27 Homemade Rolls And Breads To Complete Your Thanksgiving Feast

angel biscuits
Photo: Emily Laurae/Southern Living

A Southern Thanksgiving includes a few key components. Of course, there's the turkey, which we'll roast, smoke, or even fry, but in the South, the sideboard is arguably treated with just as much care as—if not more—than the starring bird. There are the potatoes, mashed and swirled with buttermilk, and the mac, baked and loaded with lots of cheese. There are the traditional casseroles—green bean, sweet potato—that have been passed down through the generations. There are the relics of the Thanksgiving of Grandma's childhood—molded cranberry salad, anyone? And, of course, there are the humble rolls.Dinner rolls are a simple, yet essential element of any Southern Thanksgiving. They balance out all the dynamic flavors and textures of your plate, providing a vehicle to soak up that succulent gravy and wipe your plate clean. This year, instead of settling for store-bought dough, really impress your guests with a basket of hot, homemade rolls. Many of these breads can be made in advance to ease your Thanksgiving day prep load—just pop them in the oven before the feast and serve warm. From Pumpkin-Buttermilk Biscuits to Buttery Yeast Rolls, a selection of these homemade breads will satisfy any hungry Thanksgiving crowd.

01 of 27

Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls

50 Best Thanksgiving Homemade Crescent Rolls
Beau Gustafson

Recipe: Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls

This from-scratch recipe is suited for any level of cook—even first timers. Tip: Brush unbaked rolls with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and fennel seeds. Or, brush unbaked rolls with melted butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, kosher salt, coarsely ground pepper, and dried Italian seasoning.

02 of 27

Parker House Rolls

Parker House Rolls
Photographer: Alison Miksch / Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn / Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

Recipe: Parker House Rolls

A basket of Parker House rolls may be the most exciting thing on the table when you make them. Sure, everyone will love the glazed ham, but these pillowy soft bites of yeast bread are special. There is a bit of time involved in letting these rise (nearly 3 hours from start to finish), but most of that is hands-off time. Try them one night when you have time to focus, and you'll be prepped and ready for when the big party or holiday meal comes.

03 of 27

Pumpkin-Shaped Rolls

Pumpkin-Shaped Rolls
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pumpkin-Shaped Rolls

These adorable rolls are buttery, soft, and yeasty with a dash of fall spice. The impressive pumpkin shape is created—with step-by-step instructions—with kitchen scissors and a wooden spoon. After they come out of the oven, these pumpkin rolls come to life when brushed with some melted butter mixed with a little honey.

04 of 27

Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread

Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread
Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick

Recipe: Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread

The unique texture of this bread comes from a combination of almond flour and all-purpose flour. Bake this bread in a cast-iron skillet to achieve a supremely crispy crust and rustic effect. Cut the loaf into triangles and serve it hot out of the oven.

05 of 27

Parmesan-Herb Angel Biscuits

Angel Biscuits
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Parmesan-Herb Angel Biscuits

These tender, buttery rolls are a cross between a Parker House roll and a buttermilk biscuit. Parmesan, thyme, and rosemary give your traditional angel biscuits some extra flavor. To make ahead, the dough can be refrigerated for up to a week.

06 of 27

Overnight Yeast Rolls

Overnight Yeast Rolls
Southern Living

Recipe: Overnight Yeast Rolls

Make these rolls a few days in advance and all you have to do on Thanksgiving morning is pop them in the oven. Each batch bakes at 375ºF for 18 minutes or until golden. Place three rolled dough balls in each muffin cup for this unique shape.

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Yeast Rolls

Thanksgiving Yeast Rolls
Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Yeast Rolls

You'll need to make the dough for these rolls a day in advance to allow for chilling. To achieve their swirly shape, dough is rolled into pieces of rope, rolled again into a spiral shape, and then baked in muffin tins. Makes 16 rolls.

08 of 27

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Buttery Chive-and-Mustard Drop Biscuits
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Chive and mustard bring surprising, slightly-spiced flavor to these moist biscuits. Just drop tablespoons of dough onto the sheet pan and bake—it's really that easy. Aside from your Thanksgiving bread basket, these can work with holiday leftovers, whether split for sandwiches or dunked in soup.

09 of 27

Spoon Rolls

Spoon Rolls
Southern Living

Recipe: Spoon Rolls

Light and fluffy, these simple spoon rolls are the perfect companion for that Thanksgiving turkey. Depending on your desired shape, these can be baked in a muffin tin, cast iron pan, or drop biscuit pan. The batter doesn't need to rise, and it can be refrigerated for up to a week in advance.

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Southern Butter Rolls

Southern Butter Rolls
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

One part biscuit, one part cinnamon rolls, these Southern Butter Rolls are a special part of Southern cuisine. Likely from the Memphis or northern Mississippi region, these rolls are sweet and pillowy and bake up in a silky caramel sauce. These can be served at breakfast or brunch, but we wouldn't argue if they're served at dessert either.

11 of 27

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pumpkin Bread

This autumn-themed quick bread comes together in about an hour with just 10 minutes of hands-on time. The fall spice blend enhances the sweetness of the bread while complimenting the savoriness of the pumpkin. Add this orange-hued loaf to your Thanksgiving bread basket, or jump-start Black Friday morning with a slice or two with coffee.

12 of 27

Cornmeal Popovers

Cornmeal Popovers
Laurey W. Glenn

Recipe: Cornmeal Popovers

A light, airy popover will balance nicely with a heavy, over-the-top Thanksgiving meal. For a Southern twist, white cornmeal adds texture and rich flavor. The trick to making popovers puff up is dolloping the batter into melted butter inside a pre-heated muffin pan, and then baking immediately in a very hot oven.

