Sourdough Steakhouse Rolls (Inspired by Texas Roadhouse!)
My sourdough steakhouse rolls are inspired by the beloved dinner rolls served at Texas Roadhouse! They’re soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet. The ingredients are wholesome, the steps are simple, and they’re budget-friendly to make! I hope they find a special place on your table along with my homemade cinnamon honey butter. They’re perfect for holidays, weeknight suppers, and even gathering. We can’t get enough of them!
This recipe is inspired by the rolls served at Texas Roadhouse. My recipe is not affiliated with or endorsed by the restaurant. This post may contain affiliate links of items I know and love. Read our disclosure policy for more information. I NEVER use AI (artificial intelligence) to create content for Plum Branch Home. Recipes, blog posts, photos, videos, podcasts, social media content: everything is made from scratch by me, Molly LaFontaine. After developing my recipes, they’re tested 2x by my husband, Tyler, and I before publishing. What you see from Plum Branch Home is real. It’s made for a reason, tested, and loved!
If you want to make this recipe but don’t have a sourdough starter, no worries! Grab my free guide so you can make your own starter at home.
If you’re new to sourdough baking and feel hesitant, or you have questions, I’ve got something for you! I broke down the basics of what you need to know about sourdough baking in my free sourdough baking guide for beginners. I highly recommend grabbing a copy!
Inspiration Behind My Sourdough Steakhouse Rolls
My husband and I love Texas Roadhouse rolls but with the high price of eating out, we rarely go there to eat. So I decided to make a sourdough version at home that’s not only budget-friendly to whip up but so much more wholesome!
This recipe is inspired by the rolls served at Texas Roadhouse. My recipe is not affiliated with or endorsed by the restaurant.
What are Steakhouse Rolls?
Steakhouse rolls are soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet! Mine are made with sourdough and are enriched with honey and milk. After being baked, they’re brushed with melted butter for that iconic glossy look. They’re the perfect roll for any occasion!
Why You’ll Love My Steakhouse Rolls
- Made with sourdough: The sourdough ferments the dough adding fermentation benefits.
- Simple to whip up: The steps are simple and easy to follow. No overcomplicating things here!
- Beginner-friendly recipe: It’s easy enough that even beginners can make it!
- Restaurant-style food at home: This recipe allows you to use your starter to make restaurant style rolls at home.
My Tips for Making Sourdough Rolls
- Make sure your starter is active and bubbly (tips below in the next section).
- If you need more time between the bulk fermentation and shaping, place the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours until you’re ready to continue.
- Don’t skip or shorten the bulk ferment or second rise.
- If your dough during the bulk ferment is not doubling in size, place it in a turned-off oven with the oven light on and the door cracked open. Your dough may just be cold and slowly fermenting.
How to Prepare Your Sourdough Starter for This Recipe
I’m starting to add this section to my sourdough recipes to help anyone who’s having trouble baking with their starter. Most of the time it’s not you; it’s the starter’s strength.
Follow my simple instructions to get your starter ready to make this recipe or read my starter troubleshooting post.
- BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water to get the same results as I do when you make this recipe.
- Example: Feed your ENTIRE sourdough starter jar 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water and let the starter sit on the counter at room temperature until it’s bubbly and has grown in the jar. Your starter needs to be active, bubbly, and a thicker consistency to begin this recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need (with notes)
- Fed sourdough starter: It should be active and bubbly.
- All-purpose flour: This makes a great base for these rolls. I like to use organic, unbleached.
- Milk: I like to use whole milk.
- Salt: I always use sea salt
- Melted butter: Salted butter is best and not margarine.
- Raw honey: Adds a little natural sweetness. I like to get unfiltered, raw honey that’s local.
- More melted butter: This is for brushing the tops after baking.
Helpful Kitchen Tools for this Recipe
This section contains Amazon affiliate links to items I use and love for this recipe.
- mixing bowl
- unbleached parchment paper
- large baking sheet pan
- bench scraper (optional but I LOVE mine!)
- silicone kitchen brush
How to Make Sourdough Steakhouse Rolls Inspired by Texas Roadhouse
Note: Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for the full written recipe.
Make the Steakhouse Roll Dough
In a mixing bowl, combine fed starter, milk, honey, melted butter, and salt until combined.
Add in flour and mix until combined. Use your hands to finish combining excess flour into the dough and create a ball. (Moistness of your dough will depend on your starter’s hydration. If it’s not coming together, add in 1-2 Tbsp of water. If it’s too wet add 1-2 Tbsp four).
