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Brown Butter Sage Dinner Rolls

Brown butter sage dinner rolls with a pillowy, pull-apart crumb brushed in nutty brown butter and topped with crispy sage leaves. Instant-yeast dough rises in a greased 9x13 pan and bakes until deeply golden.
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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: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For dough
  • 0.75 cup whole milk Warm to the point it feels comfortably warm, not hot.
  • 2.25 tsp instant yeast
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Melted and slightly browned for the dough.
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cup all-purpose flour
For brown butter sage glaze
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Reserve for browning the glaze; brown until nutty.
  • 16 fresh sage leaves For frying until crisp.
  • 1 garlic Minced.
  • 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown butter dough base
  1. Brown 1/2 cup butter in a skillet, then cool slightly so it’s warm rather than hot.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine warm whole milk, sugar, browned butter, and eggs to form the liquid base.
  3. Sprinkle in instant yeast and let stand until it looks foamy.
Make the dough
  1. Add all-purpose flour and salt, then knead until smooth, about 8 minutes.
First rise and shape
  1. Cover and rise for 1 hour, until noticeably puffed.
  2. Divide the dough into 12 balls and place in a greased 9x13 dish.
  3. Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes until the rolls are soft and puffy.
  4. While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 375F.
Bake
  1. Bake the rolls at 375F for 18-22 minutes, until golden-brown on top.
Brown butter sage glaze
  1. In a skillet, brown the remaining butter, then add minced garlic and cook briefly just to bloom.
  2. Fry fresh sage leaves in the browned butter until crispy, then transfer to a paper-lined surface to crisp.
  3. Stir flaky sea salt into the sage brown butter.
  4. Brush the baked rolls generously with sage brown butter, then press the fried sage leaves onto each roll while warm.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the browned butter slightly before mixing with the milk and eggs to avoid scrambling, and press the crispy sage onto warm rolls so it adheres. Store baked rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days; rewarm at 300F for 8-10 minutes. Freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm. For a dairy-light swap, use a plant-butter substitute labeled for baking and warm it gently for browning.