25 Homemade Rolls and Breads to Complete Your Thanksgiving Feast
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 Whole-Grain Mini Bread Loaves, a selection of these homemade breads will satisfy any hungry Thanksgiving crowd.
Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls
Recipe: Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls
You can bake and freeze these yeast rolls well in advance of Thanksgiving Day for the ultimate make-ahead solution.
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Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread
Recipe: Cheddar-Caramelized Onion Bread
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.
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Parmesan-Herb Angel Biscuits
Recipe: Parmesan-Herb Angel Biscuits
Parmesan, thyme, and rosemary give your traditional angel biscuits some extra flavor.
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Yeast Rolls
Recipe: Yeast Rolls
You'll need to make the dough for these rolls a day in advance to allow for chilling.
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Overnight Yeast Rolls
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.
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Buttery Chive-and-Mustard Drop Biscuits
Recipe: Buttery Chive-and-Mustard 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.
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Best-Ever Spoon Rolls
Recipe: Best-Ever Spoon Rolls
Light and fluffy, these simple spoon rolls are the perfect companion for that Thanksgiving turkey.
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Buttermilk Fantail Rolls
Recipe: Buttermilk Fantail Rolls
Stack thin layers of this dough in muffin tins to achieve the coveted and extra-impressive fantail effect.
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Whole-Grain Mini Bread Loaves
Recipe: Whole-Grain Mini Bread Loaves
Keep things a little lighter and healthier this Thanksgiving with these miniature whole-grain bread loaves. Coat them in benne or sesame seeds for extra crunch.
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Sweet Potato Biscuits
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.
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Sour Cream Crescent Rolls
Recipe: Sour Cream Crescent Rolls
Mama's secret to achieving super-moist crescent rolls? Adding sour cream to the dough.
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Cornmeal Crescent Rolls
Recipe: Cornmeal Crescent Rolls
Rolling the homemade crescent roll dough in cornmeal adds a bit of bite to the tender pastry.
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Easy Everything Dinner Rolls
Recipe: Easy Everything Dinner Rolls
Looking for an easy way to dress up those dinner rolls? Roll them in everything seasoning for an explosion of flavor.
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Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuit
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.
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Pumpkin-Buttermilk Biscuits
Recipe: Pumpkin-Buttermilk Biscuits
Bring some seasonal spice to your biscuits with by kneading pumpkin puree right into the dough. Serve the leftovers with crispy ham and hot honey for a quintessential day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast.
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Cornmeal Angel Biscuits
Recipe: Cornmeal Angel Biscuits
These biscuits will definitely go quickly.
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Potato Bread
Recipe: Potato Bread
No Southern barbecue feast is complete without plain slices of white bread, and this Potato Bread is Thanksgiving's answer to the much-loved barbecue tradition.
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Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Recipe: Rosemary Focaccia Bread
This Rosemary Focaccia Bread will bring a bit of Italian elegance to your Thanksgiving spread. The mild, herbaceous quality of the rosemary goes perfectly with those mashed potatoes.
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Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls
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.
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Angel Biscuits
Recipe: Angel Biscuits
Nestle these yeast biscuits snug together in the pan and they'll rise even higher when baked. You don't have to use all the dough at once—refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
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Potato Rolls
Recipe: Potato Rolls
These dinner rolls are also terrific for sandwiches.
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Sweet Potato Rolls with Cane Syrup Glaze
Recipe: Sweet Potato Rolls with Cane Syrup Glaze
Mashed sweet potato adds fluffiness—and a lovely orange color—to these inventive rolls.
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Cherry-Pecan Swirl Bread
Recipe: Cherry-Pecan Swirl Bread
Looking for something on the sweeter side? Give this ultra-indulgent cherry bread a try.
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Sandwich Bread
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.
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Pumpkin Roll
Recipe: Pumpkin Roll
It's the perfect fall dessert - your Thanksgiving guests won't be able to resist a second helping.