Garlic Butter Crescent Roll Bread

Kate McKiernan

Thu, September 3, 2026 at 4:06 PM UTC

5 min read

Garlic Butter Crescent Roll Bread — Allison Cebulla For Taste Of Home

Garlic Butter Crescent Roll Bread is a flavorful and easy-to-make bread loaf using refrigerated crescent rolls, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and melted butter.
The bread is assembled by rolling the seasoned dough jelly-roll style, placing the two logs side by side in a loaf pan, and brushing the tops with melted butter before baking until golden brown.
Variations include adding fresh herbs, swapping the cheese, adding red pepper flakes for heat, or making a sweet version with cinnamon and sugar, while the bread can be stored at room temperature for up to two days or frozen for up to three months.

This butter garlic crescent roll bread is one of the main reasons I don't make regular crescent rolls anymore. Somewhere along the way, those little tubes of dough stopped becoming basic dinner rolls and started becoming the starting point for pizza rolls , brunch tortes and this buttery, cheesy bread loaf. For me, the package directions are more of a polite suggestion, and the dough is a blank canvas where all of my creative combos can come together. This loaf is the ultimate example.

Garlic butter crescent roll bread has crisp, golden edges, buttery pull-apart layers, and plenty of Parmesan and garlic in every bite—just like the garlic bread at my favorite hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant. It's so easy that it comes together in minutes, and it's so flavorful that it's hard not to fill up before the entree is served.

Ingredients for Garlic Butter Crescent Roll Bread

Refrigerated crescent rolls:Two tubes of crescent roll dough are used as the base of this bread, so there's no kneading, proofing or waiting around for anything to rise. Just pop a tube open, try not to flinch, and you'll be ready to go!
Grated Parmesan cheese: Parmesan brings a salty, nutty bite to the bread and helps the top of the loaf turn a deep golden brown as it bakes.
Italian seasoning:This dried herb blend of basil, oregano and thyme gives the bread a savory, slightly floral backbone without you needing to measure out several separate spices.
Garlic powder:Evenly sprinkled garlic powder adds garlic flavor to every bite—no mincing or peeling required.
Salt:A little salt rounds out the richness of the butter and cheese so the bread doesn't taste one-note.
Melted butter:Brushed over the top just before baking, melted butter gives this loaf its golden crust and true garlic butter flavor. Unsalted butter is the play so you can control the savory.

Directions

Step 1: Preheat the oven and prep the dough

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Unroll one tube of crescent roll dough onto a clean surface, taking care to keep the dough in one piece rather than separating it along the perforated lines.

Editor's Tip: If the dough tears a little, don't worry. Just pinch the seam back together; you won't notice once it's rolled up and baked.

Step 2: Season the dough

Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt evenly over the sheet of dough.

Step 3: Roll it up

Overhead horizontal image of a sheet of raw dough sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and dried herbs. A bowl of grated Parmesan cheese and a small dish containing dried herbs and spices are nearby, along with a log of raw dough.

Starting at the short side, roll the dough up jelly-roll style, then pinch the seam to seal it closed.

Repeat the whole process with the second tube of dough and the remaining Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt.

Editor's Tip: Rolling from the short side rather than the long side is what gives you two shorter, fatter rolls that fit neatly side by side in the loaf pan.

Step 4: Assemble the loaf

Overhead horizontal image of a hand using a pastry brush to coat two rolls of uncooked dough with melted butter or oil. The dough is placed inside a silver loaf pan, with a small glass bowl of the yellow liquid visible to the right.

Place the two rolled logs side by side, seam sides down, into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Brush the tops generously with the melted butter.

Step 5: Bake the bread

Bake the loaf until it's golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Editor's Tip: Tent the bread loosely with foil for the last five minutes if the top is browning faster than the inside is cooking through.

Overhead horizontal image of a golden brown loaf of bread, partially sliced, resting on a wooden cutting board. Several slices of bread with a swirled interior are arranged next to a serrated knife. Pats of butter are visible in a small wooden bowl in the background.

Garlic Butter Crescent Roll Bread Variations

Add fresh herbs:Stir a tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, chives or rosemary into the Parmesan mixture for a brighter, more herbal finish.
Swap the cheese:Try shredded mozzarella or Asiago cheese in place of some of the Parmesan for a meltier, gooier texture between the layers.
Turn up the heat:Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the filling for a subtle kick that plays nicely against the garlic and butter.
Go sweet instead of savory:For something entirely different, skip the Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt, and fill the dough with cinnamon and sugar for a dessert-style loaf with cinnamon twist vibes. This is yet another way to use crescent rolls without ever making, well, plain crescent rolls .

How to Store Garlic Butter Crescent Roll Bread

Once the loaf has cooled completely, store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in storage wrap. It keeps well at room temperature, so there's no need to refrigerate it unless your kitchen runs particularly warm. A quick reheat in a low-temperature oven brings back that just-baked texture if the bread has softened.

How long does crescent roll bread last?

When stored at room temperature in an airtight container, garlic butter crescent roll bread stays fresh for up to two days. After that, move it to the refrigerator, where it will keep for about a week.

Can you freeze crescent roll bread?

Yes, this bread freezes beautifully. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in storage wrap then foil, and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw it at room temperature and warm it in the oven before serving it to crisp the crust back up.

Garlic Butter Crescent Roll Bread Tips

Eye Level horizontal image of freshly baked, sliced bread on a wooden cutting board. Several thick slices are fanned out next to a partial loaf, revealing their swirled interior texture. In the background, a small wooden bowl holds pats of butter and a butter knife, with a green striped towel visible in the foreground.

What's the best way to tell that bread is done baking?

The top of the loaf should be a deep golden brown, and it should feel firm rather than doughy when you press it gently. If you want to be extra sure, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read about 190 degrees.

What can you serve garlic butter crescent roll bread with?

Honestly, it's easier to ask what doesn't go with garlic butter crescent roll bread! Pair it with a big bowl of pasta, chicken Alfredo , chili , tomato soup or a big Caesar salad , or set it out with a charcuterie board for an appetizer that disappears surprisingly fast. Leftover bread bits also make an excellent snack straight from the counter, which is usually how mine mysteriously vanish before dinner is even served.