Spoon Rolls
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Looking for a quick and easy bread roll recipe? These Southern spoon rolls fit the bill and they’re perfectly light and fluffy to boot.
This Southern spoon roll recipe is simple and delicious. There’s nothin’ like the aroma of baking bread filling the kitchen. That has to be one of the best smells in the world. I love fresh bread more than cakes, pies, cookies, or any other dessert.
Recently my neighbor, Barbara, told me about a little restaurant not far from our city that had the most amazing spoon rolls. Barbara said they brought over a whole basket and real butter to spread on them. I was in the process of getting the exact location when she happened to mention that she got the recipe. The next time I saw her, she brought over a basket of hot spoon rolls and I instantly fell in love with them.
They are the kind of dinner roll that I love because they’re no-knead yeast rolls. Yep, there’s no rising or rolling out needed. You just mix the ingredients for spoon rolls up while the oven preheats and spoon them into their little muffin cups. The ingredients include yeast, water, oil, flour, sugar, and egg. That’s all you need. 15 to 20 minutes in the oven later and you’re good to go.
The recipe makes a large batch, which is great because you can store the dough in the refrigerator and make them for several days. When you get ready to cook some more, just scoop them into the muffin tin. No need for more stirrin’.
Now I want you to trust me and give these Southern spoon rolls a try and if you are feeling really adventurous try making strawberry jam, peach freezer jam, or spiced peach butter. Everyone will think you are a culinary expert.
Recipe Ingredients
- Active dry yeast
- Water
- Vegetable oil
- Self-rising flour
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Muffin Pan (Splurge)
- Muffin Pan (Budget Friendly)
- Mixing Bowl
How to Make Spoon Rolls
Stir yeast into the warm water.
Note: Your water should be the temperature of a baby’s bath water. Just warm to the touch.
Set the mixing bowl aside while you mix the other ingredients together so that it can start working.
Tip: Make sure your yeast is fresh. Check the expiration date.
Measure out flour and sugar in a separate mixing bowl and stir.
Add oil, a slightly beaten egg, and the yeast mixture.
Stir the spoon roll ingredients until well blended.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit while the oven preheats.
When you’re ready to bake the spoon rolls, spoon the dough into muffin cups as above that have been greased with cooking spray.
I recommend using an ice cream scoop to make life easier and filling them about 3/4 full.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.
Here’s one fluffy spoon roll with my famous apple butter. YUM!
Storage
- This dough will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator when covered with plastic wrap.
- But the baked yeast dinner rolls will last up to three days when stored in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge.
- You can also freeze the baked and cooled rolls for up to one month. Let them thaw to room temperature before reheating in the oven or air fryer for best results.
Recipe Notes
- You want the yeast mixture to stand for at least 5 minutes, that’s all it needs.
- Feel free to substitute the oil for melted butter or margarine. If you go down the butter route, ensure it’s not hot when you combine it with the active yeast, otherwise, you’ll kill it.
- For a crisp crust, try baking them in a cast iron muffin pan. Alternatively, you can bake them in a drop biscuit pan or a mini muffin tin.
- For something different, try fresh herb spoon rolls. Mix a 3/4 cup of chopped fresh chives and 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley (or your favorite fresh herbs) into the batter.
- Other things you can mix into the batter: 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese or 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper for a little kick.
Recipe FAQs
Why are they called spoon rolls?
Spoon rolls get their name for the fact that you simply spoon or scoop the dough into the muffin tin to bake and there’s no kneading, rolling, or shaping involved.
Can you use rapid rise/instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Yes, rapid-rise yeast will also work in this spoon roll recipe.
Can you make spoon rolls in advance?
I’d recommend making the spoon roll dough in advance and then baking them on the day. When stored in a greased and sealed airtight bowl, the dough lasts up to one week. Let it sit at room temperature for up to 30 minutes while the oven preheats before scooping the dough into a muffin tin and continuing with the baking instructions.
How do you serve spoon rolls?
