These fluffy, homemade, melt-in-your-mouth rolls are a perfect copycat of Texas Roadhouse Rolls. Follow this straightforward, step-by-step recipe to make pillowy soft rolls at home. Serve warm with honey cinnamon butter for the classic experience—no need to miss this bread ever again.
Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Texas Roadhouse is famous for its yeast rolls. What makes them so irresistible is the slightly sweet, yeasty dough, the tender, fluffy texture, and the fact that they’re served freshly baked. You can recreate all of that at home with this copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls recipe without paying restaurant prices.
The rolls take a bit of time and a few simple steps, but they’re straightforward and worth the effort. For the full experience, serve with honey cinnamon butter.
Can I Use All-Purpose Flour?
Yes. All-purpose flour works, but the rolls won’t rise quite as high as when made with bread flour. Bread flour contains more protein, which helps develop gluten and gives a taller, airier roll. All-purpose flour still produces delicious rolls—just slightly less fluffy.
Can I Use Instant Yeast?
Yes—instant yeast is fine and even more convenient because it does not require proofing. If using instant yeast, add it directly to the other ingredients and proceed as directed. You still need to include the warmed milk with the wet ingredients.
Why Didn’t My Dough Rise?
Getting dough to rise can be the trickiest part of bread baking. Common reasons dough doesn’t rise include:
- Inactive yeast. Check the yeast expiration date. If the milk was too hot, it can kill the yeast; if too cool, it may not activate. Aim for milk between 105°F and 110°F when proofing.
- Too-cold environment. Dough rises slower in a cold room. Place it somewhere warm and draft-free to speed the rise.
Quick tip if your dough won’t rise
Preheat the oven to 200°F, then turn it off and place the covered dough inside with the oven door closed. This creates a reliably warm environment that helps the dough rise more quickly. Remove when the dough has doubled—don’t overproof, or the rolls may collapse during baking.
What to Serve with Texas Roadhouse Rolls
These rolls are a versatile side for steak, chicken, pork, or seafood. The classic pairing is honey cinnamon butter for spreading on warm rolls. They’re also excellent alongside soup and a fresh salad.
- Cheeseburger Soup — a hearty, cheesy soup with ground beef and tender potatoes.
- Jalapeño Popper Soup — creamy soup with potatoes, chicken, and fresh jalapeños.
- Homemade Vegetable Soup — a quick vegetable soup with a tomato base.
- Zuppa Toscana — creamy soup with sausage, potatoes, and kale.
- Crockpot Corn Chowder — creamy corn chowder made in the slow cooker.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
These rolls are easy to make ahead, store, freeze, and reheat. Here are the best methods for keeping them fresh.
Make-Ahead Options
- Refrigerate after shaping. Complete the recipe through the second rise, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Bake from cold according to directions when ready to serve.
- Partially bake and finish later. Bake the rolls until just underdone (about 12 minutes). Cool to room temperature, store in an airtight container, and finish baking at 350°F for a few minutes before serving. Brush with melted butter after baking.
- Freeze (see below).
Storing and Reheating
Store baked rolls at room temperature in an airtight container for several days. Reheat briefly in the microwave or warm them in a 350°F oven for a few minutes until heated through. Brush with melted butter before serving.
Freezing
You can freeze these rolls baked or unbaked:
Baked: Cool completely, place in a freezer bag, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
Unbaked: Complete the recipe through the second rise, freeze the shaped rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid (2–4 hours), then transfer to freezer bags and store up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.
Recipe: Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups milk
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 to 5 cups bread flour (plus more for kneading)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted (for topping)
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 105°F–110°F. Remove from heat.
- Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and sugar mixture. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- When the yeast is foamy, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup butter, the egg, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Gradually add more flour until a soft dough ball forms. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat 2–3 more minutes. Dough should be tacky but not sticky.
- Lightly grease a large bowl, place the dough inside and turn once to coat. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45–60 minutes.
- Prepare baking sheets with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Punch the dough down gently. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out.
- Roll the dough into a 10″ x 10″ rectangle about ½-inch thick.
- Cut the rectangle into about 24 even pieces using a sharp knife.
- Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheets, cover with towels, and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes.
- When the dough is nearly finished rising (about 15–20 minutes left), preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Uncover the rolls and bake 12–15 minutes, until tops and edges are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter. Serve warm.
Notes
- Honey option: Substitute ¼ cup honey for the sugar, added at the same step.
- If dough is too sticky: Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until manageable.
- Flour: Bread flour yields the fluffiest rolls; all-purpose works but produces slightly denser rolls.
- Make-ahead: Prepare the dough through the second rise, then refrigerate or freeze as described above.
- Storage: Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave briefly or in a 350°F oven.
- Freezing: Freeze baked rolls up to 3 months. Freeze unbaked, fully risen rolls up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 roll | Calories: 150 kcal | Carbohydrates: 22 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 5 g
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