If you are like me, you may have very little self-control when it comes to homemade rolls. This copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls recipe is no exception.
If you have never had these yeast rolls, you are doing yourself a disservice. They are wonderfully pillow-like, buttery, sweet dinner rolls.
They are, in fact, the only reason I dine out at Texas Roadhouse. Well, that and the Texas Roadhouse Butter, butter blended with honey and cinnamon. But lucky for you, I created a copycat recipe so now you can make both at home!
Making Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Bread can be intimidating to make at home, but rest assured, they are much easier than they seem. Even more so if you have a stand mixer because it can do most of the kneading for you.
There are a few basic things to know about making a yeast based bread recipe.
- Don’t kill the yeast! Yeast thrives in temperatures between 105-110°F.
- Sugar feeds the yeast and helps it bloom.
- Proof the yeast, this simply means that you are making the yeast prove it is active. What for it to combine with warm water and sugar and allow it to get frothy and bubbly. This means its good and you can move forward.
- Yeast based bread doughs will rise between 70-80°F. Make sure it is in a warm place. Some ovens have a bread proofing setting to get the perfect temperature.
- Let the dough rise until doubled, do not rush this step. This gives the yeast time to work and makes the bread fluffier.
- Don’t skip scalding the milk.
- You don’t need a bread machine for fantastic bread.
Why Scald Milk for this Texas Roadhouse Bread Recipe
Why scald milk? The whey, aka protein, in milk can weaken gluten (the chewy part) and prevent the dough from rising properly. Scalding the milk deactivates the protein so this doesn’t happen.
Scalding the milk also intensifies the overall flavor of the bread. Skipping this step could result in your bread not rising properly or not achieving the proper flavor.
Keep that tidbit of information in your pocket for your next trivia night!
Texas Roadhouse Bread Rolls Ingredients
The ingredient list is pretty basic, the thing that holds these apart from other breads is the use of honey to sweeten.
- Active yeast – I don’t like using instant yeast for this recipe, instead I buy active dry yeast and let it bloom myself.
- Unsalted Butter – The best thing about warm rolls is arguably all the butter you slather on them, right? This roll recipe uses it in both the rolls and on top. I always use unsalted butter when baking. Salt can also prohibit yeast from activating, so while a little is okay, too much is a problem.
- Sugar – If this is your first time enjoying Texas Roadhouse Rolls, you should be aware they are slightly sweet. Hence the sugar, but also to help the yeast bloom.
- All purpose flour – No need to use bread flour for these soft rolls. All purpose flour works just fine.
- Eggs – As with lots of baked goods, the eggs help to bind everything together and leaven.
- Coarse Kosher Salt – Salt is a great way to amplify the flavor of baked goods. We just need a touch.
- Honey – These are honey rolls, after all, so we need to add another element of sweet with honey. This is what makes these rolls stand out from the rest.
How to Make Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Allow yourself plenty of time if you haven’t made bread before. Of course, these is more time allotted for rising.
- Warm milk. Start by bringing the milk to a low simmer and then allowing to cool to room temperature. This is the process of scalding the milk.
- Bloom the yeast. In a stand mixer with the bread hook attachment, combine yeast, warm water, and some of the sugar. Let the yeast bloom in a warm place until foamy and fragrant.
- Make the dough. Add the rest of the sugar, honey, scalded milk, and half of the flour to the yeast mixture and beat together in a large bowl. Add half the melted butter, eggs, and salt and continue to knead, slowly adding remaining flour until mixture is fully blended, slightly sticky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Let dough rise. Put the bread dough into a greased bowl so it doesn’t stick, turning once to cover it with cooking spray. Cover with a moist towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm environment. After the first rise, bread should have doubled in size. Punch down and turn out the soft dough onto a very lightly floured work surface.
- Roll dough. Using a rolling pin or clean wine bottle, roll the roll to a thickness of the dough is about 1/2 inch. Fold over in half, on top of itself, Roll again, fold one more time on a floured surface.
- Cut dough. Using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut the dough into 2×2 inch squares, transferring to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Cover the cut dough with a damp towel and allow to rise for 30 more minutes. This second rise is important to get fluffy rolls.
- Bake. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove and immediately baste with remaining melted butter. Serve hot with our homemade cinnamon butter recipe.
If you love salt, like me, feel free to sprinkle the tops with a flakey sea salt or Maldon salt while the basted butter is still tacky.