Turn dough out on the counter and knead for 2 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. (If needed add a dusting of flour if the dough is sticky).
Place dough back in the bowl and cover loosely with a damp towel, lid, or Saran wrap.
Bulk Ferment the Steakhouse Roll Dough
Let dough sit on the counter to bulk ferment at room temperature for 12 hours. It should double or triple in size and have active air bubbles. Please see notes below!
OPTIONAL: Once bulk fermentation is complete you can place dough in the fridge with an airtight lid for up to 48 hours before you continue, if you need more time.
Once the bulk ferment is complete and you’re ready to continue, uncover the dough and punch it down to deflate gas bubbles.
How to Shape Sourdough Steakhouse Rolls
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Turn dough out on the counter (it shouldn’t be to sticky but use a light dusting of flour if needed). Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick slab then fold it in half longwise and seal the edges with your hands.
Slice dough into 7-10 squares (about 2 inches thick), then place them on sheet pan 1-2 inches apart.
Cover pan with a dry kitchen towel and let rise on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Please see notes below! (If your dough was in the fridge add 2-4 hours to this rise since the dough is starting cold it needs more time.)
Bake the Steakhouse Rolls
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake rolls for 18 minutes (they should be golden brown).
When rolls come out of the oven, brush tops with 1 Tbsp of melted butter and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
Best Place for Dough to Rise
If your house is at 70-72 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer, the counter at room temperature is the best . If your home is cooler than 70 degrees, it’s best to place your dough in a turned-off oven with the light on and the oven door cracked, in a turned-off microwave, or in a warm pantry. See the notes section of the recipe card below to learn more.
How to Serve Sourdough Steakhouse Rolls
The best way to serve sourdough steakhouse rolls is with cinnamon honey butter! And I’ve got just the recipe you need: my from-scratch cinnamon honey butter recipe that’s so easy to whip up. It takes only a few minutes!
Storage Instructions
Store cooled-down rolls in an airtight container for 4-5 days at room temperature. I like to use a glass-container to preserve the flavor.
Freezing Instructions
Baked: After rolls completely cool, store them in a freezer-safe container or baggie in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Unbaked: Freeze these rolls unbaked by individually wrapping them in parchment paper and storing them in a freezer-safe baggie or container. They’ll last up to 1 month in the freezer.
Thawing Instructions
Baked Rolls: Sit rolls out at room temperature for a few hours to thaw. It’ll take about 3-5 hours. You can also do this in the fridge overnight. Enjoy right away or reheat in the oven.
Unbaked Rolls: Place dough on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Cover the pan with a dry kitchen towel. Once the dough is thawed (about 3 hours), let the rolls rise for 6 hours until puffy before baking.
How to Bake Frozen Roll Dough
- When you’re ready to bake the frozen roll dough, place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Cover the pan with a dry kitchen towel. Once the dough is thawed (about 3 hours), let the rolls rise for 6 hours until puffy. They need a longer rising time due to being cold.
- After they grow a little bigger and get puffy, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then bake for 18 minutes until golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend it. I developed this recipe with fed sourdough starter, which creates a very different process than if you used instant yeast.
It’s best to use a fed starter. If you use discard, your rolls will be dense and less fluffy.
It could be two issues. Either your home is a bit chilly and the dough needs more time to bulk ferment or your starter needs strengthening. You can find troubleshooting and how to fix these issues in the notes section of the recipe card below. These are very common issues!
More Sourdough Side Dishes to Try
If you’re looking for more easy sourdough side dish recipes, try a few of these:
- Sourdough Parker House Rolls
- Sourdough Honey Butter Dinner Rolls
- Sourdough Crescent Rolls (better than Pillsbury)
- Honey Sourdough Cornbread (better than store-bought mix!)
- Sourdough Garlic Knots (Better Than Frozen Store Brands)
- Sourdough Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Better Than Red Lobsters)
If you made this recipe, give it a 5-star rating below and share a photo on your social media stories! Be sure to tag @plumbranchhome
Recipe
Sourdough Steakhouse Rolls (Inspired by Texas Roadhouse!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fed sourdough starter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp raw honey
- 4 Tbsp salted butter, melted
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- for brushing tops 1 Tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water to get the same results as I do when you make this recipe. Example: Feed your ENTIRE sourdough starter jar 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water and let the starter sit on the counter at room temperature until it's bubbly and has grown in the jar. Your starter needs to be active, bubbly, and a thicker consistency to begin this recipe.
