Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Whoever created the roll recipe at Texas Roadhouse is a genius and whoever decided to give them to guests as a "complimentary appetizer" is a genius.  What is the first thing you hear from people when they talk about Texas Roadhouse?  I hear "I love their rolls," I have never heard anyone start out by saying "I love their pulled pork sandwich," have you?  Don't get me wrong, they have really good food too, but their rolls are unbeatable.  

I found this copycat recipe floating around the blog world and I couldn't wait to give them a try.  Honestly, I was extremely skeptical about these.  Why?  Texas Roadhouse uses a "roll mix" to make their rolls, so I doubt anyone, other than the creator, knows the real recipe.  They also use a combination of butter and margarine (I read the package on the butter the baker was adding to the mix and that is what it said).  I wanted to try them anyway, because secretly, I was hoping maybe they would at least kinda taste like them?

Well, the moment you have been waiting for . . . . Did they taste like the real thing . . . . Mine did NOT taste anything like Texas Roadhouse's?  Maybe it was something I did wrong?  I did use half bread flour and half all-purpose flour?  However, they turned out really really good.  They are way too soft, light and fluffy to be Texas Roadhouse's.  I must say, I have no complaints about these rolls.  I love super soft rolls.  So, if you want a good roll recipe, you can't go wrong with these.  I ate them with cinnamon honey butter and I even preferred them way more than what I made for dinner.  I did eat three of them in one sitting . . . don't tell!

Texas Roadhouse Rolls - Copycat Recipe

adapted from: Good Stuff Maynard

(Printable Recipe)

4 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water

2 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

3 Tbl. of melted butter, slightly cooled

1/2 c. sugar 

2 quarts all purpose flour (7-8 cups)

2 whole eggs

2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar; let stand until frothy.  Combine yeast mixture, milk, 1/2 cup sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter (about the consistency of pancake batter).  Beat thoroughly.  Add melted butter, eggs and salt.  Beat well.  Add enough flour to form a soft dough.  Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto counter and let dough rest.  Meanwhile, grease a large bowl.  Knead dough until smooth and satiny and put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top. (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen-Aid to knead this for about 4-5 minutes).  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.  Punch down.  Turn out onto a floured board.  Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes.  Shape dough into desired forms.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Let rise until doubled.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Baste immediately with butter.  Yield: 5 to 6 dozen.  Serve with Cinnamon Honey Butter.  

*Jenn's Notes: I shaped my rolls by rolling out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick, then I folded the rectangle in half, making it about 1-inch thick. I used  my rolling pin and rolled over the dough, ever so gently, just to seal the two halves together.  I then used a dough scraper and cut the rolls into squares and placed those on my greased baking sheet.  I cut the recipe in half and I got exactly 12 big rolls and baked them for 16-17 minutes.  In order to get the 5-6 dozen rolls like the recipe states, you would have to make really small rolls.          

Orange-Cream Cheese Rolls

I had been eyeing this recipe for a few months now.  It is out of Paula Deen's Holiday Baking 2010 Special Issue magazine.  If you can still find that magazine in stores, you should really pick yourself up a copy.  There are so many yummy looking recipes in there.  I admit, I am a sucker for food magazines, even though they are seriously pricey.  I think I paid around $9 for this one, but it was worth it!    


These rolls were really easy to put together.  I cut the dough recipe in 1/4, but I only cut the filling recipe in 1/2, because I wanted them to be super gooey.  The original recipe says it yields 24 rolls, but I cut the recipe in 1/4 and I got 10 rolls, which would mean the full recipe yields 40 rolls?  The final result was only pretty good.  The cream cheese filling must have absorbed into the bread while they were baking, because they weren't ooey gooey at all?  I was a little bummed.  At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the crunchy pecans, but after a few bites, I started to like them a little more, but if I had to choose with pecans or without, I would choose without.  So, they were pretty good, but I have had way better.  I would like to try them with a regular butter, sugar and orange zest filling and then frost them with the cream cheese, orange marmalade and pecan filling.  I bet that would be yummy!  

Make sure the yeast bubbles or start over, because you must have killed the yeast

After mixing, place in a greased bowl 

Let rise until doubled

Roll out dough and spread evenly with filling

Roll up tightly

Cut as evenly as possible

Let rise again until doubled

Bake until golden brown

Orange-Cream Cheese Rolls

adapted from: Paula Deen

(Printable Recipe)

2 (1/4 oz.) pkgs. active dry yeast

1 1/2 c. warm whole milk (I used 2%)

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. butter, melted

1 Tbl. orange zest

1/2 c. orange juice

3 large eggs

1 tsp. salt

8-9 c. bread flour

orange-cream cheese filling

orange glaze

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk; let stand for 5 minutes.  In a large bowl, beat sugar, melted butter, orange zest, orange juice, eggs and salt at medium-low speed with a mixer until combined.  Add yeast mixture, beating until combined.  Gradually add 7 cups bread flour, beating until smooth.  Add enough remaining bread flour to make a soft dough.  On a lightly floured surface, turn out dough.  Knead dough for 6-8 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 hour or until dough is doubled in size.  Spray 2 (10-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray (I used 9x13 pan).  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 24x12 inch rectangle.  Spread orange-cream cheese filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border.  Roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting with long side.  Using a serrated knife, cut dough crosswise into 1 inch slices.  Place rolls, cut side down, in prepared pans.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 hour or until doubled in size.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Spoon orange glaze over warm rolls.  

Orange-Cream Cheese Filling

makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. orange marmalade

2 Tbl. sugar

1/2 c. chopped pecans

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, marmalade and sugar, stirring until combined.  Stir in pecans.

Orange Glaze

makes about 1/2 cup

1 c. powdered sugar

2 Tbl. orange juice

In a small bowl, whisk sugar and juice until smooth.  Pour immediately over rolls.  

FLUFFY DINNER ROLLS

I usually save homemade rolls for Sunday dinner, since they take so much time, but I was browsing a few different blogs and came across a fluffy dinner roll recipe over at Jamie Cooks It Up that can be done in an hour!!  So, I jumped up and began mixing.  I decided to try half white flour and half wheat flour.  Also, Jamie didn't specify what type of yeast to use, so I went with Instant yeast, since you add it to the dough rather than dissolve it in water.  Overall, these turned out pretty good.  Now, they are not my mom's rolls, but for a quick and super easy roll, I thought they tasted good.  Great for a week night!     

Fluffy Dinner Rolls

adapted from: here

(Printable Page)

3/4 c. milk

4 Tbl. butter

3/4 c. hot water (almost too hot to touch)

4 Tbl. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 - 4 1/2 c. flour

1 heaping Tbl. yeast

Pour milk into a glass measuring cup.  Add the butter to the milk and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.  Preheat oven to 170 degrees.  Add milk/butter mixture and hot water to bowl of stand mixer.  Add sugar and salt.  Then, add 2 cups of the flour and let mix for 1 minute.  Add the yeast.  Turn mixer on and add the rest of the flour, 1 cup at a time.  You have enough flour when dough scrapes the side of the bowl clean.  Using dough hook, mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.  Spray cutting board or counter with cooking spray.  Lay dough on top and cut into 12 even chunks.  Gently roll into balls and put in a greased 9x13 pan.  Put pan in warm 170 degree oven.  Let rise 20 minutes or until they have risen 1-inch above the pan.  Leave pan in oven and turn up temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for 15 more minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with a little butter.  Yield: 12 rolls.