Some foods don’t just fill your kitchen with good smells—they take you back to a memory. Even though I’m in the Midwest now, these Easy One Day Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Rolls (Copycat Recipe) feel like home to me. One bite and I’m right back in Texas-where warm, buttery rolls hit the table before you even finish ordering and everything feels “down home” cozy.

Even better, my picky preschooler absolutely demolishes these rolls, which means they can come in handy not only as a dinner side, but for breakfast and as a snack as well.

A basket of easy one day sourdough Texas roadhouse rolls next to a small bowl of honey cinnamon butter on top of a checkered tan and white tablecloth.

A Little Taste Of Texas, From Scratch

If you’ve ever had Texas Roadhouse rolls, you know exactly what I mean. Brushed generously with melted butter right out of the oven, they’re made for pulling apart and slathering with homemade honey cinnamon butter. These Easy One Day Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Rolls capture that same comfort, but with the added depth of flavor that only sourdough brings.

NOT INTO TANGY ROLLS? Me neither. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use sourdough for depth but the instant yeast really does all the leg work. The addition of eggs and milk to the recipe give these rolls that mouthwatering sweetness and pillowy, soft texture we all love and crave.

And the best part? They’re same day rolls. No overnight ferment, no complicated timing. Feed your starter overnight for some extra spring but use discard if preferred. I’ve made these rolls both ways and they are irresistible with either method.

A brown basket of easy one day sourdough Texas roadhouse rolls.

Why Same Day Sourdough Works For Real Life

Long-ferment sourdough has its place, but sometimes you just want fresh bread without planning days ahead. This recipe uses an active sourdough starter to build flavor quickly while still fitting into a busy schedule.

This Recipe Is Perfect For:

Weeknight dinners that need something extra
Sunday family meals
Holidays when you want something special but manageable
When you’re missing home and are craving comfort food

Homemade “Texas Style” Honey Cinnamon Butter

What’s a Texas Roadhouse roll without homemade honey cinnamon butter? Sticky sweet with a kiss of cinnamon, you can make your own at home in just under 5 minutes. I promise that it’s a few minutes of your day well spent. Check out the recipe for a scrumptious “Texas Style” Honey Cinnamon Butter.

A small white dish of homemade honey cinnamon butter on a tan and white checkered background.

The Ingredients

Milk: Warm milk enriches the dough and activates the yeast. Use milk that is close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter: Melted and cooled butter add richness. Use for brushing the tops of the rolls as well.

Sugar: Granulated sugar adds a touch of sweetness to the dough and makes the yeast very happy.

Instant Yeast: Commercial instant yeast is what gives these rolls a quick rise. Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Instant Yeast works best and is available in most grocery stores.

Sourdough Discard: I use 100% hydration sourdough discard that I fed the night before. I have also used discard from the refrigerator. (Just make sure it isn’t discard that has set out at room temp for a long time-this can be very acidic.)

Eggs: Enriches the dough and makes a pillowy soft texture.

Salt: Enhances the flavor, mix separately with the flour to keep your discard happy.

All Purpose Flour: As ironic as it seems, all purpose flour gives these rolls their fluffy texture. Using bread flour will lead to denser, chewier rolls.

The Equipment

Kitchen scale

Mixing cups and spoons

Small bowl (to warm milk and melt butter)

Medium to large bowl (for mixing ingredients together)

Spatula

Bench Scraper

Plastic wrap or tea towel (for covering dough)

Rolling pin

Pizza slicer or knife

Baking sheet or cookie sheet

Parchment paper

Basting brush

Do I Use Active Starter or Discard?

The beauty of this recipe is that the commercial instant yeast does most of the leg work. The sourdough simply gives depth and flavor to the rolls. The recipe calls for discard but I have made these rolls with active starter, room temperature starter and refrigerated starter and they all come out fluffy and tasting delicious.

TIP: Make sure your started is not overly acidic. This happens when unfed starter sits at room temperature for too many days.

How To Make Easy One Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Rolls (Copycat Recipe)

Microwave Prep:

In a large bowl, warm the milk in the microwave for 10 second increments until it reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside. In a small bowl or microwaveable cup, melt the butter in 5 second increments and set in the fridge to cool slightly.

Mix:

In the bowl with the warm milk, add the sugar and yeast and mix gently. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. (Setting aside is optional for instant yeast, but it does help the ingredients distribute).

To the yeast mixture, add the sourdough starter, melted butter, eggs and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl mix 3 ½ cups of flour and salt together. Combining the salt with the flour keeps it from reacting negatively to the sourdough starter.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until a soft wet dough forms. Add the remaining flour until the dough is tacky but not overly sticky.

Knead:

Cover with a moist towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Knead The Dough:

Knead by hand for 8- 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky but not sticky to the touch. You cannot over-knead dough by hand. Make sure to knead thoroughly. This is key for fluffy rolls.

Warm Bulk Rise:

Cover with plastic wrap or a warm tea towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, usually 45-60 minutes.

*Tip- you can place the dough in the oven (not turned on) and turn on the oven light. The light will produce a warm environment for your dough, similar to a proofing box.

Shape:

Using a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll the dough in a rectangle until the dough is ½ inch thick. Using a pizza slicer, cut the dough into rectangles (for that classic Texas Roadhouse shape) and place on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Second Rise:

Let rise for 30-45 minutes, until puffy.

Bake:

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-22 minutes until the tops are golden. While the rolls are in the oven, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

Brush:

Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.

Serve:

Serve hot with a generous slather of “Texas Style” Honey Cinnamon Butter.

A basket of easy one day sourdough Texas Roadhouse rolls on a tan and white checkered background with a plate of honey cinnamon butter underneath.

TIPS: Easy One Day Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Rolls (Copycat Recipe)

Use instant yeast for this recipe. It helps the rolls to rise the fastest. You can substitute Active Dry yeast, but you will need to allow the yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes in the milk and sugar before mixing in the other ingredients.

If brushing with unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to your butter to maximum flavor.

Use a pizza cutter to easily cut your dough into those iconic Texas Roadhouse squares.