This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Texas Roadhouse rolls are the copycat I have made more times than I can count, and they come out of the oven soft enough to pull apart with two fingers. Because the dough is enriched with milk, butter and a whole egg, it bakes up pillowy instead of chewy. Then every roll gets brushed with warm honey cinnamon butter the second it leaves the pan.
If you have ever wrecked your appetite on that bread basket before the steak even showed up, you already know why I worked this one out. So now there is a version for the house, with a crock of cinnamon butter sitting right on the table.
The dough is forgiving, too. While it does need two rises, neither one asks much of you, and shaping is nothing more than a rectangle cut into squares. No pinching, no tucking, no fussy rolling.
For a holiday table I put these out next to my Honey Butter Cornbread, my Candied Yams with Marshmallows and my Cornbread Dressing.
Table of Contents
- Why These Texas Roadhouse Rolls Work
- Ingredients You Will Need
- How to Make Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- How to Make the Honey Cinnamon Butter
- Tips for Soft, Fluffy Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Make Ahead and Storage
- What to Serve With Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Recipes You Will Love
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Honey Cinnamon Butter Recipe
Why These Texas Roadhouse Rolls Work
Three things matter here, and none of them are complicated.
First, the milk temperature. Warming it to 105 to 110 degrees F wakes the yeast up quickly, although much hotter than that will kill it outright, as King Arthur explains in their guide to baking with yeast. Second, the butter and egg worked into the dough. Both soften the crumb so the rolls tear apart instead of stretching. Third, the honey cinnamon butter goes on after baking rather than before, because honey scorches at oven heat and turns bitter.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Whole milk. Warm it gently, then test it. Lukewarm on your wrist is about right.
- Active dry yeast. One packet, which is 2 1/4 teaspoons. Check the date on it first.
- Granulated sugar. It feeds the yeast and gives the rolls their faint sweetness.
- Unsalted butter. Softened, not melted, so it beats into the dough evenly.
- Egg. Room temperature, which keeps the dough from seizing up.
- Kosher salt. Just enough to keep everything from tasting flat.
- All-purpose flour. Start with 3 1/2 cups and add more only if the dough sticks to your hands.
- Honey and cinnamon. These go into the butter at the end, not into the dough.
How to Make Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Bloom the yeast. Stir the warm milk and sugar together, sprinkle the yeast over the surface and walk away for 5 minutes. When you come back it should look foamy and smell like bread. If nothing has happened, the yeast is dead or the milk ran too hot, so start that step again.
Mix the dough. Add the softened butter, egg, salt and 2 cups of the flour, then beat on medium until smooth. Work in the rest of the flour a little at a time and keep beating for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Watch the texture. You want a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl and feels barely tacky. Add flour by the tablespoon if it clings to your fingers, although resist dumping in more than you need. Dry dough makes dense rolls.
Let it rise. Cover the greased bowl and leave it somewhere warm for 45 to 60 minutes, until the dough has doubled.
Roll it out. Deflate the dough onto a floured board and roll it into a rectangle roughly 12 by 8 inches and about half an inch thick.
Cut the squares. Slice the rectangle into 24 to 30 even pieces, then space them out on parchment lined sheet pans. Leave room between them, since they spread as they rise.
Second rise. Cover the pans again and give them another 45 to 60 minutes, until the squares look puffed and nearly doubled.
Bake. Into a 350 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden and the kitchen smells like a bakery.
How to Make the Honey Cinnamon Butter
Beat softened butter with honey, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until it turns pale and fluffy. A hand mixer gets you there in about a minute, while a fork takes a few.
Then split it. Half stays as is for serving, and the other half gets warmed just enough to brush. Softened butter sitting at room temperature spreads far better than butter straight from the refrigerator, so pull it out early.
Brush the rolls the moment they come out. Hot rolls drink the butter in. Once they cool, it sits on top instead.
Tips for Soft, Fluffy Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Measure the flour lightly. Spoon it into the cup and level it off, because packing the cup can add a quarter cup you never wanted.
- Give the dough a warm spot. An oven with only the light on works well, although the top of the refrigerator does the job too.
- Do not rush the second rise. Underproofed squares bake up tight and heavy.
- Pull them at golden, not brown. A minute or two too long and the edges go crisp.
Make Ahead and Storage
These rolls suit a holiday schedule well. Shape the squares, cover the pans and refrigerate them overnight, then let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking.
Baked rolls keep in an airtight container for 2 days at room temperature, or 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, wrap them in foil and warm at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes, then brush on a little more butter.
The honey cinnamon butter itself holds for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Let it soften on the counter before you serve it again.
What to Serve With Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Anything with a sauce worth mopping up. My Red Wine Braised Pot Roast is the obvious one, and at Thanksgiving they go on the table beside my Cajun Butter Turkey and my Fresh Green Bean Casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my dough never rise?
Nine times out of ten the milk was too hot. Yeast dies above roughly 130 degrees F, so a thermometer is worth the trouble. Expired yeast is the other usual suspect.
Can I use instant yeast instead?
Yes. Instant yeast skips the blooming step, so stir it straight into the flour and expect the rises to run a little shorter.
Do these work in a stand mixer?
They do, and the dough hook makes it easier. Mix on low until the flour disappears, then medium for 2 to 3 minutes.
What if I only have salted butter?
Use it, but leave the pinch of salt out of the honey cinnamon butter and cut the dough salt to half a teaspoon.
How do I keep Texas Roadhouse rolls warm at the table?
Line a basket with a clean kitchen towel and fold it over the top. They stay warm for about half an hour that way.
More Recipes You Will Love
Dessert
Honey Butter Cornbread
Holiday Recipes
Candied Yams with Marshmallows
Side Dishes
Cornbread Dressing
Holiday Recipes
Roasted Cajun Turkey Recipe
Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Honey Cinnamon Butter
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk warmed to 105-110 degrees F
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
Honey cinnamon butter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Bloom the yeast. Stir the warm milk and sugar together in a measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast over the top and leave it alone for about 5 minutes, until the surface is foamy. If nothing happens, the yeast is dead or the milk was too hot, so start again.
- Mix the dough. Pour the yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl with the softened butter, egg, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth, then add the remaining flour a little at a time and beat 2 to 3 minutes more. The dough should pull away from the bowl and feel soft and slightly tacky. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if it sticks to your hands.
- First rise. Turn the dough into a greased bowl, cover it and let it rise somewhere warm until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Roll and cut. Deflate the dough onto a floured surface and roll it into a 12-by-8-inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut it into 24 to 30 even squares and space them out on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Second rise. Cover the pans and let the squares rise 45 to 60 minutes, until they look puffed and nearly doubled.
- Bake. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the rolls 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden.
- Make the honey cinnamon butter. Beat the softened butter with the honey, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until it is light and completely blended. Set half aside for serving and gently warm the rest until it is loose enough to brush.
- Brush and serve. Brush the rolls with the warmed honey cinnamon butter the moment they come out of the oven. Serve them warm with the reserved butter on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
