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Salted Sage Honey Butter Brioche Rolls. These light, airy, buttery rolls are perfectly salted and so delicious, with salty-sweet sage honey butter swirled throughout each roll. Serve these soft brioche rolls warm right out of the oven with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt. These are quick and simple dinner rolls made using flour, salt, instant yeast, honey, eggs, butter, and sage. Made in under two hours with very little fuss! The perfect rolls for all of your upcoming holiday dinner parties.
If there’s one dish that’s always on my holiday table, whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, it’s a dinner roll. My family wouldn’t have it any other way, especially my mom. There’s nothing she loves more than a soft roll with her meal.
For Thanksgiving, Mom always asks for something like a crescent roll or soft brioche. If she had to pick, it would be a brioche roll all the way. And for Christmas, it’s always a candy cane bagel with extra butter on top!
She really loves her rolls, you guys.
For Thanksgiving this year, there will be just a small group here in Colorado, so I really wanted to create a dinner that I know we’ll all love. This meant I had to come up with sides that my mom would be so excited about. I knew a brioche roll would be her favorite.
And you all, these actually turned out better than I’d envisioned. I used instant yeast, which I haven’t done in forever. I was so surprised with how well it worked and how easy and quick it is to use!
I’m so excited for you all to have this recipe. If you enjoy my honey butter Parker House Rolls, please try these. I think they’re even better! Nothing beats an eggy brioche!
Here are the details
Ingredients
- flour
- instant yeast
- salt
- honey
- whole eggs + an egg yolk
- salted butter
- fresh sage
Special Tools
These rolls are easiest when you have a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. The mixer can do all the work for you! If you don’t have a mixer, you can knead the dough with your hands instead. You’ll just have to use a little more arm strength!
Steps
Step 1: make the brioche dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, instant yeast, and salt. Then add in the honey and 3 large eggs. It’s best if the eggs are at room temperature.
What’s so nice about using instant yeast is that it allows you to skip the first rise and go almost directly to baking.
Mix the dough with the dough hook until it forms a smooth ball. Now cover the bowl and let the dough rest 15 minutes.
Step 2: make the honey butter
While the dough is resting, make the sage honey butter. Take those fresh sage leaves and fry them up in a skillet with a pat of butter. Get them crispy.
Once the leaves are fried, remove them from the skillet and chop them. Mix the chopped sage with salted, softened butter and honey.
Step 3: roll the dough out
Now, we can immediately move on to rolling out the dough.
On a floured counter, divide the dough in half, roll each half into a square, spread the sage butter on top, and cut each square into 6 long strips. Roll the dough up into a tight coil, like a cinnamon roll.
Arrange each roll seam side facing down in a 9×9 inch square baking dish.
Step 4: brush the rolls and let them rest
Next, beat 1 egg yolk with a splash of water. This is called an egg wash, and it creates a beautiful golden crust over each roll.
Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash, then let the rolls sit for another 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. They should get a little poufy and double in size.
Step 5: bake the rolls!
The final step is baking. These only take around 25 minutes, so they bake up fast!
As they bake, you’ll smell that wonderful smell of baking bread in the air—sweet honey, a touch of sage, and this eggy smell that I can’t quite explain but is wonderful. So cozy and perfect for this time of year.
Serve
As you can guess, I recommend serving these warm from the oven. You can also make them ahead of time and warm them up before you serve. The idea is that when you spread butter over each roll, it will quickly melt.
And I always serve these with extra flaked salt. Not only is it pretty, but it’s delightful with the sweet and savory mix of the sage honey butter. They’re SO GOOD every time. I mean, how can anything swirled with salted honey butter be bad? It just can’t.
Make these for Thanksgiving. They’re perfect for soaking up all that gravy and then eating for breakfast the next morning. I know you and your guests will love them!
Looking for other holiday bread recipes? Try these.
Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls
Perfect Popovers with Cranberry Butter
Pull-Apart Garlic Butter Bread Wreath
Salted Rosemary Popovers with Honey Butter
Parmesan Popovers with Crispy Sage Garlic Butter
Lastly, if you make these Salted Sage Honey Butter Brioche Rolls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Salted Sage Honey Butter Brioche Rolls
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 292 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- flaky sea salt
Sage Honey Butter
- 12 sage leaves
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm milk, honey, 3 whole eggs, and 6 tablespoons of butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add a 1/4 cup of flour at a time. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. 2. To make the sage honey butter. Fry the sage leaves with 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet set over medium heat. Remove from the pan and chop the leaves. Combine 6 tablespoons of butter and honey together in a small bowl. Mix in the fried sage and a good pinch of sea salt. 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 4. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half to a 12-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick. Brush each square with honey butter, saving any leftover butter for serving. Cut each square of dough into 6 strips. Roll each strip into a coil (see above photo) and arrange seam side down in the prepared baking dish.5. Brush the rolls with the beaten egg yolk. Cover the dish and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes until puffy.6. Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining honey butter. Pull them apart to serve warm with flaky sea salt.
Notes
To Make Ahead: prepare the rolls through step 4. Do not let the rolls rise at room temp. Cover the rolls and place in the fridge (up to overnight). When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking, then bake as directed.
To Prepare and Freeze: assemble the rolls through step 5, then cover the pan and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours. Once thawed, bake as directed.
To Bake and Freeze: bake the rolls as directed and let cool completely. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and warm before serving.
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast with the warm milk and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe.
This post was originally published on November 12, 2024
Hi! Wondering how long I would be able to store these in the fridge premade (I see up to overnight) would it work to store them in fridge before baking for 12 hours or is that too long?
Hi Thomas,
I would consider 12 hours to be overnight:) I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi, excited to try these. Do you think it would work to use sourdough starter instead of yeast? Thanks!
Hi Libby,
So sorry, I have not tested this, but I would think it would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
These turned out delicious! They did turn out more dense than fluffy/light when I took them out of the oven. Any advice to help them cook less dense?
Hi Molly,
Amazing! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Did they rise correctly? Your dough may have needed to rise longer. Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Hi! Is there any chance these might work with gluten free flour?
They look delicious.
Hi Michelle,
Yes, that should work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
Could I use a 9×13 pan or a sheet pan to double the recipe?
Hi Katie,
Sure, if you have a sheet pan with tall edges I think that would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! xx
Nevermind. I see it now in the instructions that it makes 12.
Does this recipe make 12 or 16 rolls? Instructions say 6 from each piece, but photo shows 16 in the pan.
Hi Susan,
This recipe will give you 12 rolls:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Hi! How can I make this if I don’t own a stand mixer?
Hi Alyssa,
No worries, just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball. I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xxT
I made these rolls today for a pre-Thanksgiving gathering, and they were a huge hit! So delicious, and not fussy at all to make. My family requested that I make them again for Thanksgiving, and I am happy to! I think we have a new Thanksgiving staple in our family! Your make -ahead gravy is already a staple—-I make it every year. Thanks for the great recipe! (For the rolls, I used a 9 x 13 glass pan, which is what I had, and it worked great.)
Yay!! Thanks so much, Janet! I appreciate you making so many recipes and I’m so glad to hear this one was a hit! Happy Thanksgiving! xxT
Janet, thank you for that review! I debated between Popovers and Brioche, and after reading your review, Brioche was the winner! Happy Holidays!! 💝
Would it work to use a bread machine on the ‘dough’ setting? I’m lazy…..
Hey there,
Lol sure, I don’t see why not! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Could I use a blender or a hand mixer? We don’t have a stand mixer.
Hi Rachel,
I would just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball. I hope you love this recipe! xx
I only have an 8 x 8 baking pan. How close can the rolls be packed in? Should I leave some out or can I use a larger pan like a 9 x 13?
Hi Jennifer,
You could use either one, the rolls will be just fine:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Would the recipe still work okay if I substitute a plant based “butter” instead of regular butter and oat milk for the cow milk? Just trying to come up with a dairy free option. Thanks!
Hi Tinsa,
Yes, those should work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi!! So excited to make – If I do not have a stand mixer, how long would you recommend I knead the dough for?
YAY!
Hi Sasha,
I would do 5 minutes until you have a smooth dough ball:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Hello!
I’m such a visual learner when it comes to cooking & baking. I saw this recipe on your Instagram stories, but now it has disappeared. Do you have the video anywhere for me to reference?
Thank you!!!
Hi Kari-Lynn,
So sorry, I do not have a video saved for this recipe just yet. If anything changes, I will let you know! xT
If I’m going to freeze them uncooked, do I let rise 30 minutes first?
Hi Kimberly,
You can skip that rise:) I hope you love this recipe! xx