Ham and cheese crescents are the kind of bake that disappears from the plate before it has time to cool. In Norway they are a fixed part of the lunch box — soft yeast crescents rolled around grated cheese and cooked ham, baked until they are golden with crisp edges. Over here they are still an overlooked alternative to the classic cheese scone.
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In the air fryer the crescents get exactly the combination I am after: a thin, crisp crust on the outside and an airy crumb inside, while the cheese bubbles out along the seam. The dough has to rise, but the baking itself is quickly done — and you do not need to fire up a whole oven for eight small crescents.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Table of Contents:
Why I love ham and cheese crescents in the air fryer
The big argument is control. The air fryer is a small, closed space with powerful air circulation, so the heat hits the crescents from every side at once. At 160 °C they have time to bake through and turn golden without the base drying out and without the cheese catching on top.
The filling is also easier to control than in an oven. Grated cheese melts quickly in fan heat, so a short baking time means the cheese turns creamy instead of cooking dry. Cooked ham is ready to eat as it is and only needs warming through — the whole thing comes down to the dough.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven
An oven has to be heated up first, and the heat comes from below while the air stays relatively still. The air fryer blows the hot air around and typically gives 20-30 per cent shorter baking times at the same temperature. That is why I bake the crescents at 160 °C and not at the 200 °C you often see in oven recipes: if the temperature is too high, the surface sets before the dough inside is done.
My kitchen test: ham and cheese crescents
I have baked the crescents in my Cosori Dual Blaze, and the maths works out like this: 25 minutes of preparation, 60 minutes of rising time and 10 minutes of baking at 160 °C — 95 minutes from bowl to plate, and you only do anything during the first half hour.
The 10 minutes are not a rough figure. After eight minutes the crescents were still pale and soft along the seam; after ten they had colour and a crisp edge, and the cheese had just started to bubble out at one end. I do not turn them during baking — they are too soft for that — but I do rotate the basket once halfway through, because the back is always a touch hotter than the front.
Roll the crescents up tightly from the wide end, and place them in the basket with the tip underneath. That way they do not unroll during baking, and the cheese stays inside the crescent.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The mistake I see most often is too much filling. The cheese melts and needs somewhere to go — if there is too much, it runs out into the basket and catches, while the crescent ends up half empty. One tablespoon of grated cheese and half a slice of ham per crescent is plenty. Mistake number two is impatience with the rising time: a dough that has only risen for twenty minutes turns out compact no matter how well you bake it, so give it the full hour in a warm place. And finally, many people pack the basket too tightly. The crescents carry on rising in the heat, and if they touch each other they end up with pale, soft sides instead of crisp edges — better to bake them in two batches.
How to serve ham and cheese crescents
The crescents hold their own perfectly well, but they quickly turn into a whole meal with a little company:
- In the lunch box, wrapped once they have cooled completely
- On the brunch table with scrambled eggs and fresh vegetables
- With a bowl of tomato soup or a light vegetable soup
- With a dollop of mustard or homemade herb butter on the side
- As a snack for a Friday night in, halved on the diagonal
Storage and reheating
The crescents keep best in an airtight container at room temperature for two days. If they need to be kept longer, I freeze them one by one once they are completely cold. Reheating belongs in the air fryer again: a couple of minutes at 160 °C makes them almost like freshly baked, whereas the microwave leaves them chewy.
Ham and cheese crescents are everyday baking at its best: few ingredients, a dough that looks after itself while it rises, and ten minutes in the air fryer at the end. Make a double batch the first time — the second half rarely survives to the next day.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A chilled ready-made dough works fine and saves you the rising time, but the flavour is more neutral than with a dough you have mixed yourself. Roll it a little thinner than stated on the packet, so the crescents do not turn out compact in the air fryer.
A firm cheese that melts without going watery. Grated gouda, cheddar or a Danish semi-hard cheese with 45 % fat all work well. Avoid fresh cheeses with a high water content, as they make the dough soggy inside.
Yes, give it a couple of minutes at 160 °C before the crescents go in. A cold basket lengthens the baking time and gives an uneven colour, and the 10-minute baking time in the recipe assumes a preheated air fryer.
Recipe
Ham and cheese crescents in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Brush
- 1 Bagepapir (til airfryer)
Shopping list
Ingredients
Yeast dough
- 2.5 dl milk (Lukewarm, about 37 °C)
- 25 g fresh yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 g butter (Softened)
- 1 pcs egg
- 400 g plain flour
Filling
- 150 g grated cheese (E.g. gouda or cheddar)
- 150 g cooked ham (Thinly sliced)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (Optional)
For brushing
- 1 pcs egg (Beaten, for brushing)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (Or poppy seeds)
How to make it
Preparation
- Dissolve 25 g fresh yeast in 2.5 dl milk in a mixing bowl. The milk should be lukewarm, not hot, so the yeast is not damaged.
- Knead 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 pcs egg, 50 g butter and 400 g plain flour into the yeast mixture. Keep kneading for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and comes away from the side of the bowl.
- Leave the dough to rise in a warm place under a clean tea towel for 45 minutes, until it has roughly doubled in size.
Shaping
- Shape the dough into a ball on a lightly floured worktop, and roll it out into a circle about 35 cm in diameter.
- Cut the circle into 12 equal triangles with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
- Fill the triangles with 150 g grated cheese and 150 g cooked ham, keeping the filling gathered at the wide end. If you like, spread 1 tsp Dijon mustard thinly over the triangles first for a little extra bite.
- Roll each triangle up tightly from the wide end towards the tip, and bend the ends slightly inwards so the crescent shape appears. Place the crescents on baking paper with the tip underneath, and leave them to prove for 15 minutes.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan.
- Brush the crescents with 1 pcs egg, and sprinkle 1 tbsp sesame seeds over the top.
- Bake the crescents in the air fryer for 9-10 minutes at 160 °C, until golden and baked through. Place them in a single layer with plenty of space, and bake in two or three batches if the basket is small.
Serving
- Leave the crescents to cool on a rack for 5 minutes, so the melted cheese sets and the base does not go soggy.
- Serve the crescents warm for the lunch box, for lunch or for the brunch table.
Our notes for the recipe
Let the crescents prove for the full 15 minutes before baking — that gives you an airy crumb and stops the filling from being pushed out during baking. Roll the triangles up tightly and place them with the tip underneath, so the crescents do not unroll in the basket. Variation:
Use sliced cheese instead of grated if you want a more distinct layer of cheese inside the crescent. A few leaves of fresh basil or a little freshly ground pepper on the triangle before rolling adds extra depth. Serving:
Serve the crescents warm with a simple green salad for lunch, or pack them cold in the lunch box along with carrot sticks and fruit. Portion size:
The recipe makes 12 crescents, about 3 per serving. If your air fryer is on the small side, you can bake them in two or three batches.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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