There’s no day or meal when I wouldn’t eat bread. Even on Thanksgiving, with so many other dishes vying for our attention and appetite, I always want rolls or biscuits — or both.
No matter which type you prefer, bread can serve a variety of purposes before, during and after the meal. A pre-dinner snack? Absolutely. When it comes time for the rest of the dishes, bread makes a handy utensil for scooping up a bit of this and that. And, of course, it’s essential for any sandwiches featuring leftovers.
I take great joy and satisfaction in the process of making yeasted breads, but they can feel like just that — a process. If you have the time to put into a tender loaf or batch of rolls, you’ll be richly rewarded. If you don’t, no sweat. The possibilities for Thanksgiving bread include many quick and easy bakes, including biscuits, cornbread, muffins and a few wild cards you’ll find below. And people on a vegan or gluten-free diet needn’t be left out, either. We have options for those guests, too.
Once you put any of these recipes from our archives on the table, don’t be surprised if they’re the first thing to go.
Pillowy Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
These pretty puffs — achievable for novice bread bakers — come together quickly and require only a short rise. If you want to get a jump on the prep, freeze the shaped rolls on a jelly roll pan and allow for time to defrost, rise and bake on Thursday. Another similar option: pandesal, a slightly sweet Philippine specialty. Get the recipe.
Cracklin’ Cornbread
Here’s one for the cornbread purists out there. This recipe features no sugar or flour, making it ideal for any gluten-free diners (just be mindful of whether the cornmeal is certified wheat-free, given the risk of cross-contamination). A very hot cast-iron skillet gets you the crackling crust indicated by the name, and you’ll serve the bread upside down to help showcase it. Get the recipe.
Sausage, Apple and Onion Bread
Aaron Hutcherson’s stuffing-inspired creation will give you two loaves — plenty for those next-day sandwiches. Get the recipe.
Butter Swim Biscuits
These fluffy, tender and crispy-edged biscuits come together in a snap. Stir together the batter and scrape it into a hot dish — very doable even on a hectic Thanksgiving. Get the recipe.
Buttermilk and Scallion Jiffy Cornbread
Prefer to start with a boxed mix? We loved using Jiffy, but a few tweaks elevated it to holiday-worthy bread. If you want a from-scratch cornbread, check out this recipe, too. Get the recipe.
Soda Bread Focaccia
If you don’t have the patience for yeasted bread, this clever recipe uses a dough leavened with baking powder and baking soda. While we may associate soda bread with St. Patrick’s Day, the herbs here make this slab a fitting accompaniment to Thanksgiving. Get the recipe.
Red Lobster-Style Cheddar Biscuits
Thanksgiving is tinged with nostalgia, and for many people, nostalgia tastes like Red Lobster’s famous biscuits. To get that fix without the boxed mix, try my riff on the herby, cheesy rounds. Get the recipe.
Vegan Sweet Potato Coconut Biscuits
“These are soft, fluffy biscuits, not the super-flaky mile-high kind (which also can be glorious), and they get extra oomph from just enough nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar to play up the sweet potato,” former Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan wrote. The key to success? Coconut milk. Get the recipe.
No-Knead Focaccia With Sausage, Apple and Shallots
Stuffing meets bread in this large-format option that feeds a crowd. Extras make awesome sandwiches. Switch up the toppings as you see fit, or stick with the original Fast Focaccia on which this recipe is based. Get the recipe.
Honey Whole-Grain Mini Corn Muffins
Set a basket of these two-bite muffins on the table and wait for the compliments. If you don’t have whole-wheat pastry flour, a mix of all-purpose and regular whole-wheat flours works just fine. Get the recipe.
Pão de Queijo
This cheesy Brazilian specialty is gluten-free. Plus, you can par-bake the puffs, freeze them, then pop them in the oven to finish on Thanksgiving so they’re warm and ready for the big meal. Get the recipe.
Sweet Potato Rolls
This classic recipe from James Beard creates soft, tender rolls with a golden hue that are perfect for the holiday. You can make them in a stand mixer, but the dough is easy to knead by hand. Get the recipe.
No-Knead Icebox Rolls
You’ll need to budget an overnight rest in the fridge and a few hours for rising at room temperature, but there’s very little hands-on time for this recipe from Toni Tipton-Martin’s cookbook “Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking.” Get the recipe.
Triple Garlic Bread
This is a wonderful option for people who want an impressive bread without having to start from scratch. The triple dose of garlic — roasted, grated and powdered — will punch through some of the other richer flavors on the table. Get the recipe.
Black Olive and Honey Gluten-Free Bread
Make this recipe as is, or leave out or tweak the add-ins to create a bread most suited to your meal. Walnuts and cranberries would be seasonal options. Get the recipe.
The post Our best Thanksgiving bread recipes, including rolls, biscuits and cornbread appeared first on Washington Post.
