The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
These Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls are brushed with sweet honey butter and can be made in a bread machine or by hand! A perfect side dish idea for holidays and family dinners!
Love Copycat Recipes? Try my Texas Roadhouse Butter and Steak Rub recipes next!
Guys, I’m not a baker by a long shot. So if I can nail down these rolls, you have an amazing shot of doing the same. I’ve been making these rolls for years, it’s the only time you’ll see me with a rolling pin.
The ingredients that you need are incredibly simple, and you can even use a bread maker for these!
Ingredients
- Active Dry Yeast -See below for using Rapid Rise instead
- Milk
- Honey
- Butter
- Egg
- Salt
- Flour- All-purpose or bread flour may also be used
Subbing Instant/Rapid Rise Yeast for Active Dry
- Cooks Illustrated recommends using 25% less yeast if using Instant instead of Active Dry.
- In this recipe, that equates to 1 + 3/4 teaspoons.
- Combine the yeast with the flour instead of adding it to the warm milk.
- Proceed as outlined, no need to let the milk stand for 5 minutes after combining it with the honey.
Measuring The Flour
- Be sure to scoop your flour out with a spoon and level it out at the top. Don’t dip the cup right into the flour or you’ll measure out too much, which will make your rolls dense.
- Alternatively, you can weigh the flour. 1 cup of all-purpose or bread flour weighs 120 grams. So 4 cups = 480 grams, be sure to subtract the measuring cup from the weight.
Make Ahead Method
Method 1: Prepare dough and refrigerate overnight
- Form the dough, let it rise, and shape into rolls.
- Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for up to 15 hours.
- Remove from the fridge, keep covered, and let rise for up to 1 hour, then bake as outlined.
Method 2: Bake and Reheat
- Bake for no more than 12 minutes, before the tops start to brown too much.
- Don’t top them with the melted butter yet. Let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container.
- When ready to serve, bake for a few minutes at 350°, until the tops are golden brown.
- Top with melted butter and serve!
Method 3: Freeze Unbaked Rolls
- Form the dough, let it rise, and shape into rolls. Flash freeze on a baking sheet before the second rise. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.
- When ready to bake, remove from freezer bag and let them rise on a lightly greased, covered baking sheet for 4-5 hours prior to baking.
Can You Use a Bread Machine?
- Yes. Scald the milk first and let it reduce to lukewarm. Then add the ingredients to a bread machine in the order listed in the recipe card and select the dough setting.
-
Once complete, Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and drop the dough inside. Cover the bowl (plastic wrap or a damp cloth works) and let it rise for an hour in a warm place.
-
Punch down the dough and roll it out on a flat, floured surface until it’s about ½ inch thick. Fold it in half and gently seal.
- From there, proceed with rolling and cutting the rolls. Place them on baking sheets, cover, and let them rise until doubled in size.
- Bake and brush with butter. Serve with honey butter if desired!
How to Make Dough Rise:
Dough needs a warm environment in order to rise. If you’re having trouble, try these tricks. Note: it may take the dough longer to rise with these methods:
–Method #1: (👉My favorite) Oven: This trick works great! Heat your oven to 200° for 2 minutes, then shut the heat off. Cover the dough with a dish towel (no plastic wrap in the oven), and shut the door to trap the warm air inside. Let it rise!
–Method #2: Place a baking tray on the bottom rack in the oven. Remove the top rack. Boil water and pour it into the tray, then place the bowl of dough on top and close the door.
-Method #3: (Assuming you have a warm place for the dough to rise but it still isn’t)-Take a new package of active dry yeast and mix it with 1/4 cup of warm water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it starts to foam. Knead the yeast mixture into the dough, and place it in a warm place to rise.
How Do You Scald Milk and Why?
–Scalding milk is the first step in this recipe, and it requires you to bring the milk to a near boil, remove it from the heat, and allow it to come down in temperature.
-Scalding milk helps to ensure that the dough is light and fluffy by killing the protein in the milk, which keeps the gluten intact. The gluten is what aids in the breakdown of the sugar and yeast, which in turn allows it to rise.
