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fresh sourdough Texas Roadhouse rolls

Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Rolls

There’s nothing quite like soft, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls fresh from the oven—especially when they’re slathered in sweet, whipped honey butter. These sourdough Texas Roadhouse rolls take that experience up a notch, using a naturally leavened sweet starter for incredible depth of flavor and the perfect pillowy texture.
With a touch of honey and a buttery finish, these rolls are a must-have for any dinner table. And don’t skip the honey cinnamon butter—it’s the ultimate finishing touch!
5 from 4 votes
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Equipment

  • Stand mixer with a dough hook
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Straight-sided container or large bowl
  • Plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel
  • Kitchen scale
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Whisk
  • Bench scraper
  • Rolling Pin
  • Sharp knife, bench knife, or pizza cutter
  • Two baking sheets
  • Pastry brush
  • Small mixing bowl
  • Hand mixer
  • Dough thermometer

Ingredients
  

Sweet Starter:

  • 15g mother sourdough starter
  • 20g sugar (optional: substitute 20 g honey for sugar if you prefer)
  • 100g all-purpose flour
  • 100g water, room temperature

Dough Ingredients:

  • 200g bubbly, active sweet starter
  • 57g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 350g (1 ½ cups) whole milk, warmed to 80°F (27°C)
  • 25g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) raw honey
  • 40g (3 tbsp) white granulated sugar
  • 8g (1 tsp) sea salt
  • 450g (3 ¾–4 cups) bread or all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg

Honey Cinnamon Butter

  • 1/2 cup (117 g) salted butter, softened
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar (optional, makes butter thicker)
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

The Night Before: Prepare the Sweet Starter

  • To ensure your dough rises properly, you’ll need an active sweet starter. This is a special levain that feeds on sugar to create a mild, slightly sweet flavor with a great rise.
  • Mix Sweet Starter Ingredients
  • Mix all ingredients in a jar until well combined. Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature (75-78°F) overnight, about 8-10 hours, or until it’s bubbly and doubled in size.

Step 1: Mix and Knead the Dough

  • Stand Mixer Method: Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. In the mixer bowl, whisk together the sweet starter, warm milk, honey, sugar, salt, and egg until well combined. Add 450g of bread flour and mix on low speed until a rough dough forms.
  • With the mixer running on low, gradually add the softened butter, one small pat at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding more. This step should take about 5-8 minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky—this is normal for a high-hydration dough.
  • Hand Mixing Method: In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet starter, warm milk, honey, sugar, salt, and egg until smooth. Add 450g of bread flour and mix with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms.
  • Add the softened butter in small pieces, kneading it in by hand. Perform three sets of stretch and folds over the next 90 minutes, resting the dough for 30 minutes between each set. The dough will gradually strengthen and become smoother.

Step 2: Bulk Fermentation

  • Lightly oil a straight-sided container or bowl and transfer the dough into it, shaping it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof in a warm place (around 75°F) until doubled in size, about 6-8 hours. Dough temperature should be between 74-77 degrees F to achieve doubling (rising 100%) in volume within 6-8 hours. You can use a meat thermometer to probe the dough and check the temperature if you're not sure.
    (Tip: The oven with the light on creates a great warm environment!)
  • Once dough has completed proofing, you can either transfer dough to the refrigerator overnight and shape the next day for added fermentation- or skip the refrigeration and go straight to shaping the rolls if you want to make these same day.

Step 3: Shaping and Proofing the Rolls

  • Once the dough has proofed, gently deflate it and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 20x15-inch rectangle, about ½ inch thick. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the rectangle into 4 squares. If necessary, trim the edges to make uniform edges. Divide each square into 4 smaller squares to form 16 square rolls.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place the dough squares on them, leaving space between each roll. Cover the rolls loosely with a lint-free towel or plastic wrap and allow them to proof for 1-2 hours in a warm spot, or until they have doubled in size. (Don’t worry if they look flat at first—once proofed, they’ll puff up beautifully!)

Step 4: Bake the Rolls

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Once fully proofed, bake the rolls for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. While the rolls are baking, melt 57g (¼ cup) unsalted butter in a small bowl. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush the tops generously with melted butter.

Step 5: Make the Honey Cinnamon Butter

  • While the rolls cool slightly, whip together ½ cup salted butter (softened), 1 tbsp honey, ¼ tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp powdered sugar using a hand mixer or whisk until light and fluffy in a small mixing bowl.

Step 6: Serve and Enjoy!

  • Allow the rolls to cool for about 15 minutes, then serve warm with generous dollops of honey butter. These rolls are soft, slightly sweet, and irresistibly buttery, with just the right hint of sourdough complexity. Whether for a special dinner, a cozy family meal, or just because—you’ll want to make these over and over again!

Notes

Storage Tips:
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, place cooled rolls in a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes. Leftover honey butter can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month—just let it soften before using.