Make Dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine fed starter, milk, honey, melted butter, and salt until combined.
- Add in flour and mix until combined. Use your hands to finish combining excess flour into the dough and create a ball. (Moistness of your dough will depend on your starter's hydration. If it's not coming together, add in 1-2 Tbsp of water. If it's too wet add 1-2 Tbsp four).
- Turn dough out on the counter and knead for 2 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. (If needed add a dusting of flour if the dough is sticky).
- Place dough back in the bowl and cover loosely with a damp towel, lid, or Saran wrap.
- Let dough sit on the counter to bulk ferment at room temperature for 12 hours. It should double or triple in size and have active air bubbles. Please see notes below!
- OPTIONAL: Once bulk fermentation is complete you can place dough in the fridge with an airtight lid for up to 48 hours before you continue, if you need more time.
- Once the bulk ferment is complete and you're ready to continue, uncover the dough and punch it down to deflate gas bubbles.
Shape Rolls
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Turn dough out on the counter (it shouldn't be to sticky but use a light dusting of flour if needed). Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick slab then fold it in half longwise and seal the edges with your hands.
- Slice dough into 7-10 squares (about 2 inches thick), then place them on sheet pan 1-2 inches apart.
- Cover pan with a dry kitchen towel and let rise on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Please see notes below! (If your dough was in the fridge add 2-4 hours to this rise since the dough is starting cold it needs more time.)
Bake Rolls
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake rolls for 18 minutes (they should be golden brown).
- When rolls come out of the oven, brush tops with 1 Tbsp of melted butter and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Troubleshooting Help for Bulk Fermenting & Rising…
1. What to do if your dough isn’t doubling in size during the bulk ferment and/or 2nd rise:- If your dough doesn’t look like it’s doing anything halfway through the rises, you need to place it in a slightly warmer area.
- This can be in a turned-off oven with the light on and oven door open, or you can slightly warm the oven to about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off and place your dough inside with the door shut.
- Never leave the oven on, even on the keep warm setting, with fermenting dough inside. Your dough, for both rises, needs to double.
- If your dough doesn’t double even in the warmer area, there is a problem with your starter. It is too weak to ferment the dough even in a warm environment.
- To fix this, you will want to leave your starter out on the counter for 2 days and feed it every 12 hours at a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water.
- For example, 1 cup unbleached flour + 1/2 cup filtered (or bottled) water.
- Make sure you’re using unbleached flour and filtered or bottled water to do this. If you don’t, it will affect your starter strength. Reverse osmosis water (or any water that uses salt in the filter) can make the starter weak.
- This will strengthen the cultures in your starter to give you fluffy baked bread and treats. After the 2 days, you can go back to feeding it like usual (once a week if stored in the fridge or once a day if stored on the counter). Be sure to use the 2:1 ratio feeding from here on out.
Ohh I miss these so much, I’m going to have to give them a try!
They are soooo good! You’re going to love them!
OMG! These Texas Roadhouse yeast rolls are a fluffy girl’s dream!! Perfection!🤩
They’re so delicious and fluffy! The sourdough makes them even better!!
Finally! I’ve been hunting for this recipe!
That makes me so happy to hear!! So glad you found it!
I make these but not using sourdough! I’m gonna have to try it this way! Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome! The sourdough makes them soooo good!
These look amazing! We don’t have Texas Roadhouse here but somehow I’m always hearing about this rolls and cinnamon butter. LOL! I definitely need to try making them. I also pinned this recipe!
Thank you so much! You have to give them a try! You’re going to love both of them! Thank you for pinning the recipe too!
They look absolutely delicious 🙂
Thank you so much!
These look so tasty! We will have to try them!
Thank you so much!
Just tried the recipe wondering if I could freeze the dough after I cut them into squares? Wanting to make them for Thanksgiving, but not sure that I’ll have time to do so if I am able to freeze the dough ahead of time, will it mess up the proof process?
Yes, you can freeze the dough after it is cut into squares. When you’re ready to make them for Thanksgiving, get the rolls out and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, 1-2 inches apart. Cover the pan with saran wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let them thaw in the fridge overnight. The next day, 3-4 hours before you’re ready to bake them, get the pan out and let the rolls proof for 3-4 hours. This keeps the proofing process and ensures the rolls will be fluffy. Let me know if you have more questions!
