Food

Our 37 Best Breads, Rolls and Biscuits for the Ultimate Carb Overload

Bread is life

By SAVEUR Editors

Updated: November 9, 2017

There's a reason in Europe they eat bread with every meal. Whether it's a buttered roll, a biscuit with jam, or a flavorful quick bread you'd eat plain, the possibilities are endless. Your can even turn your leftover rye fall bread into porridge the next morning. With recipes like danish seeded pastry twists, lasagna bread and chocolate raspberry babka, our best bread, rolls, and biscuits will have you covered no matter the season or the time of day.

Danish Seeded Pastry Twists (Frøsnapperes) — A quick, buttery, sesame- and poppy-seedy snack from Denmark. Chef Claus Meyers of Meyers Bageri makes his traditional frøsnappere using a yeasted, laminated danish dough. Our quick version substitutes packaged puff pastry for a lightly sweetened twist that you can have ready in under an hour. Get the recipe for Danish Seeded Pastry Twists (Frøsnapperes) »Matt Taylor-Gross

Danish Rye Bread — Sour Danish rugbrød is just barely leavened, dense in flavor as well as texture, and full of crunchy seeds and grains. Get the recipe for Danish Rye Bread »Matt Taylor-Gross

Goan Sandwich Rolls — These fluffy Parker House-style rolls from the Portuguese-influenced Indian state of Goa are perfect for burgers and Indian sandwiches like vada pav. Get the recipe for Goan Sandwich Rolls »Matt Taylor-Gross

Cheddar Cheese Kulcha — One of the most popular appetizers at Paowalla, Floyd Cardoz's modern Indian restaurant devoted to bread-bakers, is this flatbread filled with melty spiced cheese. A simple naan dough is wrapped around a filling of classic American cheddar, sweet red pepper, cumin, and chile powder. Get the recipe for Cheddar Cheese Kulcha »Matt Taylor-Gross

Super Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits — This honey butter-topped biscuit recipe, from Jean-Paul Bourgeois, executive chef at Blue Smoke in New York City, earned first prize in the 2017 Charleston Food & Wine Festival's Battle of the Biscuits. High-quality dairy—and high-fat dairy—are two of chef Bourgeois' tricks to making them extra-special. Look for either high-fat buttermilk or a higher fat, European-style butter, which make for a more delicate, flakier texture. Get the recipe for Super Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits »Matt Taylor-Gross

Buffalo Chicken Khachapuri — When we were brainstorming nontraditional variations for khachapuri, a cheese-filled Georgian bread, we kept coming back to our 2017 motto: "when in doubt, Buffalo everything". We replaced the cheese filling with sliced chicken breast, buttery-tart buffalo sauce, and a generous helping of pepper jack. Enjoy it hot out of the oven by ripping off a piece of crust and dunking into the molten chicken-and-cheese well. Get the recipe for Buffalo Chicken Khachapuri »Kat Craddock

Khachapuri Tarkhunit (Georgian Cheese Bread with Fresh Herbs) — Khachapuri tarkhunit (literally, "cheese bread with tarragon") is a filled bread common in the nation of Georgia. For our version, we also added a handful of fresh dill and a bit of ground coriander to the mild farmer's cheese base. Khachapuri tarkhuni is best enjoyed hot: tear off a piece of the fluffy crust to dunk into the herb-and-cheese well. Get the recipe for Khachapuri Tarkhunit (Georgian Cheese Bread with Fresh Herbs) »Kat Craddock

Fluffy Milk Bread — In spite of plenty of snobbery, tender white bread remains a beloved staple of cuisines all over the world. Our version is aerated and fluffy like North American and Mexican packaged loaves, but with the enriched chew and structure of French pain au lait. We also borrowed a shaping technique from Japanese and Taiwanese bakers, which results in a delicate, feathery crumb. The result: an ethereally fluffy, generously buttery, and delightfully squishable loaf. Get the recipe for The Fluffiest White Bread in the Whole World »Matt Taylor-Gross

Lasagna Bread (Scaccia) — A street food popular in its native Ragusa, scaccia is an exercise in rustic simplicity: A pizza-style dough is rolled super-thin, smeared with tomato sauce, showered with D.O.P. caciocavallo cheese (similar to a spicy provolone), and folded into a lasagna-like loaf. In some versions, yeast is left out of the dough, which results in a more pasta-like dough that gets layered into a thinner, free-form rectangular pie, served cut into squares. But whatever the shape, the pie is best served warm from the oven while the cheese is still gooey. Get the recipe for Lasagna Bread (Scaccia) »Matt Taylor-Gross

Ruth Reichls Easy, 4-Ingredient Cream Biscuits — Ruth Reichl uses fine, powdery Italian "00" pasta flour for supremely fluffy biscuits that let you mix in cream without developing much gluten. Find it in Italian specialty stores or online, or substitute low-protein cake flour. Get the recipe for Ruth Reichl's Easy, 4-Ingredient Cream Biscuits »Matt Taylor-Gross

