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
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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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Can these be made ahead and refrigerated overnight?
Yes, here is the info from the blog post :
Make-Ahead Method
Method 1: Prepare dough and refrigerate overnight
Prepare rolls, let them rise twice, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight until ready to bake. The bake as outlined.
A new family favorite for my family of 7. I have a couple of times now had them open up/come apart after being baked. Do you have any suggestions on this? Thank you so much again for sharing this will definitely be a family favorite for years to come.
Hi Erika! I haven’t had this happen but I would just recommend pushing down a little bit to create a firmer seal!
Just realized I don’t have eggs. Is there anything I can use as a substitute for the egg?
Unfortunately I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg alternative. Applesauce is said to be an egg substitute in baking but I just can’t speak to the results in this recipe.
I use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacement in mine and it works great. I just wanted to say I Love this recipe. It has became a favorite in our family.
I am so happy to hear that it worked out well for you Tina, thank you for sharing and for taking the time to leave a review!! -Stephanie
Made the recipe exactly a few times, absolutely LOVE THEM. Requested family favorite. .. Wanted to change it up a bit, so I added two heads of roasted garlic and about 1 1/2 cups of funky Asiago cheese. Wow. Added extra stuff after a good first rise. Second rise took a little longer with added ingredients. Baking time was the same.
I’m so happy the family keeps requesting these Katie, nice work! I love how you switched it up a bit, sounds so yummy. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!😃
I made these and they tasted wonderful! But the next day they were dry and stale? I had them stored in an air tight container on the counter. Any suggestions?
Hi Cassandra! Air must have gotten in somehow to make them dry and stale, I would probably wrap them in saran wrap before putting them in an airtight container next time, to be safe. I haven’t ever had that problem!
I’ve made these rolls twice now and found them both simple to prepare and delicious! I did use 1/2 AP flour and half bread flour the second time around, which created a texture I liked just a tiny bit better, but they are mighty fine using the recipe as written. This one is going into my recipe collection for sure! Thanks so much for sharing it!
I’m so happy these are going into your recipe collection Carolyn! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!❤️
I’m going to make these again tonight but want to try a little something different. Do u think if I cut dough into 24 balls and wrapped each piece around a 1/2 inch cube mozzarella, then baked each ball of cheese filled dough would work? I’m concerned the cheese might leak out?
That’s a pretty specific experiment that I haven’t tried, unfortunately!
Update: I made these stuffed with mozzarella cheese and they baked up wonderfully. No leaking of cheese at all!
That is so great to hear!! I am so happy that it was a success, thank you for circling back on it to let us know! 🙂
That’s so great to hear Jody, thanks so much for the update!😀
Wow! What a great idea! This opens up all kinds of possibilities such as sprinkling them with grated parmesan and Italian spice blend and dipping them in marinara sauce. Thanks for letting us know how they turned out.
Hey! My dough did not rise. I put in the bread machine on dough cycle,but removed the dough once after if finished kneading. Was I suppossed to mix the yeast & the milk before I put in the bread machine ? I know I did something wrong, so just trying to figure out where I messed up LOL!
Hey! No, you shouldn’t have had to do that, I am not sure why it didn’t rise but I do have instructions to aid with rising, a warm environment really helps.
–Method #1: (👉My favorite)- Preheat the oven to 315° F 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 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.
Help! I did not realize I was out of honey. Can I substitute anything for it?
You can use an equal amount of sugar! 🙂
Thank you!!!
I tried these today to see if I could make them for Easter. They were great , just like the steakhouse. I need to make a batch the day before. What do you mean by “ let the rolls rise twice” ? Please advise
Thanks
So glad that you enjoyed them! When you made them, the rolls had to rise two times (step 4 and a step 6), and that’s what is being referred to 🙂