Cooking

23 Thanksgiving Breads, Rolls, Biscuits, and Breakfast Buns

Squishy rolls for mopping up gravy, flaky biscuits for piling on leftover turkey, and a seedy pumpkin loaf to start the day.
A pastry brush spreads butter over golden sour cream and chive rolls topped with flaky salt and black pepper.
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

Pies get most of the Thanksgiving baking glory. But these Thanksgiving bread recipes make a strong case for saving some oven space for buttery dinner rolls, flaky biscuits, and midnight-sandwich-ready loaves. Think golden sweet potato buns soft enough to nap on, buttermilk cornbread to eat with butter or bake into dressing, and tender sweet loaves to nibble on Thanksgiving morning. Several recipes have make-ahead options, too.

Um. Could you pass the butter.

Jump ahead
  • A baking dish full of fresh Parker House Rolls brushed with butter and topped with flaky sea salt.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams
    1/23

    Parker House Rolls

    There’s no need to overhaul a classic. Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book, these Parker House rolls have buttery folds, golden tops, and a finish of flaky salt. Bake enough for seconds.

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  • A neutralcolored stone baking dish of salted sweet potato rolls alongside a small dish with a halved roll buttered on...
    Photograph by Lucia Bell-Epstein, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, and Prop Styling by Erica Lutz
    2/23

    Sweet Potato Rolls

    These pillowy rolls get their warm color and gentle sweetness from mashed sweet potato. Bake and freeze them up to a month ahead, then reheat and brush with melted butter before serving.

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  • Salt Bread rolls line a metal baking sheet in two columns with coarse salt on top and one roll cut open.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata,Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero,Prop Styling by Christine Keely
    3/23

    Salt Bread

    Butter tucked inside each roll melts as it bakes, crisping the bottom. “If you can imagine a warm dinner roll meeting a flaky croissant, you’re getting closer,” says Hana Asbrink.

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  • Image may contain Food Plant and Bread
    Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    4/23

    Pork Floss and Seaweed Pull-Apart Rolls

    Pillowy rolls swirled with sweet-salty pork floss, mayo, scallions, and furikake. Bake and freeze them up to three months ahead, then warm them through while everyone finds a seat.

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  • A single tall laminated buttermilk biscuit as seen from the side.
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz
    7/23

    BA’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits

    So many layers, you’ll feel like a geologist unearthing them. Claire Saffitz’s biscuits get their height from a cut-and-stack technique. Another reason to love them: You can freeze the unbaked biscuits up to a month ahead.

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  • Stuffing Biscuits recipe
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng
    8/23

    Stuffing Biscuits

    All the herby goodness of Thanksgiving stuffing, packed into a biscuit: sage, rosemary, fennel seed, and scallions. Save a few for breakfast the next morning, preferably under a generous ladle of leftover gravy.

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  • Cream Corn Drop Biscuits on blue and pink plates with butter
    Photo by Emily Hawkes
    9/23

    Creamed Corn Drop Biscuits

    No rolling pin, no biscuit cutter, no problem. Canned creamed corn keeps these drop biscuits tender, while Calabrian chile honey butter brings a little heat.

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  • Garlic bread biscuits on a baking sheet
    Photograph by Joe Lingeman, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco
    10/23

    Garlic Bread Biscuits

    For the guest who always takes the biggest piece of garlic bread: flaky buttermilk biscuits loaded with Parmesan and parsley. Freeze them unbaked, then bake straight from frozen when the oven frees up.

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  • Squares of cornbread cheddar biscuits on a Thanksgiving table.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Ines Anguiano
    11/23

    Cornbread Cheddar Biscuits

    Biscuits or cornbread? This cheesy mash-up means you don’t have to choose. Sharp cheddar and fresh sage work their way into flaky, buttery layers that feel right at home on the Thanksgiving table.

    More of our best biscuits →
    View Recipe
  • Image may contain Food Bread Human Person and Cornbread
    Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    12/23

    Buttermilk Cornbread

    Looking to start a fight? Declare a cornbread recipe “best.” This version strikes a balance: a tender crumb, buttermilk tang, and a touch of sweetness. Eat it with butter—or turn it into cornbread dressing.