What to serve with this Texas Roadhouse Rolls Recipe
These rolls are so versatile that they pair well with nearly any meal, but if you are staying in the Texas Roadhouse theme, try pairing them with a pan fried steak using our steakhouse seasoning.They are also fantastic with my Baked Chicken Thighs and Marry Me Chicken Pasta. Crock Pot Pork Chops and creamy apple pork chops are also winners.
Use them to make sliders. deli sandwiches or a killer breakfast sandwich the next day.
Storing and Freezing Texas Roadhouse Bread
How to Reheat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
These delicious rolls can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Reheat gently in the oven or wrapped in a paper towel on 50% power for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
What Can I Do With Leftover Texas Roadhouse Rolls?
They aren’t just perfect for the dinner table either. Make breakfast bread and sandwich bread for lunch. Think a runny egg with ham or bacon, my famous avocado breakfast sandwich or even ham and cheese sliders or a cuban.
Can I Freeze Texas Roadhouse Rolls?
They also freeze well. Store in the in an airtight plastic bag, being mindful to get as much air out as possible, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and then gently heat.
Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls FAQs
They are basically the same thing, just the Texas rolls are laced with honey and made famous at Texas Roadhouse.
Yes, Texas Roadhouse Rolls contains eggs. It gives them some of their signature deep yellow color, but also adds richness and helps to leaven.
Yes! While nearly all breads are best freshly baked, these rolls can be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 5 days. Wrap it in a paper towel and microwave at 50% power for 15 seconds to activate the gluten and soften.
There are two common reasons that dinner rolls aren’t light and fluffy. The first is that the yeast did not work or the time allowed for rising was not adequate and the second is that the dough was overworked, making them dry and pushing air out instead of leaving it in for them to puff up.
If when you add the yeast, it doesn’t bloom, then the yeast is no good. Yeast can expire and go bad.
No, brush them after baking. Butter has milk solids that will burn the tops if baked with them on.
More CopyCat Restaurant Recipes
- Peter Luger Steak Sauce
- Fogo de Chao Brazilian Cheese Puff Bread
- Hot Honey Recipe (Mike’s Hot Honey)
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
Yum Yum Sauce Recipe (Easy!)
Copycat Carrabba’s Bread Dipping Oil Recipe
Texas Roadhouse Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water , between 105-110°F
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and divided
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar , divided
- 7 1/2-8 cups flour
- 2 eggs , lightly whisked
- 2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup honey
- Texas Roadhouse Butter
Instructions
- Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer, just steaming, and remove from the heat immediately, scalding the milk. Allow to cool.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, set aside. In a stand mixer with the bread hook attachment, combine the yeast, warm water, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let the yeast bloom until foamy and fragrant.
- Add the remaining sugar, honey, scalded milk, and half of the flour to the yeast mixture. Beat for two minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, eggs, and salt. Continue to knead, slowly adding remaining flour until mixture is fully blended, slightly sticky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for an additional 5-8 minutes.
- Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with cooking spray. Turn the dough into the bowl, turning once to coat the whole exterior. Cover with a moist towel in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
- After one hour, the dough should have doubled in size. Punch down and turn out onto a very lightly floured rolling surface.
- Roll the dough to a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Fold over in half, on top of itself, Roll again, fold one more time.
- Cut the dough into 2×2 inch squares, transferring to a lightly coated baking sheet. Cover cut the dough with a moistened towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until tops are very lightly browned. Remove and immediately baste with the remaining 3 tablespoons of melted butter.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
i just made these. Taste is perfect but they came out more dense than I expected. 1st rise was beautiful. 2nd rise never amounted to much. Could I have overworked the dough while rolling & caused them to be flat?
Oh goodness, there are so many reason why breads can come out a little wrong, which is why I’m not a huge fan of baking. Shhh… don’t tell anyone. LOL. The most common reasons are that your yeast was a little old or that the dough was overworked. Did the yeast get good and frothy in beginning?
Havent tried this yet but what is the temp of your homes while letting them rise ??
Hi Amber, mine is usually between 69-72 degrees.
I want to cry! These look delicious but I don’t have a stand mixer.. or a bread hook! Can I use a regular hand mixer?? Or what would be the best way to go about it? Thanks!
