The recipe for these butterhorn rolls comes with step-by-step instructions as well as a special method I use to get the softest and fluffiest rolls. And let’s not forget about the cinnamon honey butter! It takes these rolls to a whole other level of deliciousness. I won’t go on rambling about how perfect they are, but just trust me, you need to try them asap!
What are butterhorn rolls?
Butterhorn rolls are basically dinner rolls in the shape of crescent rolls. They’re made with a rich, slightly sweetened dough and brushed with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
As for the honey cinnamon butter, if you’ve ever been to Texas Roadhouse, you’ll know that’s where it comes from. I slightly adapted the recipe from one I found online and let me tell you a little secret: this one is even better than the one Texas Roadhouse serves!
Ingredients you’ll need to make the best butterhorn rolls
- yeast — There are two main types of yeast: instant yeast and active dry yeast. The most common type is instant yeast, which can be mixed right into the dry ingredients. Active dry yeast on the other hand, needs to be mixed with a warm liquid to get it going. I always use instant yeast but I prefer to mix it with the warm milk and sugar just to make sure it’s still fresh.
- milk — Whole milk will give you the richest dough.
- granulated sugar — Feeds the yeast and gives the rolls a hint of sweetness.
- eggs — Eggs make the rolls more flavorful and tender.
- butter — I mean these rolls are called butterhorn rolls, right?
- salt — No bread tastes good without salt
- all-purpose flour — Make sure to add just enough to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
Ingredients for the cinnamon honey butter
- butter — I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control the saltiness of it, but if you only have salted butter, you can use that. Just adjust the amount of salt to your liking.
- honey — The honey I have is usually solid at room temperature so I like to warm it up on the stove until it’s thin enough to easily mix with the butter.
- powdered sugar — The recipe I used for years called for more powdered sugar than this one does. The honey itself is sweet already so technically you wouldn’t even need the added sugar. If you prefer, you can skip it altogether.
- cinnamon — You gotta love that spice.
- salt — I found that I liked this honey butter even more if I added extra salt; add 1/4 teaspoon, taste, and add more if needed.
How to make the best butterhorn rolls
Here are a few tips to keep in mind that will take your rolls from good to fantastic. The method is just as important (if not even more important) than the ingredients themselves.
Use the correct temperature ingredients
Yeast needs a warm environment to be active so make sure your milk is lukewarm (between 110° and 115°F). I also recommend letting your eggs come to room temperature so that they don’t cool down your dough too much.
Correctly measure the flour
The correct way to measure flour (or any other dry ingredients for that matter) is to fluff it up in the canister, spoon it into a measuring cup, then level it off. Did you know that if you just scoop the flour with the measuring cup and pack it in, you can end up with 50% more flour than the recipe actually calls for? One cup of all-purpose flour should weigh around 120 grams. So I highly recommend weighing your cup of flour once to see if it’s close to the right weight. If not, adjust accordingly.
Also, add just enough flour to the dough to keep it from sticking to your hands. Any more than that and your rolls could end up dry and dense instead of tender and fluffy.
Knead the dough well
Kneading the dough gives the rolls structure and helps them rise. It’s really important not to skimp on the kneading time. Generally, if you knead by hand it’ll take 8-10 minutes to get a well-developed dough. How can you know when you’ve kneaded the dough long enough? The dough will be smooth and elastic, and if you poke it with your finger, the dough will spring back.
Let the dough rise until doubled
The dough needs to rise twice: once after kneading it and then again after the rolls are shaped.
Everyone’s house has a different temperature so the amount of time it takes for the dough to double in volume will vary. Here’s how you can know when the dough has risen long enough. Poke it with your finger, and if it slowly bounces back (in about 1-2 minutes), it’s good to go. If it springs back immediately it needs a little more time. If it does not spring back it all, it has over-proofed.
Because this dough is rich in fat from the butter, eggs and whole milk, it’s normal for it to take longer to rise. One tip to help your dough rise faster is to place it in the oven (make sure it’s turned off) and turn on the oven light. This will provide extra warmth for the yeast to do its work faster.
Make a tangzhong
The secret to getting the most soft and fluffy butterhorn rolls possible is to make a tangzhong. And if you don’t know how to pronounce the word, don’t worry, I don’t either! 😅 But I can tell you what it is.
What is tangzhong?
Tangzhong is a Japanese method of cooking a percentage of the flour and milk (or water) in the recipe before adding it to the dough. While the name might sound fancy, the method is very simple and makes yeast bread so much better! You know why? Well, flour can absorb more liquid when it’s hot, so this makes it possible to have a higher percentage of liquid without getting a super sticky dough. It also keeps the rolls softer for a longer amount of time. To read more about tangzhong, check out this article.
To make the tangzhong, mix the flour and milk until no lumps remain; then heat until it forms a thick paste, stirring constantly. You don’t need to cook it until it starts actively bubbling; in fact, overcooking it will keep it from retaining moisture. Cook just until the spoon or whisk you’re using to stir leaves trails and you can see the bottom of the pan.
How to form butterhorn rolls
While there is more than one way of forming crescent rolls, I prefer to roll the dough into a circle, then cutting the circle into wedges. For this recipe you’ll divide the dough in half, roll each half into a 16-inch circle, then cut into 16 wedges. I found that the more wedges you cut, the longer and skinnier they are, and the more layers your rolls will have.
Starting with the long edge, roll each wedge up to form a crescent roll. This will give you 32 rolls in total.
The rolls might look small, but they’ll rise and expand as they bake. Make sure to leave at least 2 inches of space between the rolls on the baking sheet.
How to make cinnamon honey butter
The cinnamon honey butter is pretty basic; just throw all ingredients in a bowl, and whip for a few minutes until fluffy. You can also make it ahead of time and refrigerate it. Just make sure to remove it from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving so it has time to soften up.
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Happy baking, friends!
Ingredients
- For the tangzhong:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole milk
- For the butterhorn rolls:
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 6 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4½ - 5 cups all-purpose flour
- For the cinnamon honey butter:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup honey, at room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To make the tangzhong, add the flour and milk to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Set over medium heat and cook until the mixture starts to thicken, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat once the spoon starts leaving trails and you can see the bottom of the saucepan as you stir. Let the mixture come to room temperature
- In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, 2 tablespoon sugar and the milk. Let stand until bubbly, 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar, the tangzhong, eggs, butter, salt and 3 cups of flour until well combined. Then add in the remaining flour, adding more or less to get a soft dough. Avoid using too much flour; only use enough to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
- Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, 60-90 minutes.
- Punch dough down, then divide in half. Roll each half into a 16-inch circle; cut the circle into 16 wedges. Starting from the long side, roll each wedge up; place on a baking sheet with the pointy side down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.
- Rolls can be served warm or at room temperature.
- For the cinnamon honey butter, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth; then add the honey, powdered sugar, cinnamon and salt to taste. Whip until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Serve with rolls.
Notes
The rolls can be stored at room temperature for 3 days, or refrigerated in an airtight bag or container for a few months. The cinnamon honey butter keeps well in the fridge up to 2 weeks (I bet it won't last that long though 😜). The butter hardens in the fridge so remove it at least 30 minutes before serving; if necessary, beat it again until fluffy.