Chocolate-Raspberry Babka — Classic babka gets an update with a double dose of raspberry: A few spoonfuls of jam add a tart edge to the cocoa filling, while a simple syrup infused with fresh berries adds a pink-tinged, lacquered shine to the final loaf. Get the recipe for Chocolate-Raspberry Babka »Sang An

Shahi Tukra (Royal Toast) — This syrup-soaked toast is slathered in a sweetened reduction of milk flavored with saffron. The recipe comes from Afzal Ahmad, chef to Sulaiman and Vijaya Khan, the raja and raina of Mahmudabad, near Lucknow in northern India. In the Khan's sprawling palace, great feasts were once—and occasionally still are—held. Dishes such as this, lavished in flower essences and finished in edible silver leaf, displayed the wealth and generosity of the Muslim nobility. This recipe first appeared in our August/September 2014 special India issue with Holly Shaffer's article Soul of the Palace. Get the recipe for Shahi Tukra (Royal Toast) »Ingalls Photography

Abruzzo-Style Grape Focaccia — When this fluffy, oil-slathered dough bakes, the red and green grapes dotting it burst, releasing their sweet juices into the bread. The recipe is from Chiara Pepe, granddaughter of winemaker Emidio Pepe. Featured in: The Road to Abruzzo. Get the recipe for Abruzzo-Style Grape Focaccia »Romulo Yanes

Indian Leavened Flatbread (Naan) — Unlike some other staple Indian breads, which are unleavened and crafted from durum wheat flour, or atta, fluffy naan is made with all-purpose flour and yeast. Traditionally, the dough is slapped against the chimney wall of a clay tandoor oven and baked over wood fires, but many home cooks make it on the stovetop. It is best savored hot and slathered with ghee. Get the recipe for Indian Leavened Flatbread (Naan) »Ingalls Photography

Crazy Bread — Test kitchen director Farideh Sadeghin grew up eating Little Caesar's pizza with her family and friends, and was particularly fond of the crazy bread on the menu, thus inspiring her to make this homemade version. She loves to sprinkle it with chile flakes before dipping it in hot marinara sauce (try the sauce from this recipe for homemade mozzarella sticks). Get the recipe for Crazy Bread »Farideh Sadeghin

Egyptian Flatbread (Aish Baladi) — Similar to pita, but made with whole wheat flour, this Egyptian flatbread is traditionally baked in scorching-hot ovens in Cairo's bustling markets. Home cooks can achieve similar results with a baking stone and an oven cranked to high. Get the recipe for Egyptian Flatbread (Aish Baladi) »Matt Taylor-Gross

Challah — Sweet, braided challah, traditionally eaten on Sabbath and holidays in Jewish households, is perfect for the dinner table; and leftovers make great french toast. Get the recipe for Challah (Braided Egg Bread) »Landon Nordeman

Provençal Bread with Olives and Herbs (Fougasse) — The recipe for this bread, sold as a market specialty in the south of France, comes from author Patricia Wells. Here are the step-by-step instructions for shaping the loaves. Get the recipe for Provençal Bread with Olives and Herbs (Fougasse) »Todd Coleman

Seeded Rye Loaf — Dark and deeply flavored from a rye sourdough starter that's made 10 days in advance, this earthy loaf is easily customizable depending on what seeds and grains you have on hand and want to add to the dough. This recipe first appeared in our May 2012 issue along with William Alexander's story American Bread. Get the recipe for Seeded Rye Loaf »Todd Coleman

Hungarian Rolls with Cracklings and Prune Jam — A blend of rendered pork fat and cracklings adds a smoky depth to flaky, yeast-risen rolls filled with a thick prune jam called lekvar. This recipe from Hungarian home cook Edit Szabo Gezane first appeared in our October 2013 issue with the article Rhapsody in Red. Get the recipe for Hungarian Rolls with Cracklings and Prune Jam »Todd Coleman

Gruyere, Rosemary, and Honey Monkey Bread — This indulgent pull-apart bread is the perfect savory-sweet combination of nutty, earthy Gruyère, fragrant rosemary, and honey. Get the recipe for Gruyere, Rosemary, and Honey Monkey Bread »Yossy Arefi

Filone — This recipe, from Daniel Leader of Bread Alone, which has several locations in upstate New York, produces an airy loaf with a nice crust similar to a ciabatta. It's made with a lightly fermented traditional Italian starter, called a biga, that's started nine hours before baking. It first appeared in our May 2012 issue along with William Alexander's story American Bread. Get the recipe for Filone »Todd Coleman

Pão de Queijo — If you can't find sour tapioca starch to make this Brazilian cheese bread, sweet tapioca starch will yield equally delicious results. This recipe appeared in our March 2011 issue as a part of Dorothy Irwin's profile on cassava, Taking Root. Get the recipe for Pão de Queijo »Todd Coleman

Apple Cider Levain Loaf — Tart and tangy with apple cider and dried cranberries, this flavorful, naturally leavened white bread can also be made without those ingredients; simply substitute the same amount of water for the apple cider and omit the cranberries. This recipe first appeared in our May 2012 issue along with William Alexander's story American Bread. Get the recipe for Apple Cider Levain Loaf »Todd Coleman

