted by NoraCharles to food & drink (8 comments total)

My first inclination is that they are undercooked or cooked at the wrong temperature. If they are cooked correctly I'd think they should have a nice crispy flaky layer on the outside that should keep them puffed up. Also, maybe convection vs. baking would make a difference....?
posted by gwenlister at 11:47 AM on August 19, 2008

Does this also happen when you make them with nothing stuffed inside of them? It may require different temperatures/lengths of cooking times if they are stuffed as opposed to just being baked on their own to remain light and fluffy...
posted by Grither at 12:00 PM on August 19, 2008

They're undercooked, and I bet you're also storing them in a closed container (or a basket with a napkin cover) in order to keep them warm, too. This will lock in a layer of moist air around the rolls, which will moisten the crispy, flaky exterior, rendering it more plastic and more likely to fall.

To keep them warm until serving, you need dry warmth, not moist warmth. Turn your oven way down and put them in there on a rack until you serve them. But not too long, or else you'll just dry them out, of course.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:33 PM on August 19, 2008

Crazy thinking: Are you at a high altitude?
posted by GilloD at 12:52 PM on August 19, 2008

Have you checked your oven temp? Oven thermometers are inexpensive, and it may be as simple as correcting for an "off" oven. It may also be that you're overworking the rolls.

They're really yummy with spinach and mozzarella or spinach artichoke dip or cream cheese with crab stuffed inside.
posted by notashroom at 1:56 PM on August 19, 2008

As Cool Papa Bell suggests, almost certainly humidity is the issue if they are baked properly.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:18 PM on August 19, 2008

I don't know about Pillsbury rolls, but I do make real croissants for a living. Are these 'crescent rolls' leavened with active yeast? If so, the yeast may have died if it spent too long in your freezer before you took them out to bake them. Active yeasts have a very finite shelf life, even if frozen.
posted by Evstar at 6:53 PM on August 19, 2008

Oh, they rose, then fell out of the oven? Maybe it is humidity after all.
posted by Evstar at 7:00 PM on August 19, 2008