Hi, would it be possibly to bake these before doubled size? The dough decided to do nothing overnight and now I am running out of time to bake them for today. I would say it is about 1/3 of the way doubled.
I don’t recommend baking before they double in size; they will turn out flat and dense. If your dough doesn’t look like it’s doing anything halfway through the rises, you need to place it in a slightly warmer area. This can be in a turned-off oven with the light on and oven door open, or you can slightly warm the oven to about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off and place your dough inside with the door shut. Never leave the oven on, even on the keep warm setting, with fermenting dough inside. Your dough, for both rises, needs to double.
If your dough doesn’t double in size even in the warmer area, there is a problem with your starter. It is too weak to ferment the dough even in a warm environment. To fix this, you will want to leave your starter out on the counter for 2 days and feed it every 12 hours a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water. For example, 1 cup unbleached flour + 1/2 cup filtered (or bottled) water. This will strengthen the cultures in your starter to give you fluffy baked breads and goods.
Hello! I don’t understand how much starter do you begin with? You gave instructions for the 2:1 flour to water but what’s the starter ratio. Starter to flour to water?
Hello! Thank you for being patient, I was out of office for the holidays. So you’re going to use 1/2 cup of your starter for this recipe.
Step 1 of the instructions is telling you how to feed your full jar of starter before taking the 1/2 cup out to make this recipe.
The 2:1 ratio mentioned in step one is what you’ll use to feed your starter to get it ready and active before you pull out the 1/2 cup you need.
As I shared in the instructions, the example ratio for the feeding is 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water. This is not included in the recipe ingredients because it’s only used to prepare your starter if you haven’t before baking.
You’ll add this directly to your sourdough starter jar and let it sit 4-12 hours so the starter gets bubbly and active before beginning this recipe.
When it’s ready then you’ll begin making the rolls by putting 1/2 cup of the fed starter in the bowl.
I’ve started adding this preparing your starter step for anyone that isn’t sure how to feed their starter for recipes. Hope this helps, let me know if you have more questions!
I think Becky meant what is the amount of starter you mixed with the 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup water. I was wondering the same thing! I’m guessing it’s up to us… and will determine how long it takes the starter to get active and bubbly. Let me know if I am mistaken! I’m new to sourdough and wondering what your typically rise time was with that given flour to water to starter ratio. Trying to plan out when to start the recipe to have these ready for dinner on Monday night… 😀
Thanks Molly!
Hi Margaret, you need to feed that 2:1 ratio to your entire sourdough starter jar (the amount doesn’t matter). So what your starter is stored in that’s what you add that 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water to.
Here is a video tutorial I made for feeding your sourdough starter to use in recipes. It’s a great resource to help clear up any confusion: https://youtu.be/zRsSW9atKTE?si=aIFu3m_KtU9xl7Gm
The time it takes for your starter to be active and bubbly after you feed it depends on the temperature and humidity of your home. It typically takes about 4 hours for me for my starter to begin to rise and get bubbly.
If it’s winter it sometimes takes 6-8 hours.
I just want to mention the amount you feed your starter doesn’t change the time it takes for the starter to become active and bubbly. The amount fed just creates a different hydration and in this case it’s 50% hydrated.
I am so excited to make these for Christmas dinner. Could I stick these in the fridge after bulk fermentation and shaping until I’m ready to bake? I am wanting to serve these up warm & fresh out of the oven for dinner.
Thank you for being patient, I was out of office for a few weeks. Yes you can stick them in the fridge after bulk fermenting before shaping until you’re ready. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to do the proofing before baking. I hope you enjoyed them!
I am new to the world of sourdough. I have a large jar of sourdough discard that I draw from to feed when making bread. My question is: How much discard do I feed the 2:1 ratio to make this recipe? I hope this question makes sense.
No worries, I’m happy to help! So with this feeding, I recommend you feed your whole jar of discard with the 2:1 ratio. That way you just have to worry about pulling out 1/2 cup for the recipe. Depending on how you store it, after 12 hours at room temperature or 3-5 days in the fridge, the fed starter will become discard again when it ferments all the flour and water you fed it.
But if you want to pull a little out and feed it, I would take out 1/3 cup of discard. Then feed that portion 2 Tbsp flour + 1 Tbsp water. You’ll want to wait for that to double then measure out 1/2 cup for the recipe.
Hope this all makes sense! If you have any more questions don’t hesitate to reach out!
