13 Butter-Ready Bread Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving is basically the Starch family reunion. Everyone's accounted for, with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pie crust all making an appearance at the big meal. 

But between a showstopping turkey and all those dreamy side dishes, the bread—the root of this family tree—often gets pushed aside for another scoop of something more traditionally "festive." 

No more, we say! This year, make cornbreads, rolls, and biscuits so delicious that your guests cannot possibly ignore them. Here are 13 of our best bread recipes for your Thanksgiving table.

 

1. No-Fuss Vegan Cornbread 

This tender, slightly sweet, never-dry cornbread is totally vegan thanks to a few simple swaps—like soy milk and canola oil. 

2. Soft & Fluffy Sourdough Pull-Apart Rolls

These buttery, impossibly fluffy dinner rolls get their distinctive tang from sourdough starter and come together easily—just make sure to prep the levain the night before so you can have 'em warm on the table the next day. 

3. Vera Obias's Cheddar & Black Pepper Cornbread

"How to make even better cornbread?" asks our Genius creative director and founding editor, Kristen Miglore. "Treat it more like a biscuit (or scone or pie crust)," as baker and cookbook author Vera Obias does in this cheddary, peppery recipe. 

4. Drop Biscuits with Molasses Butter

We love these flaky-soft biscuits from cookbook author and baking expert Erin McDowell all on their own, but even more when they're slathered with homemade molasses butter. 

5. Astor House Rolls

These dinner rolls, named after New York City's first luxury hotel, have a clever trick that makes them oh-so-luscious: A teaspoon of butter gets tucked inside each portion of dough before baking.

6. Cornbread With Chorizo 

There are so many different directions you could take cornbread in—this one calls for spicy chorizo, fresh corn, and cottage cheese.

7. Dan Leader's 4-Hour Baguette 

One reviewer described this baguette as the "essential" recipe, and we have to agree. Not only does it take just four hours of your time, but the flavor and texture will rival that of your favorite bakery.

8. Italian Snacking Bread 

Bring a little bit of Italy to your Thanksgiving dinner with this soft snacking bread topped with anchovies, oil-cured black olives, and thinly sliced sweet onion.

9. Sweet Potato Biscuit Pillows With Honey & Coconut Oil

These aren't just sweet potato biscuits, they are sweet potato biscuit pillows, meaning they are so soft you'll want to rest your head right on them (okay, not really, but they are very, very fluffy).

10. Black Pepper Popovers With Chives & Parmesan

These puffy popovers couldn't be any simpler to make—all you need to do is whisk together the ingredients in a bowl, spoon the batter into a muffin tin, and watch them rise in the oven. 

11. Heavenly Oatmeal-Molasses Rolls 

We couldn't leave the recipe contest winner for "Your Best Dinner Rolls" off this list, now could we?

12. Irish Brown Soda Bread

Meet our co-founder Merrill Stubbs's favorite-ever quick bread recipe: Irish brown soda bread that's never dry, thanks to buttermilk. 

13. Cheese Biscuits 

Cheese and bread make a winning team yet again in these cheddar biscuits. 

What bread recipe do you have at your Thanksgiving table every year? Tell us in the comments! 

Watch: How to Make Sausage & Broccoli Rabe Stuffing