Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Texas Roadhouse Rolls are legendary for a reason – soft, fluffy, buttery, and always served warm with that famous cinnamon honey butter. This copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls recipe shows you exactly how to recreate that same light, pillowy texture at home (yes, even if yeast has intimidated you before). Fresh out of the oven, these taste just like the restaurant — maybe even better.
If you’ve ever tried making homemade rolls and ended up with dense or flat dough, you’re not alone. The good news? Once you understand a few key steps, these come together much easier than you think — and the results are absolutely worth it.
🔍 COPYCAT SECRETS UNCOVERED!
I’m going to share a secret – I have an arch enemy!!! And it is YEAST!!! Every time I’ve made something with yeast – it doesn’t turn out! I’m thrilled to say I’ve conquered the beast!!!
These copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls are great!!! And here’s the SECRET “SAUCE” to making fluffy rolls with that signature Roadhouse texture:
- The yeast you use – This is where most people run into trouble — using the wrong type or not activating it properly will give you dense rolls.
- 👉 Be sure to get Active Dry Yeast and let it fully proof until it gets foamy
- The milk temperature – Too hot = kills the yeast – Too cold = won’t activate.
- 👉 I use an instant read thermometer to get it just right — this makes a huge difference in getting that perfect rise!
- Proper kneading – The dough should go from sticky to smooth — this is what creates that soft, fluffy texture.
- 👉 You can use a stand mixer, but I’ve done it by hand and it works great too! The transformation from sticky mess to smooth ball is amazing! Hooray for Gluten!
Ingredients for Texas Roadhouse Rolls
I’m not known for baking – so when I do it – I like to know a little about what the ingredients are doing in the recipe. Baking is much more scientific than “cooking”. Thus I’m sharing a little of that with you as we go through how to make these delicious copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls at home!
- Milk – Milk helps create that soft, tender texture (but temperature matters — too hot or cold affects the yeast)
- TIP: I used half and half and 2% – don’t use just skim – you need some fat.
- Sugar – regular old white sugar works for this and adds a little sweet flavor as well as helping the yeast get frothy!
- Yeast – this is what makes the rolls rise and become fluffy (if it doesn’t activate properly, your rolls will turn out dense)
- Instant yeast is better for recipes with less rise time – that’s why you want to use Active Dry Yeast.
- Butter gives you a moist dough – use salted butter if you have it.
- TIP: Let the melted butter cool down momentarily – if it’s too hot – it can kill the yeast a bit.
- Egg – just one egg will give it that pillowy texture
- Salt – just a little bit will work with the yeast to ensure it doesn’t proof too much
- Bread Flour – higher protein helps the rolls rise higher and gives them that signature fluffy texture.
How to make Texas Roadhouse Rolls at Home
I’m not gonna lie – this copycat recipe takes a half day and is a little picky – so don’t rush the process. That said:
- It’s worth it – these soft rolls are delicious
- It’s easy and the 2 hour rise time is perfect for a nap!
Here’s how to make these Texas Roadhouse rolls perfectly (full instructions in recipe card below):
- WARM MILK & YEAST – In a small bowl, add warm milk, yeast and sugar. Stir until mixed and let rest 10 minutes until foamy film covers top of mixture.
- EGG & BUTTER – Whisk in (slightly cooled) melted butter and egg.
- ADD THE FLOUR – In a separate large mixing bowl, add bread flour, salt and yeast mixture. Mix together until a sticky dough forms.
- KNEAD – Pull dough out onto clean dry surface and start kneading the dough. Knead dough until the dough forms a smooth ball.
- You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step if you like but it’s kinda cool to do it by hand!
- FIRST RISE – Add dough to greased bowl and cover lightly with a dish towel or plastic wrap for 2 hours to let the dough rise in a warm place.
- DEFLATE – Dough should have doubled in size. Using hand, lightly press center of dough ball to deflate.
- STRETCH & CUT – Lightly stretch into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, slice dough into 3″ squares (as best you can).
- SECOND RISE – Lay squares onto two greased baking sheets with an inch between each square. Place baking sheets into warm oven for 30 minutes to rise again.
- BAKE – Place baking sheets in 350° oven for 10-15 minutes.
- SERVE – When tops are starting to turn golden brown, remove sheet from oven. Brush tops with melted butter. Serve warm rolls with Texas Roadhouse Butter.
🧰 Tools That Help You Get That Texas Roadhouse Texture
- Instant-read thermometer – this is key for getting the milk to the right temperature so the yeast activates properly
- Stand mixer (optional) – makes kneading easier, but you can absolutely do it by hand
- Baking sheets – helps the rolls bake evenly and get that golden top
Tips Tricks & FAQs
🍽️ Recreate a Full Texas Roadhouse Meal at Home
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Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Texas Roadhouse Rolls are legendary for a reason – soft, fluffy, buttery, and always served warm with that famous cinnamon honey butter. This copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls recipe shows you exactly how to recreate that same light, pillowy texture at home (yes, even if yeast has intimidated you before). Fresh out of the oven, these taste just like the restaurant — maybe even better.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- 1/4 cup salted butter melted
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour fluffed, not packed
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Turn oven to warm.
- Warm milk in the microwave for 50-70 seconds until temp is 110-115°1 1/4 cup milk
- In a small mixing bowl, add warm milk, yeast and sugar. Stir until mixed and let rest 10 minutes until foamy film covers top of mixture.1/3 cup white sugar, 1 packet active dry yeast
- Add in melted butter and egg. Whisk until combined.1/4 cup salted butter, 1 egg
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add bread flour, salt and yeast mixture. Mix together with a spatula until a sticky dough forms.3 1/2 cups bread flour, 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- Pull dough out onto clean dry surface and start kneading the dough. No extra flour is needed. Knead dough for 3-5 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball.
- Spray the sides of the large mixing bowl with olive oil. Add dough to bowl and cover lightly with a towel. Place somewhere warm for 2 hours to rise. (I turned off oven and placed bowl in oven.)
- Remove dough bowl from warm oven. Dough should have doubled in size. Using hand, lightly press center of dough ball to deflate. Turn oven back to warm.
- Turn dough ball out onto clean surface and lightly stretch into a rectangle. Try and keep the dough about 1/2" thick.
- Using a pizza cutter, slice dough into 3" squares (as best you can). Lay squares onto two greased baking sheets with an inch between each square. Turn oven off. Place baking sheets into oven for 30 minutes to rise.
- Remove baking sheets from oven. Turn oven on to 350°. When oven is ready, place baking sheets in oven for 10-15 minutes. Switch sheets half way through if they can't fit on the same rack.
- When tops are starting to turn golden, remove sheet from oven. Brush tops with melted butter. Serve with Texas Roadhouse Butter.
Nutrition
Serving: 1rollCalories: 78kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 54mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 67IUVitamin C: 0.001mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.2mg
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