Hi Jessica- you can certainly hand knead, you’ll just have some fabulous arm muscles to go along with your bread. Have two servings cause you’ll deserve it!
Hi, these look delicious – I’m thinking about making them the day before for Thanksgiving this year and freezing overnight (So I don’t have to worry about them the day of). How do you recommend unfreezing? Oven? If so, what temp and how long? Thanks!
Hi Bethany,
If you are just making them the day before, I wouldn’t recommend freezing them at all. Just bake them for 2 minutes less, store them in an airtight plastic container or bag and reheat at 350 for a few minutes the day of. If you do freeze them, let them defrost and then heat them at 350 for 5-7 minutes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Can I use instant yeast on this?
Yes you can!
I just have 2 of us. At what part can I freeze? Maybe after I cut squares then freeze?
I actually freeze mine after I’ve baked them!
I just tried this recipe but instead of a volume measurement on the flour, I used an online converter and weighed it. I find with fluffy things like flour and confectioner’s sugar, weight is more consistent. Well, it came out rather soupy so I was wondering if you could weigh a cup of flour in whatever way you have been scooping it so I can know my amount is the same as yours….and don’t worry, I added flour until is was a workable dough, I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. What kind of flour are you using too? I used White Lily Bread flour on the assumption rolls=bread=use bread flour but I know not every feels that way. Thank you for your help and the recipe!
Hi Carolina,
I think the issue is that when I say flour- I always mean all-purpose flour unless specified as bread flour. They have different levels of gluten that could potentially cause the bread to be soupy. I also can’t trust the reliability of an online converter since even different AP flours can have different weights. I’m out of the kitchen for several days, but will check with a scale when I return. Glad you were able to figure it out.
Jessica
1 cup tablespoon plus 1/2 sugar? Is it 1 tablespoon & then 1/2 tablespoon? Thanx.
I don’t understand the sugar amount? What do you mean?
Hi Ann, I just updated it! I switched recipe formats and when it migrated, it messed things up.
Hi Marybeth, sorry for the delay in responding, I’ve been in bed sick. I just updated it! I switched recipe formats and when it migrated, it messed things up. It is 1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon. Hope that helps!
I made these for Easter dinner this year after much research for the perfect copy-cat Texas Roadhouse roll recipe. Thery are AMAZING!! My entire family (bread lovers and non lovers alike) devoured them. They are soft, yeasty, buttery and delicious. I never thought I could make rolls as good as Texas Roadhouse…these are every bit as good if not better. These will make an appearance at all family gathering meals from now on. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Oh, Vanessa, you made my day! I’m so happy you enjoyed them as much as my family does. THIS is the reason why I blog, thank you so much 🙂
Oh finally a soft and fluffy looking rolls! Can’t wait to try out! Great recipe! – Love, Anna
I have made this recipe twice now and both times it did not rise. I have no idea what the problem is. I’m at a high elevation so I’m wondering if that has something to do with it. I know the yeast is good because I made a regular loaf of bread with it the next day with no issues. I also know that the temperature was not an issue – I made sure all the liquids were warm, not hot. The flavor was nice, but I was looking for rolls, not flatbread. This was very disappointing.
I’m so sorry to hear that! I make this recipe all the time and never have any issues. Let me suggest two things, I know that your water isn’t too hot, but make sure it is just luke warm. Even tap water can get too hot. Although I don’t use rapid rise yeast for this recipe, try using it to just to see if it works better. To keep regular yeast fresh, keep in the freezer. It can lose its potency after time and at room temperature. The last suggestion is making sure you are covering it with a damp cloth. If he crust is too dry, the sough won’t rise. I’m not sure if you’ll try again, but please let me know how it goes. I feel terrible it didn’t work! – Jessica
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it. I’ve been using lukewarm water, (I test it out on my hand) and I know the yeast is good because I used it in one of my other recipes this week with no issues. Do you think it’s because I allowed the scalded milk to reach room temperature before adding and room temperature is too cold? We keep our house around 68 degrees, and this is the only recipe I’ve tried that calls for room temperature liquids. Most bread recipes I’ve tried call for 90-105 degrees.
I feel terrible it isn’t working for you! That might be it… if the milk is room temp, it could bring down the temp of your warm water.
I tried it again, this time I measured the milk temp. I ended up rising it overnight and they were perfect! Thanks!
I’m so relieved to hear that and I’m glad you enjoyed them! -Jessica