Texas Roadhouse bakes these rolls fresh every 10 minutes all shift long, which is why they arrive at your table still steaming.
Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Butter
Buttery, sweet, pillowy soft rolls just like you get at Texas Roadhouse served with an even better cinnamon butter than the restaurant.
Prep
0
min
Cook
12
min
Serves
16
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
Texas Roadhouse didn't invent the honey-cinnamon-butter roll in 1993 Indiana out of thin air—it's a direct descendant of 1950s American diner culture, where Southern buttermilk roll techniques collided with Midwestern dessert-butter spreads, creating this bizarre hybrid that's neither true Texan nor authentically Southern but somehow became the most requested bread basket in American steakhouse history, proving marketing beats regional authenticity every single time.
Regional Twist
In Louisiana's Cajun parishes, bakers swap the granulated sugar for dark cane syrup and stir cayenne into the honey butter, turning this Texan bread basket staple into something with genuine Gulf Coast heat and molasses depth that'll knock your socks clean off.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 16🥛Dairy & Eggs(6)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 tbsp melted butter for brushing tops of baked rolls
- 1 1/4 c milk 2% or whole
- 2 tbsp milk for brushing tops of unbaked rolls
- 4 tbsp salted butter (1/2 stick) barely melted
- 1/2 c salted butter (1 stick) softened
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 4 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 c granulated sugar rounded
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 packet instant yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- 1/4 c powdered sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
256
Protein
5g
Carbs
30g
Fat
14g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat milk over medium heat until it reaches 105 degrees. Use a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer to check temperature.
- 2
Add warm milk to a large bowl or stand mixer followed by the granulated sugar, stir. Add the instant yeast, egg, salt and 2 cups of the flour.
- 3
If using a stand mixer put the dough hook attachment on and turn on low.
- 4
Pour in the melted butter.
- 5
Once the ingredients have come together slowly pour in the remaining flour a little at a time. The dough will be sticky at this point.
- 6
Turn speed up to medium and allow to knead for 10 minutes until the dough creates a ball and no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the bowl. The dough will not be sticky at this point rather a little tacky but you can handle it without it coming off onto your hands. Pull a piece of dough off and hold up to light, gently pull apart and if the dough doesn't immediately tear apart, rather, you can see through it when held up to light, it has passed the window pane test and it's ready to rise.
- 7
Roll the dough ball on all sides in a greased bowl, cover with saran wrap and place in either a microwave (not in use) or cover with a dish towel and place in an oven that's been preheated to 200 degrees and turned off. You need a warm environment without drafts for the dough to rise. Let rise for an hour.
- 8
Remove dough from oven or microwave. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 9
Punch the air out of the dough and pour out on a floured surface. Use your hands to gently press and form the dough into a 10x10 inch square.
- 10
Cut into 16 even pieces (the best you can).
- 11
Place rolls on a parchment lined half size sheet pan.
- 12
Brush the tops with milk.
- 13
Bake in the middle rack for 12 minutes.
- 14
While the rolls bake, make your cinnamon butter by mixing softened butter, powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon together in a bowl with a fork or using a mixer until smooth and creamy.
- 15
Once the rolls come out of the oven immediately brush the tops with melted butter and serve warm with the cinnamon butter.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Heat milk to exactly 105°F (40.5°C) before adding yeast because temperatures above 110°F denature yeast enzymes and kill fermentation, while below 100°F drastically slows activation—use an instant-read thermometer for precision.timing105°F optimal, >110°F kills yeast, <100°F slows fermentation
- ✓Knead for exactly 10 minutes at medium speed until the dough passes the windowpane test (pulls thin without tearing when held to light), which indicates gluten networks have developed enough to trap 40% more gas during fermentation.technique10 minutes kneading, windowpane test validates 40% gas capacity increase
- ✓Proof dough in a 200°F oven turned off rather than at room temperature because the residual heat maintains 85-90°F continuously, accelerating yeast fermentation by 50% compared to 70°F room conditions while preventing drafts that collapse the dough.equipment85-90°F controlled vs 70°F ambient = 50% faster fermentation
- ✓Brush unbaked rolls with 2% milk (not egg wash) before baking because milk's lower protein content (3.2% vs 13% in whole eggs) creates a tender, matte crust rather than a glossy shell, matching Texas Roadhouse's characteristic soft exterior.ingredient2% milk protein vs 13% egg protein
- ✓Apply melted butter to rolls immediately after removing from the 350°F oven while the surface is 180-200°F, so the butter absorbs into the still-porous crumb structure rather than sitting on the cooling crust.timingApply at 180-200°F surface temperature immediately post-bake
Share this recipe
Prep
0
min
Cook
12
min
Serves
16
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Texas Roadhouse bakes these rolls fresh every 10 minutes all shift long, which is why they arrive at your table still steaming.
Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Butter
Buttery, sweet, pillowy soft rolls just like you get at Texas Roadhouse served with an even better cinnamon butter than the restaurant.
The Story
Texas Roadhouse didn't invent the honey-cinnamon-butter roll in 1993 Indiana out of thin air—it's a direct descendant of 1950s American diner culture, where Southern buttermilk roll techniques collided with Midwestern dessert-butter spreads, creating this bizarre hybrid that's neither true Texan nor authentically Southern but somehow became the most requested bread basket in American steakhouse history, proving marketing beats regional authenticity every single time.
Regional Twist
In Louisiana's Cajun parishes, bakers swap the granulated sugar for dark cane syrup and stir cayenne into the honey butter, turning this Texan bread basket staple into something with genuine Gulf Coast heat and molasses depth that'll knock your socks clean off.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 16🥛Dairy & Eggs(6)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 tbsp melted butter for brushing tops of baked rolls
- 1 1/4 c milk 2% or whole
- 2 tbsp milk for brushing tops of unbaked rolls
- 4 tbsp salted butter (1/2 stick) barely melted
- 1/2 c salted butter (1 stick) softened
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 4 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 c granulated sugar rounded
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 packet instant yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- 1/4 c powdered sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
256
Protein
5g
Carbs
30g
Fat
14g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat milk over medium heat until it reaches 105 degrees. Use a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer to check temperature.
- 2
Add warm milk to a large bowl or stand mixer followed by the granulated sugar, stir. Add the instant yeast, egg, salt and 2 cups of the flour.
- 3
If using a stand mixer put the dough hook attachment on and turn on low.
- 4
Pour in the melted butter.
- 5
Once the ingredients have come together slowly pour in the remaining flour a little at a time. The dough will be sticky at this point.
- 6
Turn speed up to medium and allow to knead for 10 minutes until the dough creates a ball and no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the bowl. The dough will not be sticky at this point rather a little tacky but you can handle it without it coming off onto your hands. Pull a piece of dough off and hold up to light, gently pull apart and if the dough doesn't immediately tear apart, rather, you can see through it when held up to light, it has passed the window pane test and it's ready to rise.
- 7
Roll the dough ball on all sides in a greased bowl, cover with saran wrap and place in either a microwave (not in use) or cover with a dish towel and place in an oven that's been preheated to 200 degrees and turned off. You need a warm environment without drafts for the dough to rise. Let rise for an hour.
- 8
Remove dough from oven or microwave. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 9
Punch the air out of the dough and pour out on a floured surface. Use your hands to gently press and form the dough into a 10x10 inch square.
- 10
Cut into 16 even pieces (the best you can).
- 11
Place rolls on a parchment lined half size sheet pan.
- 12
Brush the tops with milk.
- 13
Bake in the middle rack for 12 minutes.
- 14
While the rolls bake, make your cinnamon butter by mixing softened butter, powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon together in a bowl with a fork or using a mixer until smooth and creamy.
- 15
Once the rolls come out of the oven immediately brush the tops with melted butter and serve warm with the cinnamon butter.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Heat milk to exactly 105°F (40.5°C) before adding yeast because temperatures above 110°F denature yeast enzymes and kill fermentation, while below 100°F drastically slows activation—use an instant-read thermometer for precision.timing105°F optimal, >110°F kills yeast, <100°F slows fermentation
- ✓Knead for exactly 10 minutes at medium speed until the dough passes the windowpane test (pulls thin without tearing when held to light), which indicates gluten networks have developed enough to trap 40% more gas during fermentation.technique10 minutes kneading, windowpane test validates 40% gas capacity increase
- ✓Proof dough in a 200°F oven turned off rather than at room temperature because the residual heat maintains 85-90°F continuously, accelerating yeast fermentation by 50% compared to 70°F room conditions while preventing drafts that collapse the dough.equipment85-90°F controlled vs 70°F ambient = 50% faster fermentation
- ✓Brush unbaked rolls with 2% milk (not egg wash) before baking because milk's lower protein content (3.2% vs 13% in whole eggs) creates a tender, matte crust rather than a glossy shell, matching Texas Roadhouse's characteristic soft exterior.ingredient2% milk protein vs 13% egg protein
- ✓Apply melted butter to rolls immediately after removing from the 350°F oven while the surface is 180-200°F, so the butter absorbs into the still-porous crumb structure rather than sitting on the cooling crust.timingApply at 180-200°F surface temperature immediately post-bake