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These Homemade Crusty Bread Rolls are perfect for dipping in my melted butter with bacon and fresh sage recipe. A truly simple and flavorful appetizer to enjoy with drinks and perfect for any holiday entertaining event.

Dipping a piece of bread roll into bacon sage butter

Fresh baked crusty bread

In my opinion, there is no better aroma in the kitchen than the smell of fresh bread being baked to perfection and these rolls are so crazy easy to make! (trust me, I’m not an expert baker and I even I can do it). 

As you may have already realized, this is in no way a traditionally healthy recipe! But, ‘tis the season for indulgence – so, well, yes, you have a free pass. And no bad recipe has ever started with bacon cooked in butter, has it?

A crusty roll topped with sesame seeds served in a small cast iron bowl

Bacon and Butter

There are not many better smells in the kitchen than baking cooking in butter. The bacon dip itself is made with just 3 ingredients. Just be aware of how salty your bacon is and remember to taste test it before you salt it. For this reason, I like to use unsalted butter and if you find that it does need salt, you can still add salt, but remember you can’t ever take salt out!

The rolls (or buns), I adapted from my Easy Sesame Rolls. And, these have a wonderful, crusty exterior that leads to the fluffiest inside possible. Plus, they are perfect for mopping, which is very, very important.

A small cast iron bowl that holds a crusty bread roll alongside a cast iron skillet with bacon, sage butter

This recipe makes 8 rolls. If you’re serving 4 people, you can freeze half of the dough, or serve 8 and double the recipe for the bacon butter.

The bacon dip would be delicious, tossed with freshly cooked pasta with grated Parmesan for a finishing touch.

Serving suggestion

I like to bake each roll in mini cast iron bowls and serve the bacon butter in mini cast iron skillets. This helps keeps both items warm and the butter stays melted longer. Amazon is my go-to for all things cast iron.

Melted butter, bacon and sage in a mini cast iron skillet with a bread roll in the background

Fresh sage is such a wonderful pairing with freshly cooked bacon. If you’ve never tried it, do it and you’ll see what I mean. If you’re not a sage fan, this recipe also works with fresh rosemary and/or thyme. You can use more than 1 herb as most herbs do taste good together.

Yield: 4

Crusty Bread Rolls with Bacon Sage Butter

Dipping a piece of bread in to crispy bacon and sage in melted butter

Homeade crusty bread rolls perfect for dipping into bacon and sage cooked in melted butter.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the rolls:
  • 1 1/2 cups (354ml) water, warmed to 100– 115 °F (38 - 46°C)
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3 cups (450 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 egg whisked with a little milk
  • Sesame seeds (optional)
  • For the bacon butter
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter * see note
  • 4 slices bacon, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
  • Salt to taste, if needed

Instructions

  1. For the rolls:
  2. Add the water, yeast and sugar to a large bowl and mix. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.
  3. Add the flour, salt and oil to the wet ingredient and stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to form a ball, scraping the side of the bowl and spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, dusting with flour as needed until elastic and smooth and no longer sticky.
  4. Coat the same bowl lightly with oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a warm towel and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes. The microwave or the oven, without turning them on are both good options.
  5. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Place the oven rack just below center of the oven. Lightly oil 4 mini cast iron bowls or an 8-inch round pie pan.
  6. Punch the risen dough to deflate and turn out onto a floured surface and form into an even ball. Cut into 2 halves. This recipe makes 8 rolls so you can make all 8 or freeze half the dough. Cut those in half to get 4 even-sized dough balls. Form them into round balls and place in the bowls or pie pan. Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg/milk mix. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Time may vary depending on your oven. They are done when they are golden brown and when you tap the top, they sound hollow.
  8. For the bacon butter:
  9. To a heavy/cast iron pan add the butter over medium-low heat and add the butter. When melted and bubbly add the bacon and cook until it starts to brown and crisp. Breaking up the bacon pieces so they don’t stick together. If it is cooking too fast, turn down the heat. When the bacon is almost done, add the sage and stir.
  10. Serve warm with the rolls.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 754Total Fat 38gSaturated Fat 17gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 125mgSodium 824mgCarbohydrates 81gFiber 4gSugar 7gProtein 23g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Appetizers