Food and Recipes Holiday and Occasion Food 27 Homemade Rolls And Breads To Complete Your Thanksgiving Feast By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on October 11, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 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 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 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 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 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 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 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. 07 of 27 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 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 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. 10 of 27 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 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 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. 13 of 27 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. 14 of 27 Buttery Yeast Rolls 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 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. 16 of 27 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. 17 of 27 Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuit 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. 18 of 27 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 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 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. 21 of 27 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. 22 of 27 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. 23 of 27 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. 24 of 27 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 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. 26 of 27 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. 27 of 27 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit