If you've ever wondered why Texas Roadhouse rolls are so ridiculously good, I have a theory: people are overcomplicating them. You don't need eggs, honey, or a secret handshake from the High King of the Yeast Kingdom. These soft, fluffy copycat rolls use simple ingredients and get their melt-in-your-mouth texture from a tender dough, plenty of rise time, and a generous brushing of melted butter while they're hot. Don't forget the cinnamon honey butter!
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🥰 Is this Texas Roadhouse rolls recipe for you?
This recipe has your name on it if you:
- Believe the best dinner rolls should be soft enough to practically collapse when you tear them open.
- Consider melted butter an instruction rather than a suggestion.
- Have been searching for Texas Roadhouse rolls without eggs or honey in the dough.
- Don't mind giving yeast a little time to do its thing in exchange for ridiculously tender rolls.
- Would prefer a straightforward yeast roll recipe without turning breadmaking into a complicated ritual.
🧾 Ingredients
There's nothing particularly glamorous happening here, which is exactly the point. The real trick isn't what goes into these rolls. It's what we do with the dough afterward.
- Whole milk - Scalding the milk helps give the rolls a softer, more tender texture. I prefer whole milk here for the extra richness.
- Water - Use warm water, about 110°F, to wake up the yeast without killing it.
- Butter - I use real butter in the dough and plenty more for brushing the rolls before and after baking.
- Sugar - These rolls need a little sweetness, but we're making dinner rolls, not cake.
- Kosher salt - Don't leave it out. Besides adding flavor, salt keeps the yeast from getting entirely too ambitious. If you use regular table salt use a little less.
- Active dry yeast - I use two packets. If you're measuring from a jar, I routinely use a tablespoon per packet because it's easy to remember and works just fine. Experienced Bread Bakers™ may begin drafting their complaint emails now.
- Ground ginger - Just a pinch. You won't taste it, but it's an old bread-baking trick I use to give the yeast a little encouragement.
- All-purpose flour - You'll need about 3 to 3½ cups (360-420g), depending on the weather and your flour. Add just enough to make a very soft, slightly sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don't add extra flour just to make the dough easier to handle.
📖 Recipe
Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup warm water
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast, see notes
- pinch ginger
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, it can vary from 3 to 3 ½ cups (360-420g)
- ½ cup butter , melted for brushing rolls
Instructions
- Scald milk by bringing it just under a boil - bubbles will form around the edge of the pan.
- Add butter and sugar to hot milk and let cool to 110℉.
- Add the yeast, ginger, and a pinch of sugar to the warm water. Stir until dissolved.
- Add 2 cups of flour to the milk mixture and beat on low speed of a mixer for one minute.
- Stir in yeast mixture.
- Beat in a bit more flour then the salt.
- Stir in enough flour to make a sticky dough that leaves the sides of the bowl.
- Turn out on to a lightly floured counter and knead about 2-5 minutes.
- Place in a buttered bowl, butter the top, and cover with a tea towel.
- Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Gently deflate dough and roll into a ¾-inch thick rectangle.
- Place rectangle on a prepared baking sheet and cut into squares or rectangles.
- Brush with melted butter.
- Let rise until double, about 20- 30 minutes. They should be very puffy.
- Bake at 375℉ for 12 minutes, or until very light golden brown and interior temperature is 190F. Do not overbake!!
- Remove from oven, brush with melted butter and cover with a clean towel for 5 minutes.
- Brush with more melted butter and serve hot.
Notes
- Go by feel, not the flour measurement. Depending on humidity, you may need anywhere from 3 to 3½ cups. The finished dough should be very soft and slightly sticky.
- Roll the dough evenly. Keeping it about ¾-inch thick gives you those bigger, softer rolls and helps them bake at the same rate.
- Don't wait for deeply golden tops. These rolls should be just lightly golden when they're done. Check the center with an instant-read thermometer and pull them at about 190°F.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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🔪 How to shape Texas Roadhouse rolls
Roll the dough about ¾-inch thick, cut it into 12 squares, and give it plenty of time to rise. You want the rolls noticeably puffy before they go into the oven.
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
🍞 The dough is really sticky.
It's supposed to be soft and slightly sticky. Resist throwing more flour at it just to make it easier to handle. Add flour a little at a time only until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
🍞 The rolls aren't rising.
Give them more time. A cool kitchen can make that 20 to 30 minute second rise considerably longer. If absolutely nothing is happening, your yeast may be old or the water may have been too hot. Check out these hints for helping dough rise.
🍞 The rolls spread instead of getting tall.
Some spreading is normal because these are rolled and cut rather than shaped into balls. Make sure the dough is about ¾-inch thick before cutting and let it get good and puffy before baking.
🍞 They're getting too brown.
These should be very lightly golden, not deeply browned. Start checking early and pull them when the centers reach about 190°F.
🍞 The rolls came out dry.
Too much flour or too much time in the oven is usually the culprit. Keep the dough very soft, bake only until done, and don't be shy with the melted butter afterward.
🍞 The tops aren't soft like Texas Roadhouse rolls.
Brush them generously with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven, cover with a clean towel for about 5 minutes, then brush them with butter again. Yes, again. We have a goal here.
🍽 More homemade roll recipes
🏡 You may need to make a double batch
These copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls are soft, buttery, and tender enough to practically melt when you bite into them. Serve them hot from the oven and don't be surprised when everyone loses interest in whatever else you made for dinner. Honestly, the entrée never stood a chance.
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