What to Serve with Texas Roadhouse Rolls
-
- Italian Wedding Soup
-
- Chicken and Rice Soup
-
- Mushroom Chicken
-
- Chicken Stew
-
- Chili Con Carne
-
- Steak with Gravy
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Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Active Dry Yeast, or 1 packet
- ¼ cup Honey
- 4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (489 grams) all-purpose or bread flour
Instructions
- If using a bread machine, see next section below.
- Bring the milk to a near boil. Remove it from heat when you see it begin to steam and small bubbles form on the side of the pan. Let it reduce to lukewarm, between 80-90 degrees.
- Mix the milk, yeast, and honey in a small bowl until well combined. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of the butter, the milk mixture, the room temperature egg, salt, and half of the flour. Mix slowly until smooth. (Use a mixer with a dough hook if you have one, or by hand.) Gradually add the remaining flour and mix until a dough has formed.
- Mix/knead for 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for a few more minutes.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for an hour in a warm place.
- Punch down the dough and roll it out on a flat, floured surface until it’s about ½ inch thick. Fold it in half and gently seal.
- Cut into 24 squares of even size and place on 2 light, lightly-greased baking sheets. Cover and let them rise for 30-40 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350° F and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush the top of the rolls.
- Serve with Copycat Texas Roadhouse Butter.
If using a Bread Machine:
- Bring the milk to a near boil. Remove it from heat when you see it begin to steam and small bubbles form on the side of the pan. Let it reduce to lukewarm, between 80-90 degrees.
- Add the milk, honey, butter, egg, and salt to the bread machine. Add the flour and create a small hole in the middle of the flour, don't let liquid inside the hole. Place the yeast in the hole.
- Set the bread machine to the dough cycle, let it do the work from there.
- Once complete, Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl (plastic wrap or a damp cloth works) and let it rise for an hour in a warm place.
- Punch down the dough and roll it out on a flat, floured surface until it’s about ½ inch thick. Fold it in half and gently seal.
- Cut into 24 squares of even size and place on a 2 lightly greased and lightly colored baking sheets. Cover them and let them rise for 30-40 minutes,, until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush the top of the rolls. Serve with Copycat Texas Roadhouse Butter.
Notes
- Make Ahead Method: Check out the blog post for 3 make-ahead options!
- Make sure your yeast is fresh and not expired!
Subbing Instant/Rapid Rise Yeast for Active Dry:
- Cooks Illustrated recommends using 25% less yeast if using Instant instead of Active Dry.
- In this recipe, that equates to 1 + 3/4 teaspoons.
- Combine the yeast with the flour instead of adding it to the warm milk.
- Proceed as outlined, no need to let the milk stand for 5 minutes after combining it with the honey.
Measuring the Flour:
- Be sure to scoop your flour out with a spoon and level it out at the top. Don't dip the cup right into the flour or you'll measure out too much, which will make your rolls dense.
- Bread flour or all-purpose flour both work well in this recipe.
- Alternatively, you can weigh the flour. 1 cup of all-purpose or bread flour weighs 120 grams. So 4 cups = 480 grams, be sure to subtract the measuring cup from the weight.
If your dough doesn't rise: If you're baking on a chilly Fall or Winter day, it might be tougher to get your dough to rise as it needs to do so in a warm place. These tricks can get you out of a bind, just note that it may take longer for your dough to rise if these methods are needed: -Method #1: Preheat the oven to 315 degrees and place the bowl on top of a warm spot on the oven. For me, the warmest spot is right in the front of the oven between the front two burners. -Method #2: Place a baking tray on the bottom rack in the oven. Remove the top rack. Boil water and pour it into the tray, then place the bowl of dough on top and close the door. -Method #3: (Assuming you have a warm place for the dough to rise but it still isn’t)-Take a new package of yeast and mix it with 1/4 cup of warm water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it starts to foam. Knead the yeast mixture into the dough, and place it in a warm place to rise.
Nutrition
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Aha! Yum. I just ate two of these tonight, and sat there dreaming of finding a recipe like them……………..thanks!
You’re very welcome! I dream about delicious rolls too!😆😍
Will the milk mixture start to foam as it sits for 5 minutes? I’ve used active dry yeast before with water and sugar but not milk and honey. It foamed then but so far it hasn’t.
Hey Ashley, no I haven’t even noticed foam 🙂
Ok thank you! I did just go ahead with making them, and everything seems to be fine so far. I’m just waiting for them to finish rising so I can bake them.
