Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls (Easy Copycat Recipe)
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Sometimes you just want that soft, buttery roll you get at a steakhouse, but homemade, with that light sourdough flavor you can’t get anywhere else. These Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls bring together the best of both worlds!
They’re rich with butter and milk, lightly sweetened with honey, and perfectly fluffy. The dough rises beautifully until it’s soft and pillowy, then bakes up golden brown with that classic steakhouse aroma that fills your kitchen.
And of course, I’m sharing with you an easy Cinnamon Honey Whipped Butter recipe, because what are Texas Roadhouse Rolls without it?
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
You won’t need to put everything on hold for this recipe.
The long bulk rise, powered by your starter, makes it easy to fit into your day. Let it rise slowly for deeper flavor and a lighter texture. By the time you’re ready to bake, the dough will bake rolls that are golden, fluffy and taste bakery-fresh. If you enjoy this recipe, you’ll also love these sourdough dinner rolls and these sourdough crescent rolls. If you’re short on time, then you have to try my 2-Hour Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls!
These rolls turn out rich, tender, and just tangy enough.
The dough is enriched with milk, butter, and egg, which gives each roll a soft, pillowy texture. The sourdough starter adds a light tang that deepens the flavor without being sharp or overpowering. With proper kneading and a full rise, the crumb bakes up light, fluffy, and soft all the way through, just like the warm, buttery rolls you get at a steakhouse.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Milk – The milk and butter should be warmed, but it shouldn’t be hotter than 110°F. Too much heat can kill your sourdough starter and prevent your dough from rising properly. I used whole milk in this easy rolls recipe, but non-dairy options like almond milk work just fine.
- Honey – Using honey in this recipe not only slightly sweetens your sourdough bread, but it also makes your crumb extra chewy. Because honey is a sugar, your fermentation may happen faster than usual. It will also give your loaf a more dark brown exterior after baking. You can use any type of honey-store-bought, local, wildflower, clove, or raw. That said, I’ve found that darker honeys like local, wildflower, and raw add more depth of flavor.
- Flour– You can use all-purpose flour for these rolls, but I highly recommend bread flour. Its higher protein content results in softer, fluffier dinner rolls.
Baking Time For Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls
|
Time |
Process |
|---|---|
|
10:00 AM |
Mix dough |
|
10:15 PM |
First rise |
|
3:00 PM |
Shape and second rise |
|
5:00 PM |
Bake |
How to Make Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls
- Add the milk, sourdough starter, egg, melted butter, and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix until smooth.
- To the wet ingredients, add the flour and salt. Mix again on low speed until a shaggy dough is formed, then knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes until soft dough forms.
- Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and leave to double in size.
- Once the dough has at least doubled in size, punch the top of the dough to remove the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Gently roll the dinner roll dough into a large rectangle shape. With a bench scraper/dough scraper, divide the dough into 24 equal square pieces.
- Place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover the baking sheet with this plastic cover.
- Let the dough rest for its second rise. The final proof is complete when the rolls have grown and look puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the top of each bun with the egg wash.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
- Remove the buns from the oven and brush more butter on top. Serve warm with honey cinnamon butter and enjoy!
How to Store:
Room Temperature:
Wait for the warm rolls to cool completely, then tuck them into an airtight container or zip-top bag. That’s how I keep them soft and pillowy for up to 3 days.
When the craving hits, I slip one into a 300°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. The gentle heat brings back that buttery aroma and fresh-baked feel.
Freezer:
For longer storage, freeze the rolls in a tightly sealed freezer bag for up to 2 months. Let them thaw on the counter and warm them in the oven until they smell like you just pulled a fresh batch of fluffy rolls from the oven.
FAQs
Brush each roll with a light egg wash before baking. And when the buttery rolls come out of the oven, finish them with a swipe of melted butter. That quick double coat gives them their nice shine and that soft, bakery-style crust everyone can’t have enough of.
