Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Honey Butter

These rolls are the reason people go to Texas Roadhouse. Not the steak. Not the ribs. The rolls. They come to the table warm, soft as a cloud, and there is a little cup of cinnamon honey butter that is dangerously good. I have watched tables demolish two baskets before their entrees arrive. The secret to the texture is a combination of milk, butter, and eggs in the dough — it is essentially a brioche-lite. A meal at Texas Roadhouse averages $18-22 per person. This recipe makes 24 rolls with butter for under $5, and they are legitimately better because they go straight from your oven to the table.

Ingredients

For the Rolls

• 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110F
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons honey

For the Cinnamon Honey Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (Kerry Gold or Land O’Lakes)
• 1/3 cup honey (local raw honey if you can get it)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon for a stronger, sweeter flavor)
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Finishing

• 3 tablespoons melted butter for brushing

Instructions

1. Bloom the yeast. Pour warm milk into a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the sugar over the top, and let sit for 5-7 minutes. It should foam up like a little science experiment. Dead yeast means flat rolls, so do not skip this check.
2. Mix the wet ingredients into the yeast. Add the remaining sugar, melted butter, eggs, and honey. Whisk until combined.
3. Add flour and salt gradually. Mix in 3 cups of flour and the salt with a dough hook on low speed (or by hand with a wooden spoon). Add the remaining cup of flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may not need all of it — the dough should be soft and slightly sticky, not dry and stiff.
4. Knead for 6-7 minutes on medium speed or 10 minutes by hand. The finished dough should be smooth, elastic, and spring back when you poke it with a finger.
5. First rise. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size. I turn my oven on to 200F for 2 minutes, turn it off, and put the covered bowl inside — perfect proofing environment.
6. Shape the rolls. Punch the dough down and divide into 24 equal pieces (weigh them if you want consistency — each should be about 1.5 oz). Roll each piece into a smooth ball by cupping your hand over it on an unfloured surface and moving in a circular motion. Place the balls in two greased 9x13 baking pans, 12 per pan, in a 3x4 grid.
7. Second rise. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes. The rolls should be touching each other and look puffy.
8. Bake at 350F for 14-16 minutes. They should be golden on top but still soft. Do not overbake — these are meant to be pale golden, not brown.
9. Brush immediately with melted butter the second they come out of the oven. This gives them that glossy, tender crust Texas Roadhouse is known for.

For the Cinnamon Honey Butter

10. Whip all butter ingredients together with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light in color. Scrape down the sides and whip again. Transfer to a small serving bowl or ramekin. This can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the fridge — just bring it to room temp before serving.

Pro Tips

• Room temperature eggs matter. Cold eggs can shock the yeast and slow the rise. Pull them from the fridge 30 minutes before starting, or place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
• Do not use bread flour. All-purpose gives these rolls their signature soft, tender crumb. Bread flour has too much gluten and will make them chewy instead of pillowy.
• If your rolls are not browning evenly, rotate the pans halfway through baking. Every oven has hot spots.

The Michelin Twist

Here are some ways to dress it up:

• Replace the honey with buckwheat honey: Buckwheat honey has a deep, almost molasses-like flavor that adds complexity to both the rolls and the butter. It is darker and more intense than clover honey.
• Fold brown butter into the dough: Instead of regular melted butter, brown the butter until it smells nutty and the milk solids are golden. It adds a toasty, caramel depth that regular butter cannot achieve.
• Serve with a trio of flavored butters: In addition to cinnamon honey, offer a whipped maple-pecan butter and a salted caramel butter. Present them in small ceramic ramekins on a wooden board.

Cost Breakdown

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
All-purpose flour	4 cups	$0.60
Whole milk	1 cup	$0.35
Unsalted butter (rolls + finish)	~6 tbsp	$0.75
Unsalted butter (honey butter)	1/2 cup	$1.00
Honey	~2/3 cup total	$1.20
Eggs	2	$0.50
Yeast	1 packet	$0.50
Sugar, cinnamon, vanilla	misc	$0.20
Total		$5.10

Compare to $18+ per person at Texas Roadhouse — these 24 rolls feed a whole table for $5.10

Nutrition (Per Serving)

• Calories: 155
• Protein: 3g
• Fat: 5g
• Carbs: 24g