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Brown Butter Sage Dinner Rolls

Brown butter sage dinner rolls with a soft, pull-apart crumb and a glossy glaze. The dough rises, bakes until deep golden, then gets brushed with browned butter and topped with crispy sage leaves.
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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: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For dough
  • 0.75 cup warm whole milk
  • 2.25 tsp instant yeast
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly browned
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cup all-purpose flour
For brown butter sage glaze
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter
  • 16 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 garlic, minced
  • 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown butter & make dough
  1. Brown 1/2 cup butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat until it turns golden and smells nutty, then cool slightly to lukewarm, about 5 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, combine warm milk, instant yeast, sugar, browned butter, and eggs and let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Add flour and salt and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
First rise & shape
  1. Cover the dough and let rise for 1 hour, until puffy and doubled.
  2. Grease a 9x13 dish, divide dough into 12 balls, and place them in the dish with space between.
  3. Cover and let rise again for 30-40 minutes, until the rolls look swollen and touch lightly.
Bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F while the rolls finish rising.
  2. Bake for 18-22 minutes at 375°F until the tops are golden-bronze.
Make sage glaze & finish
  1. In the Dutch oven, brown the remaining butter until deep golden, then stir in minced garlic for 30 seconds.
  2. Fry sage leaves in the hot brown butter until crisp and dark green, about 1-2 minutes.
  3. Brush the rolls generously with warm sage brown butter, then press crispy sage leaves onto the top of each roll.

Notes

For the best texture, use warm milk that feels like a warm bath and keep the butter lukewarm before mixing with the yeast. Store baked rolls covered at room temperature for up to 2 days; refrigerate up to 4 days and rewarm in a 300°F oven for 5-8 minutes. Freeze baked rolls up to 2 months, wrapped tightly; thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm to refresh. For a lighter option, replace half the butter with an equal amount of plant-based butter sticks that brown well, and proceed with the same sage-frying steps.