Curious about the best Southern breads beyond cornbread? These biscuits, rolls, and quick loaves are simple, reliable recipes every cook can count on.
As much as I enjoy the many kinds of Southern cornbreads, they aren’t the only breads in our food traditions. This post highlights the other favorites, such as tender biscuits, soft dinner rolls, quick loaves, and a few sweet bakes.
These are the recipes you’ll turn to time and again. They’re simple, dependable, and always bring a menu together.
Biscuits
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits
These are the biscuits I grew up with. Simple ingredients, a tender interior, and perfect with country ham or a drizzle of cane syrup.
Butter Swim Biscuits
As simple as stir, pour, bake. They cook in a pool of butter and come out with crisp edges and soft centers.
Angel Biscuits
A cross between a biscuit and a roll with buttermilk and yeast for extra rise and softness. Great make-ahead dough.
Serve biscuits with: chicken stew or pot roast, or split for breakfast sandwiches.
Rolls and Everyday Loaves
Homemade Pull-Apart Rolls
Buttery, soft dinner rolls that bake up beautifully for holidays and Sunday dinner.
Easy Homemade Bread
My go-to sandwich and toast loaf. Make it all white or part whole wheat.
Brown Irish Soda Bread
There is a huge Irish influence within Southern cuisine. This no-yeast, no-kneading Irish soda bread loaf is lovely with soups and stews.
Serve rolls and everyday loaves with: tomato soup, chili, or a big salad.
Quick Breads and Muffins
Banana Nut Bread
Buttermilk keeps it moist, pecans add crunch, and the recipe makes two loaves for sharing.
Apple Bread with Praline Topping
It’s perfect for breakfast with a cup of hot coffee, afternoon snack time with a glass of milk, or as an after-dinner treat to end the day.
Tea Muffins
Very simple, mildly sweet, vanilla-scented muffins perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea time, or after dinner.
Orange Blossom Muffins
Slightly sweet muffins with orange marmalade and pecans in the batter. Perfect for either breakfast or a snack.
Serve quick breads and muffins with: Southern spiced tea, coffee, or a mocha latte.
Breakfast Breads
Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake
Tender and moist with just the right touch of cinnamon and a pecan filling that gives each bite a little crunch.
Sausage Muffins
Deliciously savory breakfast muffins full of sausage, eggs, and cheddar cheese.
Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
These sweetened buttermilk biscuits, loaded with cinnamon and plump raisins, are perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
Overnight Pecan Sticky Buns
These treats take just 15 minutes to prep with frozen roll dough, butterscotch pudding mix, pecans, brown sugar, and lots of butter.
Serve breakfast breads with: scrambled eggs or an omelet for a hearty breakfast, fresh fruit for something lighter, or alongside coffee or tea for a simple morning treat.
Specialty Breads
New Orleans Beignets
This New Orleans treat is light as a feather and sweet as sugar.
Cheesy Onion and Herb Bread
A great side for pasta dinners or for a summer barbecue. Make plenty because everyone wants seconds!
Serve with: beignets are perfect alongside hot coffee for a New Orleans–style breakfast, while cheesy onion and herb bread pairs well with pasta, soups, or stews.
Questions About Southern Breads
Butter Swim Biscuits, Banana Nut Bread, and Easy Homemade Bread are very forgiving.
Most breads keep well wrapped at room temperature for 1–2 days. Freeze longer than that and reheat in a moderate oven until just warmed through.
All-purpose flour is fine for most of these recipes. If a specific flour, such as bread flour, is needed you’ll find that in the notes on individual recipes.
No matter what you’re cooking, bread is always welcome at the table. It may be just a plan of simple buttermilk biscuits or a fragrant loaf of banana bread cooling on the counter, but breads always brighten up a meal. Try one of these recipes this week and see how the right bread can bring your whole menu together.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.