Yes, and it’s one of the best ways to build flavor. Shape the rolls, cover them, and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to bake, let them come to room temperature and rise until puffy. That slow chill adds depth and makes your baking day so much smoother.
Definitely. Swap in your favorite non-dairy milk like oat or almond, and use plant-based butter. The rolls will still bake up soft and golden, and the sourdough flavor won’t miss a beat.
You can. Mix everything by hand and knead for about 10–12 minutes until the dough feels springy and smooth. It should stretch thin without tearing when you do the windowpane test, a sure sign you’ve built enough strength.
Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls Recipe
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Ingredients
Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- 175 grams whole milk, warm scant 3/4 cup
- 200 grams active sourdough starter 1 cup
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 57 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled 4 Tablespoons
- 60 grams honey about ¼ cup
- 25 grams granulated sugar 2 tablespoons
- 475 grams bread flour 3 1/4 + 2 Tablespoons
- 9 grams salt 1 1/2 teaspoons
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- splash of heavy cream
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- 113 grams salted butter, room temperature 1/2 cups
- 50 grams honey 2 Tablespoons
- 2 grams ground cinnamon 1 teaspoons
Instructions
Mix Dough
- To a bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm milk, sourdough starter, egg, melted butter, honey and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined.Reminder: The temperature of the warm milk and melted butter was 110 degrees F. Any hotter can kill your sourdough starter.This dough can also be kneaded by hand. I would increase the kneading to 10-15 minutes.175 grams whole milk, warm, 200 grams active sourdough starter, 60 grams honey, 57 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled, 1 large egg, 25 grams granulated sugar
- To the wet ingredients, add the flour and salt. With the hook attachment, mix again on low speed. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients and then continue to mix on medium speed for 6-8 minutes.You’ll know the dough has been kneaded completely when it is smooth and elastic. The dough will completely pull away from the sides of the bowl when it is being kneaded and it will pass the windowpane test.This means when you stretch a small section of dough into a thin film, the light will be able to pass through without the dough tearing. If this is accomplished, the dough has been properly kneaded.475 grams bread flour, 9 grams salt
- Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl and cover
Bulk Rise
- Place the dough in a warm place in your kitchen and allow the dough to double in size.In my 75 degree proofing box, this took about 5 hours. The bulk rise greatly depends on the temperature of your dough and kitchen. If you have a colder kitchen, the rise time will take longer. If your kitchen runs warm, the first rise will take less time.
Shape
- Once the dough has at least doubled in size, punch the top of the dough to remove all the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10×8 inch rectangle and 1 inch thick. With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 24 equal square pieces.
- Place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Not ready to bake? See Notes below for Make-Ahead Options. I fit all 24 on one baking sheet, but some of the rolls touched while baking. If you prefer a more clean look, divide the rolls between two baking sheets.
- Once shaped, cover the baking sheet with this plastic cover and let the dough rest for its second rise. The final proof is complete when the rolls have almost doubled in size and look puffy. Don't rush this step! Otherwise, the rolls will bake up dense and gummy.At 75 degrees F, this took about 2-3 hours.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the over rack in the upper 1/3 of your oven. In a small bowl, whisk together an egg and a splash of cream, then brush the top of each bun with the egg wash with a pastry brush.1 egg, splash of heavy cream
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the buns are beautifully golden brown and the internal temperature is 190 – 200 degrees F. If the buns are starting to brown too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
- Remove the Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls from the oven and brush the top of each roll with melted butter. Serve warm with cinnamon honey butter and enjoy!
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- To a bowl, add the butter, honey and ground cinnamon.113 grams salted butter, room temperature, 50 grams honey, 2 grams ground cinnamon
- With an electric hand mixer, mix the ingredients until the texture is smooth and whipped-like, about 10 minutes.