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  • Cheesy Cornbread on a purple plate with a slice taken to the side
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Thu Buser
    13/23

    Upside-Down Cornbread

    Cheddar, caramelized corn, and hot honey butter take this cornbread well beyond the usual. Nervous about the flip? “Don’t be afraid of flipping the bread—I promise you can do it,” says former BA food editor Rachel Gurjar.

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  • A slice of focaccia baked with pumpkin pure and sprinkled with sprigs of rosemary and flakey salt.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Erika Joyce, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley
    14/23

    No-Knead Pumpkin Focaccia

    Pumpkin purée gives this fall-ish rendition of our no-knead focaccia recipe its golden color and gentle sweetness. Finish with rosemary and flaky salt, then tear off a piece for dipping in olive oil. You can bake it a day ahead.

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  • Image may contain Food and Bread
    Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    15/23

    Brown Butter and Sage Parathas

    Leave the oven to the turkey. These flaky, skillet-cooked parathas have brown butter and sage tucked between their layers. Parcook them a day ahead, then fry until golden just before dinner.

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  • Beautifully baked Garlic Knot Babka on parchment paper as
    Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Linden Elstran, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    16/23

    Giant Garlic Knot

    A garlic knot with centerpiece ambitions. This braided loaf wraps buttery dough around garlic, Parmesan, and parsley, then gets another garlicky brush after baking. Start the dough a day ahead.

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  • Freshly baked noknead focaccia brushed with garlic butter and sprinkled with flaky sea salt.
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen 
    17/23

    Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia

    Leave the stand mixer where it is. This focaccia asks for a little patience, not much elbow grease, to produce its airy crumb and golden crust. An overnight rise gets you started; garlic butter finishes the job.

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  • Fougasse with oil being poured onto it
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley
    18/23

    No-Knead Fougasse

    Focaccia’s leaf-shaped French cousin deserves a turn in the Thanksgiving bread basket. Green olives, rosemary, and lemon zest bring plenty of flavor. And yes, the dough comes together in one bowl.

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  • A crusty boule sliced on a piece of parchment.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
    19/23

    Apple Juice Bread

    In this crusty yeast bread recipe, apple juice replaces water. The apple flavor is subtle, but the appeal of a warm slice with butter is not.

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  • A glutenfree boule with chia seed flour resting in parchment paper in a Dutch oven.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley
    20/23

    Gluten-Free No-Knead Oat Chia Bread

    Oats and chia seeds give this gluten-free loaf a dense, chewy crumb. No kneading, shaping, or scoring; just be sure to use the gluten-free oats and oat flour specified in the recipe.

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  • Monkey bread with caramelized apples topped with caramel sauce and served with cups of coffee.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling Alexandra Massillon
    21/23

    Caramel Apple Monkey Bread

    Give Thanksgiving morning the sticky-bun treatment. This pull-apart bread packs tender apples between cinnamon-sugar-coated bites, with tangy cider caramel coating the whole thing. Put on a pot of coffee and let everyone help themselves.

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  • Image may contain Food Bread and Bun
    Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones
    22/23

    Black-and-White Conchas

    Chocolate or vanilla? Rick Martinez’s conchas give you both, with a two-tone sugar topping over buttery Mexican sweet buns. Another reason to love them: You can bake them up to three days ahead.

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  • Pumpkin Bread recipe
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens
    23/23

    Pumpkin Bread With Salted Maple Butter

    Start the holiday with a thick slice of ginger-spiked pumpkin bread and a generous schmear of salted maple butter. You can bake the loaf up to four days ahead, leaving Thanksgiving morning for coffee and slicing—and, uh, all that other prep.

    View Recipe
More of our best bread recipes, right this way →

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Devra Ferst is a freelance food and travel writer based in Brooklyn. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Bon Appetit, NPR, and numerous other publications. You can often find her at the farmers market, snacking on cheese, or planning her next trip. ... Read More
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