Great to hear Ashley!
I made the mistake of using parchment paper instead of greecing the cookie sheet. The parchment paper made them burn. I was very upset. But I will learn by my mistake.
Can these be frozen before baking? i want to make this but i dont need 24 rolls at a time….
Yes! Freeze unbaked rolls for up to 1 month. Arrange on a baking sheet and cover them. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bake as instructed.
AMAZING! I used my bread machine and followed your recipe exactly. The rolls and butter are outstanding. Thank you so much for all of the various pieces of information in your recipe, they were invaluable.
Hey Debbie! I am so thrilled to hear that, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, I really appreciate it!! 🙂 -Stephanie
My husband loved these rolls. They are really easy to make and everyone that has sampled them loved them!!
I’m so happy to hear that Carolyn!😃 We eat these rolls like candy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Yup!! These are the Real Deal!! With the honey cinnamon butter lathered on these rolls, I can close my eyes and feel like I am at Texas Road House!! So soft and delicious! As soon as they came out of the oven we ate them all!! Will go in my recipe book!!
I’m so happy to hear everyone gobbled them up! I agree, I think this recipe is dead on. We always make it with the butter too and it’s just like being in the restaurant!😋 Thanks so much for leaving a review!
I don’t know what I’ve done wrong here 🙁 I have tried twice to make these and the dough is just so, so sticky! Sticky to the point if I don’t add more flour, it won’t even come out of the bowl. The first time, I did mess it up beyond repair myself when I accidently knocked more flour in than I meant, but according to the recipe, I shouldn’t have been adding any anyway. When adding in flour, I was doing it a tablespoon at a time, scared to are too much, but I both added too much but not enough, somehow? When I was kneading by hand, the dough was dense yet, very sticky. I had only machine kneaded for 7 minutes because I was scared to overknead. The dough was never not sticky the entire time in the mixer. Anyone know what I’m doing wrong? I really want these to work, but I just don’t seem to be getting what everyone else is.
Oh, and I didn’t mess with the recipe up until the dough wasn’t forming. I followed the recipe to the T besides using the recommended amount of instant yeast since I can’t seem to find active dry yeast anywhere.
I’m having the same trouble with sticky dough. The first time I used instant instead of active day yeast and they were hard. Like bricks almost. Ate them with jelly so as to not be wasteful. I tried making them again today and its better inside…not AS dense, but still didn’t rise to the become light and fluffy. Still were flat and hard topped. I just don’t know what else to change. 😫
Hi Stacy, the weather can be a contributing factor if you’re having overly sticky dough, (humidity, altitude, rain). If you’re at a high altitude, that can also pose an impact. I also have a section of tips that you can check out if you’re having issues with the dough rising, there are some tricks you can try out that should help!
Hi Lainey, I think your best bet would be to weigh the flour so that you end up with 480 grams total, be sure not to include a measuring cup/bowl in that calculation. Then there won’t be any doubt about how much flour you’ve used. I would carefully measure out the milk as well. I was also wondering if you are at a higher altitude. Over-mixing can cause dough to be sticky but it sounds like you’re being careful about that. I’ll let others chime in as well on this as they’d like! 🙂
Oh my goodness, you answered so fast! I did weigh the flour very carefully (and sifted it as well) the second time since numbers aren’t my friend most times, so I know I put in 480 grams. I’m not sure if I’m in a higher elevation? I live in east TN towards the mountains, so I may be, but I haven’t noticed that while baking anything else. I will definitely keep you updated because I’m going to bake the second batch to see if they’re as dense as I’m expecting. Thank you again for your quick response!
The rolls ended up coming out fluffy and airy. Just lacking a bit of flavor, which is probably because of the flour I added. I will definitely try this again and figure out what happened! Thank you for your quick response again!
I’m glad that you ended up with a nice consistency and that you’re not giving up! Love it!! -Stephanie
Just made these, and although I swapped the milk and butter for dairy free alternatives, they tasted perfect!
I’m so happy to hear that Maddie! Thanks so much for the review!😍
Hi,
I will be using a bread machine, how much bread machine yeast do I use? Or do you recommend I use the yeast that’s listed in the recipe?
Sticking to the recipe will work just fine for the bread machine! 🙂