Notes
MAKE-AHEAD Option
If you are looking to prepare these Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls in advance – here are some options and tips!Freeze & Bake
Option 1: Prepare the dough and once it has doubled in size, cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge overnight. The following morning, shape the dinner rolls and allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place before baking as normal. Option 2: Prepare the dough and shape the dinner rolls the night before, then pop the covered baking dish into the fridge overnight. Pull out the unbaked rolls and allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place. In my 70 degree F kitchen, this takes about 3-4 hours. Option 3: Prepare the dough and shape the dinner rolls, then pop the covered baking dish into the freezer. Once frozen solid, about an hour or so, place the sourdough Texas Roadhouse dinner rolls into a freezer-safe bag and store for up to a week for the best results. When ready to bake, place the frozen rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and place them in the refrigerator the night before. The following day, take them out of the fridge and allow them to rise in a warm place, again about 3-4 hours in my 70 degree F kitchen, or until fluffy. Bake as normal.Bake, Freeze & Reheat
Otherwise, you can bake the dinner rolls as normal, then allow them to cool to room temperature. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to enjoy, allow the rolls to thaw on the counter top at room temperature. Once thawed, reheat them in a 350 degree F oven for about 8-10 minutes or until warmed through.Ingredients & Substitutions
- Milk – The milk and butter should be warmed, but it shouldn’t be hotter than 110°F. Too much heat can kill your sourdough starter and prevent your dough from rising properly. I used whole milk in this easy rolls recipe, but non-dairy options like almond milk work just fine.
- Honey – Using honey in this recipe not only slightly sweetens your sourdough bread, but it also makes your crumb extra chewy. Because honey is a sugar, your fermentation may happen faster than usual. It will also give your loaf a more dark brown exterior after baking. You can use any type of honey-store-bought, local, wildflower, clove, or raw. That said, I’ve found that darker honeys like local, wildflower, and raw add more depth of flavor.
- Flour– You can use all-purpose flour for these rolls, but I highly recommend bread flour. Its higher protein content results in softer, fluffier dinner rolls.
Love that I can make one of my family’s favorite rolls with the goodness of sourdough! So soft and fluffy.
About how many grams per roll when shaping? Just trying to be somewhat consistent
About 44 grams each!
I made this recipe before you replied. Thanks for that though because this was a test run for the holidays. They came out fantastic! Awesome recipe!
If I make these a few days before I need them, should I leave them unbaked then freeze? Or should I bake them and freeze?
Can you freeze the rolls to bake later. If so would I thaw and then bake or bake from frozen?
Absolutely! It’s a great pre-head hack! You will need to allow the rolls to thaw and puff up for their second rise before baking them.
So freeze them after I shape but before the second rise?
Yes, that’s correct!
Do you think this would work with Oat milk instead of whole milk?
Great question! Yes — oat milk will work just fine in this recipe. The rolls may be slightly less rich than with whole milk, but they’ll still turn out soft, fluffy, and delicious. Just swap it 1:1 and proceed as normal! If you try it, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
So you roll them out and cut versus dividing and shaping into balls?
Can I do step 4 as an overnight rise in the fridge and back in the morning?
Yes, you can absolutely do the second rise overnight in the fridge! Just make sure in the morning that the rolls look nice and puffy before baking — don’t rush this step or they can turn out dense or gummy.
If they still need a little more rise time, just let them sit at room temperature until they’re visibly fuller and lighter. You’re good to go once they look airy and well-proofed!
If I want to pre make these the day before I want to serve them- can I place them in the fridge overnight? Would I let them do the final rise before the fridge- or after?
Great question! I just included 3 make-ahead options for these dinner rolls in the recipe card notes! My favorite option is after the bulk fermentation, shape the dinner rolls and place them on a baking sheet. Cover and place them in the fridge overnight. The following day, allow the covered dinner rolls to rise in a warm place to complete their second rise. Once they are puffed up, bake as normal. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
They’re so good. I keep making them for my family. Always a hit.
So thrilled to hear that it’s a hit for the entire family! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind comment.