Butterhorn Rolls — These rolls, from How America Eats (Scribner's, 1960) by Clementine Paddleford, one of America's most influential food writers, were originally made for the guests of a Kansas ranching family. Get the recipe for Butterhorn Rolls »James Baigrie

Roti with Black Truffle-Sunchoke Ranch — This recipe comes from The Progress, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski's San Francisco restaurant where family style is the only style, and every dish comes out with the same number of portions as diners in your group. It's a brilliant concept, and so are these roti: flaky and charred, all the best qualities of pizza dough without the heft. The Progress serves them with a tangy buttermilk ranch infused with grated truffle and sunchoke oil, but even if you can't spring for truffles, you should still make them. Get the recipe for Roti with Black Truffle-Sunchoke Ranch »Farideh Sadeghin

Swedish Cinnamon-and-Cardamom Bread — Fika means "to drink coffee" in Swedish. But it's more than just that. It's a moment to take a break, chat with friends, and enjoy a pastry—a tradition worth emulating. And one that's charmingly detailed in Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall's upcoming book Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break (Ten Speed Press, April 2015). Get a fikasugen (a fika craving) for proper Swedish coffee snacks like this cinnamon-cardamom bread. The yeasty cardamom-spiced dough is cut into a decorative pattern before baking. Get the recipe for Swedish Cinnamon-and-Cardamom Bread »Romulo Yanes

Popovers — No matter how tempting the aroma coming from your kitchen, don't open the oven to check popovers until about 5 minutes before they're finished baking, or they will deflate. Get the recipe for Popovers »Ingalls Photography

Cheddar Cheese Biscuit — When making these buttery little biscuits, opt for a true American cheese—fourth-generation Wisconsin cheese maker Sid Cook, of Carr Valley Cheese, advised us to use a 3-year-old extra-sharp cheddar. Get the recipe for Cheddar Cheese Biscuit »Vanessa Rees

Quinoa-Whole Wheat Bread with Raisins — Flax seeds and red quinoa add texture and a nutty flavor, while honey and raisins add sweetness, to this hearty bread from master baker Eric Kayser. This recipe first appeared with the 2015 SAVEUR 100 item Quinoa-Packed Flax-Studded Bread That's Honestly Delicious. Get the recipe for Quinoa-Whole Wheat Bread with Raisins »Ingalls Photography

Black Pepper Walnut Rye Boule — Using instant yeast and a bread cloche helps simplify this rustic bread recipe from baker Priscilla Martel. If you don't have a bread cloche, bake this bread on a pizza stone. Get the recipe for Black Pepper Walnut Rye Boule »Romulo Yanes

Roasted Garlic Focaccia — When garlic cloves are chopped, the sulfur compounds and an enzyme called allinase, usually held separate within the clove, come into contact with one another. The collision generates the compound allicin, which gives garlic its pungency, and pyruvic acid, which is responsible for its spicy heat. But left intact, so that its volatile compounds don't interact, garlic offers an entirely different character; roasting the cloves whole draws out their sweetness, yielding the sumptuous confit that adorns this pretty focaccia. Cook the focaccia on a pizza stone, which will give the bottom crust a delicious crunch. Get the recipe for Roasted Garlic Focaccia »Andre Baranowski

Indian Layered Flatbread (Paratha) — The foundation for this common Indian flatbread is the same dough that is used for chapati—atta, or durum wheat flour, mixed with water. The key difference, which creates the paratha's signature layers, is rolling and folding the dough in a triangle. The chewy flatbread is then dry-cooked in a skillet until puffy and golden. Get the recipe for Indian Layered Flatbread (Paratha) »Ingalls Photography

Deep-Fried Indian bread (Puri) — Like chapati, puri is made from a simple durum wheat flour dough. But this flatbread incorporates ajwain seeds, which lend a lightly herbal, floral flavor, and is deep-fried in hot oil. It's often eaten at breakfast or as a snack. This recipe, from cookbook author Smita Chandra, first appeared in the tablet edition of our August/September 2014 special India issue. Get the recipe for Deep-Fried Indian bread (Puri) »Ingalls Photography

Seeded Buttermilk Bread (Filmjölkslimpa) — This rustic whole wheat brown bread is sweetened with molasses and loaded with almonds and diverse seeds. Dense and nutty, it's delicious smeared with sweet butter or as the basis for an open-face sandwich topped with sharp cheese, cucumber, and a juicy slice of tomato. It first appeared in our June/July 2014 issue with Per Styregård's story "A Midsummer's Dream." Get the recipe for Seeded Buttermilk Bread (Filmjölkslimpa) »Ingalls Photography

Mango Bread with Walnuts — This loaf cake recipe can be updated with the changing seasons: Substitute dates for mango when they aren't available. This recipe first appeared in our Jan/Feb 2013 issue along with Victoria Pesce Elliott's article Parcel-Post Food Gifts. Get the recipe for Mango Bread with Walnuts »Todd Coleman

Nancy Silverton's Butter Biscuit recipe, best biscuit recipe, butter biscuit recipe — Treat these super-buttery biscuits like puff pastry for folds that separate into flaky layers when baked. Get the recipe for Nancy Silverton's All-Butter Biscuits »Matt Taylor-Gross

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