Texas Roadhouse Rolls
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Sweet, fluffy copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls are always a hit! Slather them with our homemade cinnamon butter and you will feel like you are eating in the restaurant. They melt in your mouth and are so light and tender.
Who else is like me and goes to Texas Roadhouse, eats all the rolls, and ends up taking their dinner home in a takeout box? Happens every time! I can’t resist those buttery, soft rolls especially when paired with cinnamon honey butter.
I love them so much I came up with a copycat recipe to make at home. Now you don’t have to go out to get your fix – you can make these melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls at home. They are so good and great for holidays, special dinners, or whenever you get a craving!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe!
- What makes these rolls so soft and delicious is the enriched dough. It’s made with yeast, and butter and egg are added for flavor and texture. They taste just like the original!
- They’re not hard to make – they just take time. Like all yeast dinner rolls, you need to allow time for the dough to rise twice. The actual hands-on time is short.
- I’m showing you how to make them, plus sharing all my tips so you can make the best copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls recipe.
Once you try them, you won’t have to wait for a table at the restaurant the next time you get a craving. Plus, you will wow your family when you pull them out of the oven! Everyone will think these are the best rolls ever.
What are Texas Roadhouse rolls made of?
- Yeast – We use Active dry yeast
- Milk – Heated to a temperature of 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sugar – Adds a bit of sweetness to the rolls to make them have that authentic taste.
- Egg – Acts as a binding agent in the recipe.
- Kosher salt
- Flour – Regular old all-purpose flour works great in this recipe.
- Butter – Use unsalted so you can control the salt in the recipe. Melt it before you add it to the dough.
Products Needed
How to Make Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Follow our step by step directions with tips and tricks to get the perfect fluffy rolls every time.
How to Activate the Yeast
The first thing you need to do is activate the yeast. This process “wakes” it up, so it will work to leaven your rolls once it’s mixed into the dough.
Combine the milk and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and then leave it for five minutes or until it’s foamy.
Pro Tip
Be sure to use warm milk that is between 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can warm it on the stove or in the microwave. If the milk is too hot, it can kill the yeast. Too cold, and the yeast may not activate.
How to Make the Dough
Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the softened butter, egg, salt, and two cups of flour. Mix until the batter is smooth.
With the mixer running, slowly add the rest of the flour until the dough forms a soft ball. Increase the mixer speed to high so that the dough hook can knead the dough.
After about two to three minutes, the dough should be tacky but not sticky. If it’s sticky, add a small amount of flour in batches until the dough is no longer sticky.
Pro Tip
A stand mixer makes everything more manageable, but you can knead the dough by hand.
Once the dough forms a ball, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it until it’s no longer sticky. Just keep in mind, it will take longer to do it by hand.
First Rise
Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat it. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and leave it in a warm place to rise until it’s doubled its size. This usually takes about 45 to 60 minutes.
How to Roll and Cut the Dough
When the dough is doubled in size, gently punch it down to deflate it and then let it rest while you prepare the baking sheets.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and roll it out to a 12×8” rectangle that is ½” thick.
Second Rise
Cut the dough into approximately 24 to 30 squares. Cutting them with a pizza cutter works great. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, cover them with a dishtowel, and leave them to rise for 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
Pro Tip
The squares should be the same size, so the rolls bake evenly. You don’t need to get scientific with a ruler, but try to make them approximately the same size.
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How to Bake the Rolls
Once the rolls have doubled in size, remove the towel and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until they are golden brown.
While they’re warm, brush the tops with melted butter! Serve them with homemade cinnamon butter and watch them disappear.
Can I use Instant Yeast?
You sure can! This type of yeast requires no proofing so you can simply add the yeast to the res of the ingredients and mix. You will still need all your ingredients in the recipe.
Tips for Using Yeast
- Always make sure to check the expiration date on your yeast.
- To keep yeast fresh and last longer store unopened yeast packages or jars in a cool dry place or even in the refrigerator.
- If you open a jar of yeast it needs to be stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer. If you store it in the freezer make sure to let it come to room temperature before using.
- If your yeast does NOT froth in step 2, then discard and try again. Your dough will not rise.
Why didn’t my dough rise?
One reason might be the yeast. Expired yeast won’t activate or if your milk was too hot or cold the yeast might not work properly. Make sure that your yeast froths in step 2. If it does not, discard and try again.
The other thing to consider is the temperature of the room. If it’s cold the dough will take longer to rise, so it may need more time.
Best Place for Dough to Rise
If your house is cold and you can’t get your dough to rise preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turn off the oven and place your dough in it with the door close to help it rise.
How to Store Leftover Rolls
Room Temperature: You can store these rolls right on the counter wrapped in foil or plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Freezer: You can freeze these rolls after baking by placing them on a baking sheet placing in the freezer for 1-2 hours until frozen and then transferring to a freezer bag or airtight container. They will last for up to 6 months and can be thawed right on the counter when ready to eat.
When your family tries these warm buttery rolls, they will think you picked them up at the restaurant! They are the best copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls and always a hit when I make them.