Wondering what salt…. I use Himalayan & Celtic salt
You can use any salt of your choice! Himalayan, Celtic, sea salt, etc.
If I freeze the dough before baking, what’s the process for when I want to bake? (Pull out of freezer and thaw in fridge/on counter? How long? etc)
Great question! When you’re ready to bake the frozen roll dough, place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Then cover with a kitchen towel or Saran wrap and let the rolls rise for 4-5 hours. After that bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 minutes.
If you freeze the dough, do you follow all the steps up until baking and then freeze?
If you’d like to freeze the dough, I recommend following the steps all the way until the dough is shaped and the rolls are ready for their 2nd rise.
Instead of leaving them on the counter to rise, place them in the freezer for 1 hour on the sheet pan. This is a pre-freeze so they don’t stick together. After the hour, wrap each roll in parchment paper and place in a freezer safe baggie or container.
When you’re ready to bake them, get rolls out of the freezer and let them sit on the counter until thawed and doubled in size.
Sorry, I don’t mean to be dense, so I would freeze right before the second rise? Thank you for your help 🙂
No worries at all, I’m happy to help! Yes correct, freeze right before the second rise.
Hi Molly
I’m going to try this recipe today! When you say feed starter at a ratio of 2:1, what is the amount of started used? Does it matter?
Thank you
Sheree
Hi Sheree,
You will feed your entire sourdough starter jar (so what your starter is held in). Then when it’s active and bubbly you will measure out the amount needed for this recipe.
If I make the dough and do the first 12hr rise, can I put the dough in the fridge until the morning to bake? If so, what is the process in the morning for baking and second rise?
Yes! After the 12 hr rise, place an airtight lid or saran wrap on the bowl to keep air out then place it in the fridge up to 48 hours or until you’re ready to use it. In the morning, or when you’re ready to bake them simply continue the recipe using the next step. There’s no extra things you need to do.
Thank you! Not sure what I did wrong, but my dough is like a brick out of the fridge this morning lol
No worries, cold dough will be stiff right out of the fridge. You can begin shaping right away, it won’t affect anything. I do this very often!
I’m in the process of making these now, do you need to let rise for the full 12 hours even if your dough doubles before then?
Great question, if your dough doubles in size and has air bubbles before 12 hours then you can continue the recipe before that time is up. No need to wait. I sometimes do this, other times I just let it go the full 12 hours.
I followed all the instructions/recipe. I noticed after kneading, it is extremely stiff… Is this normal? I am worried it will not ferment at all. I am experienced with sourdough loaves but this is a first with not making a loaf. If it is not normal to be stiff, what do I need to do?
So the dough’s stiffness will vary depending on your sourdough starter’s hydration. It shouldn’t be super sticky or extremely stiff. So with your dough being that stiff it sounds like your starter is less hydrated (which is not a problem!) just add a little extra liquid to the dough to compensate. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Hi I made this recipe and my dough was pretty sticky after doubling. Hopefully they rise after cutting them? I want to confirm to use all purpose flour not bread flour. Thank you!
Hi Rachel, yes you’ll want to use all-purpose flour. Your dough may be a little more sticky than mine depending on the hydration of your sourdough starter. It will always vary from starter to starter, I have some helpful tips on how to deal with that in the recipe instructions as well as the YouTube tutorial. Your dough should double in size during the bulk ferment (first rise). Then on step #4 of Shaping they will rise and get puffy after sitting on the counter for 3-4 hours. If they don’t rise at all for either the bulk ferment or 2nd rise then 2 issues can be happening. The first could be your kitchen is a little cooler. The second is your starter needs strengthened. If either of these are an issue, see the notes on the bottom of the recipe card for how to troubleshoot and fix them. Let me know if you have any more questions!
I was worried they were overproofed because I left them out overnight so it was more like 13/14 ish hrs to bulk ferment. They shaped well and I let them sit shaped for about 1 hrs bc I was afraid they’d flatten out to much. When I baked them they got poofy but cracked on the rise in the oven, is this because they were not in fact over proofed and they needed to sit longer?
It’s hard to say exactly, so much can go on with sourdough baking, but it sounds to me like the extra few hours of the bulk ferment created extra gas bubbles in the dough which opened up and created cracking on the rolls while baking. I definitely recommend if the bulk ferment goes over a few hours again (I do this sometimes by accident haha) let the rolls proof (after shaping) for the full amount of time. This will ensure they’re light and fluffy even if they do crack. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions I’m always happy to help!