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Brown Butter Sage Dinner Rolls

Brown butter sage dinner rolls with a soft, pull-apart crumb and crispy sage leaf topping. Yeast dough is enriched with brown butter, then baked until golden and glazed with nutty sage butter.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
rising 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 22 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For dough
  • 0.75 cup whole milk warm, not hot
  • 2.25 tsp instant yeast
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly browned; split for dough and glaze
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cup all-purpose flour
For brown butter sage glaze
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter remaining butter for glaze
  • 16 fresh sage leaves for frying and topping
  • 1 garlic minced
  • 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown butter and activate yeast
  1. Brown 1/2 cup unsalted butter in a skillet until nutty and lightly browned, then cool slightly so it won’t scramble the eggs.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine warm whole milk, instant yeast, sugar, browned butter, and eggs, and let it sit until foamy, 5-10 minutes.
Make the dough and first rise
  1. Add all-purpose flour and salt to the yeast mixture and knead for 8 minutes until smooth.
  2. Cover the dough and rise for 1 hour, until puffy and doubled.
  3. Punch down the dough, divide into 12 balls, and place them in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
  4. Cover and let the shaped rolls rise 30-40 minutes while you prepare to bake.
Bake and make sage glaze
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F during the final rise.
  2. Bake the rolls for 18-22 minutes, until golden-brown on top.
  3. Brown the remaining butter in a skillet, then fry fresh sage leaves until crisp, 1-2 minutes.
  4. Stir in minced garlic and flaky sea salt for 30-60 seconds, then remove from heat.
Glaze and finish
  1. Brush the rolls generously with the brown butter sage glaze while warm so it soaks slightly.
  2. Press the fried crispy sage leaves onto the top of each roll and serve.

Notes

For the softest rolls, keep the milk warm (about 100–110°F) so the yeast blooms quickly, and knead until the dough looks smooth and elastic. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; rewarm in a 300°F oven until just heated through. Freeze baked rolls (without extra glaze) for up to 2 months and thaw overnight. For a dairy swap, use plant-based butter and warm plant milk in the same amounts.