Make sure to pair your warm rolls with our homemade honey cinnamon butter. Enjoy your homemade rolls!
More Copycat Recipes
- Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana tastes just like Olive Garden’s. It’s a creamy soup loaded with sausage, potatoes, and kale made easy in the slow cooker.
- Love Red Lobster biscuits? Make a batch of Cheddar Bay Biscuits at home to satisfy your craving!
- Super soft Lofthouse Cookies with frosting are one of my favorite copycat recipes. They taste just like the original but better because you know exactly what’s in them!
- Make a Blooming Onion just like the kind you get at Outback Steakhouse! It’s easier than you think and just as delicious.
- For another bread recipe, you have to try my copycat Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread. It goes great with pasta and soup!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 packet packet active dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cups warm milk (about 105-110 degrees F)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cups unsalted butter room temperature, (½ stick)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ – 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading
- 3 Tablepsoon unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add milk and sugar, sprinkle yeast over it.
- Let the yeast set until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the yeast mixture to large mixing bowl. Then add ¼ cup butter, egg, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat the mixture on medium speed until batter is smooth.
- Gradually add flour until soft ball of dough forms. Then increase speed on mixer to medium high and beat for 2-3 minutes longer. Dough should be tacky, but not sticky. If too sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Lightly grease large bowl and place dough in ball, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with clean dish towel and set in warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
- Punch the dough down dough gently. Lightly flour work surface and turn dough out of bowl. Knead lightly if necessary.
- Let set a few minutes while you prepare the baking sheets with a silicone mat or by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
- Roll dough out to 12×8 inch rectangle, ½ inch thick.
- Cut the dough into even pieces using a sharp knife so you have 24-30 pieces of dough.
- Transfer rolls to prepared baking sheets. Cover with dish towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
- About 20 minutes prior to rising being done, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the rolls in the preheated oven at 350 degrees F. Bake rolls for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.
Jane says
I have made many bread recipes in my day, but these were very bland.
Ariel says
Can I use instant yeast instead of active?
Courtney says
This recipe was tested with active yeast, but you cant try instant!
Shelby says
My batch did not turn out like TRH rolls. The rolls were very bitter, and did not have a similar texture either. I feel that I would have to greatly alter the recipe to make it mimic the restaurant style rolls. Overall, they are OK. I am going to use them to make sliders for tomorrows dinner since they are too bitter to eat alone.
Tess says
Very good … I made pepperoni rolls with this dough by putting a 1/4-1/2” slice of pepperoni in the middle and baking, I still brushed with butter and sprinkled with garlic salt… everyone keeps telling me how excellent they are & I froze the extras! Yummy
Stef says
Made recipe as written. Don’t forget that butter at the end! My family loves them and thought they were a great copycat for TRH. Would love to see a video or explanation on shaping the rolls tho! I did them as traditional rolls!
Larina says
I was wondering if I could use the dough cycle on my bread machine??
jenner says
Yes! 🙂 I made them today and used the dough setting then picked up with step 8. Only other change I made was to double the sugar like another commenter suggested.
jenner says
…and a little extra flour because it was still a bit sticky vs slightly tacky.
Angela says
Something must have went wrong. My rolls were small and fairly flat, and it was so bland that even my horses spit it out. The texture was fine, I make bread often so I know my ingredients aren’t bad, and I followed the recipe exactly as it is. Maybe I missed something, but this recipe is not something I’ll make again.
Ronna says
what attachment do we use to beat the mixture? Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Johnna says
This was my first time making rolls with yeast. I was nervous about it but I got really good reviews when I made them. I did use rapid rise yeast & refrigerated the dough overnight. Definitely would make them again!
Melissa says
Not really sure what I did they look great and are fluffy but flavor
Brittany says
Can I use instant yeast instead? If so, how?
Kaci Burke says
I think you can. You just may not have to let it bloom beforehand. I’m trying them today with instant yeast and I will just add it in with the dry ingredients. We’ll see how it goes!
Shannon says
Really delicious rolls, the only thing I changed is doubled the sugar. I made three different batches and 3/4 cup- 1 cup of sugar tastes the most like Texas Roadhouse rolls. I also made a dairy free batch using silk next milk and dairy free avocado butter and they turned out amazing, no one could tell the difference.
Nicolette says
Have you tried making these with dairy alternatives?
Shannon says
I subbed silk next milk and used country crock avocado butter and they came out amazing!
Erica says
Could I make the dough the night before, leave it in the fridge over night, shape the next day and allow to rise before baking? Thanks for any help I receive!
Carole says
Not quite the same. I followed the recipe as written, the texture as not right (not as fluffy) and the buns were rather flat in comparison to true texas roadhouse buns. Keeping in mind that not all flours are the same, my all-purpose flour must not be the best for bread making. Next time, I will use actual bread flour, roll thicker and cut into 16 or 20 pieces. The cinnamon butter was pretty good. I will try again with the suggested changes and will give update when I can.
Marj says
Made these tonight for our family dinner, and they turned out really delicious. Will for sure make them again. Definitely going my my cookbook.