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Sweet Potato Biscuits

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits

Light and fluffy with a bit of earthiness from the mashed sweet potato, these Sweet Potato Biscuits will be Mama's new favorite. Many sweet potato biscuit recipes don't account for the extra moisture that can result in flat, dense biscuits. Southern Living's recipe developer Micah A. Leal provides several tips to ensure these come out fluffy.

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Buttery Yeast Rolls

Buttery Yeast Rolls, Twisted Rolls with Everything-Bagel Seasoning, and Knot Rolls with Herb Butter
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Buttery Yeast Rolls

This roll recipe is a totally doable thanks to some helpful tips included in the instructions. Using a heavy stand mixer does the kneading for you. These hold up on their own finished with melted butter and flaky sea salt but as a bonus, two exciting savory alterations—everything-bagel seasoning and an herb blend option—are included.

15 of 27

Carey Hynes' Parker House Rolls

Carey Hynes Parker House Rolls
Jaguar Sun

Recipe: Carey Hynes' Parker House Rolls

These Parker House rolls hail from the Jaguar Sun restaurant in Miami and have a cult following. Be prepared for a slightly sweet, soft, and buttery roll. An egg wash gives them a glossy, golden brown finish.

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Lagniappe Bread Rolls

Melissa Martin’s Lagniappe Bread Rolls
Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Recipe: Lagniappe Bread Rolls

These Cajun rolls come from chef, restauranteur, and cookbook author Melissa Martin, where they are served at her New Orlean's restaurant Mosquito Supper Club. Lagniappe means "a little something extra," and these these pillowy, slightly sweet rolls can accompany your Thanksgiving meal or any Sunday dinner. Honey provides the sweetness while an egg wash with heavy whipping cream creates the golden brown crust.

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Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuit

Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuit, biscuits recipe
Photo: Brian Woodcock

Recipe: Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuit

You can't go wrong with the classics, and no Southern Thanksgiving is complete without a platter of fresh-from-the-oven buttermilk biscuits. This recipe only requires three ingredients—butter, buttermilk, and self-rising flour. Cold butter is essential to making these flaky biscuits.

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Pumpkin-Buttermilk Biscuits with Crispy Ham and Honey Butter

Pumpkin-Buttermilk Biscuits with Crispy Ham and Honey Butter
Victor Protasio; Propr Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Pumpkin-Buttermilk Biscuits with Crispy Ham and Honey Butter

Bring some seasonal spice to your biscuits with by kneading pumpkin puree right into the dough. These also add a punch of orange color to your holiday spread. Serve the leftovers with crispy ham and hot honey for a quintessential day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast.

19 of 27

Cornmeal Angel Biscuits

Angel Biscuits
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Cornmeal Angel Biscuits

These light and buttery biscuits have added color, flavor, and texture from yellow cornmeal. This recipe makes about 3½ dozen biscuits, and the dough can be refrigerated up to a week in advance. After brushing with butter and serving warm, these biscuits will definitely go quickly.

20 of 27

Southern Soda Bread

Southern Soda Bread
Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Southern Soda Bread

The signature Southern ingredient in this soda bread is tangy buttermilk. Being a quick bread, there's no yeast and dough to rise, which makes an easier option for harried hosts. This recipe makes two loaves, only requires 10 minutes of hands-on time, and bakes in just over an hour.

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No-Knead Buttermilk Bread

No-Knead Buttermilk Bread
Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: No-Knead Buttermilk Bread

If the thought of kneading dough is too time consuming and error prone, a no-knead bread recipe is your saving grace. A very hot, cast-iron dutch oven is the key to no-knead bread recipes and creates a crisp, golden crust. The addition of buttermilk is always welcome for some Southern tang.

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Angel Biscuits

angel biscuits
Emily Laurae/Southern Living

Recipe: Angel Biscuits

Nestle these yeast biscuits snug together in the pan and they'll rise even higher when baked. These light, flaky biscuits get brushed with butter when ready to serve after they've baked until golden. If you need some flexibility, you don't have to use all the dough at once—refrigerate in an airtight container up to five days.

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Potato Rolls

Potato Rolls
Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Potato Rolls

This recipe makes two dozen soft, pillowy rolls. After they cool from baking, baste with melted butter. These dinner rolls are also terrific for sandwiches.

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Sweet Potato Rolls

Sweet Potato Rolls
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Sweet Potato Rolls

Mashed sweet potato adds fluffiness—and a lovely orange color—to these inventive rolls. Allow the dough sufficient time, up to an hour, to rise to develop their airy texture. For a pretty presentation, they get brushed with a cane syrup and butter glaze and dusted with flaky sea salt.

25 of 27

Sandwich Bread

Sandwich Bread
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Sandwich Bread

If your favorite part of Thanksgiving is the sandwiches made from turkey leftovers, homemade sandwich bread is the perfect way to complete the meal. This recipe makes a soft, yeasty, and buttery loaf. To extend the shelf life of the bread, included is a quick step of heating some milk and flour and adding it to the yeast mixture.

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Cherry-Pecan Swirl Bread

Cherry-Pecan Swirl Bread
Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Cherry-Pecan Swirl Bread

Looking for something on the sweeter side? Give this ultra-indulgent cherry bread a try. And if you are new to making bread, there are helpful tips on how to work with dough so the bread doesn't turn out tough and dense.

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Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls

Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls
Laurey W. Glenn

Recipe: Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls

This recipe for tender, buttery rolls comes from reader Carole Miller Radford, and originally appeared in Southern Living's November 1995 issue. Since then, this Southern Living Test Kitchen-approved, reliable dough is flexible enough to be formed into a variety of shapes. You can bake and freeze these yeast rolls well in advance of Thanksgiving Day for the ultimate make-ahead solution.

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