Spoon rolls are very similar to homemade biscuits/dinner rolls, so there are plenty of ways to serve them:
- Enjoy them for breakfast with your favorite spread. If you’re looking for homemade options, check out my recipes for strawberry jam, peach freezer jam, and spiced peach butter.
- Serve them as a side dish with your favorite soup or stew, like beef stew, chili, or chicken noodle soup.
- Enjoy them with a gravy-soaked main dish, like chicken fried steak with gravy, crispy breaded pork chops with gravy, or Southern cubed steak with gravy.
Here are more easy bread recipes:
Homemade Dinner Rolls (a.k.a Preston Rolls)
Easy Challah Recipe with Honey
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 cups self-rising flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Stir yeast into warm water to dissolve and set aside.1 package active dry yeast, 2 cups warm water
- Combine dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl.4 cups self-rising flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Slightly beat egg and add to dry ingredients along with oil and yeast mixture.3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg
- Stir with a wooden spoon to combine well.
- Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.
Nutrition
“What you DO speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you say.”
~A quote Nick Saban used in his book, How Good Do You Want To Be?
Very clever!!
Janice, I have met Christy, and she is a joy, for sure. Although I have never met you, I like you already! I loved my Mother’s cooking, her Mother’s cooking and my Daddy’s Mother’s cooking! I have always loved to eat and still do. Thanks for all your joy!
Hi Charlene, Christy is a real joy and fun to be around. I know what you mean about loving your relatives cooking. I can still taste my mother’s pork roast and mashed potatoes. Mama
Mama Janice – I am making a batch of these tonight!! What a great sounding and easy recipe to keep on hand!! Thank you so much! I love when you have posts on here! You remind me of my mama!! She would have “slathered” them with lots of butter too! She has been home with The Lord for 12 years now and I still miss her daily! So many of your stories and recipes reminds me of her! Keep’em coming!!
My favorite part of this site is the stories that go along with the recipes! I feel like I am at the kitchen table listening to you!
Just wanted to let you know what a great job that you and your mom are doing. What a good inspiration the two ladies that are being. Thanks alot and God Bless you Both.
I meant to say what an inspiration the two of you are being. We need more Mother and Daughters being this way in a world where we all are different. And we All are God’s children. He loves each one of us. Love me some BREAD recipes. Thanks!!!
Hello Donna Sue, I am so happy to read your comment. Christy and I have so much fun when we are together, even if we are working. There is never a dull moment when you are around Christy and it has been that way her whole life. It was wonderful to hear from you. Have a wonderful weekend. Mama
Christy – just wanted to say how much I enjoy all your posts and recipes. I’ve said it before on here, but so many times your posts make my day brighter! Love the stories from you and your mama! God has blessed all of us through you daily! Love you!!
I’m going to try to half them.. I would make the full recipe if I knew that I could freeze them. Hate to waste all that bread dough if I can’t. What do ya’ll think?
I was thinking of doing the same thing! With only the two of us there we’d never get through the whole batch. The only tricky part is the beaten egg, which is hard to halve. But I’m just going to decrease the oil by a tablespoon or two and use the whole egg since it appears to be there as a binding agent. These look too good not to try, and I love that you can just make a few at a time and keep the rest of the batter in the fridge. Thank you, Mrs. Janice!
Hello Erin, If you decide to try to half this recipe you could use a small egg instead of the large one that I used. But you idea will probably work just fine too! Let us know if you try them and how you like them. Of course, if it was me, I’d make the whole recipe and cook some for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper, snack, etc! Haha Mama
Hello Phoebe, I think you could half them easily by using a small egg instead of the large one that I used. Or if you only have large eggs, beat it a little and only use half. They will work just fine. Enjoy! Mama
Mama Janice, I have a friend 88 years young and she will make dozens of yeast rolls at a time baking them in the foil pans just until they barely start to brown at which point she says they’re done. She lets them cool then tightly wraps them in foil, then a zip bag. She freezes them and when she wants a pan she will put them in a 350 oven and by the time they are brown they are warmed and taste fresh baked. She and her husband have rolls for months. She usually only has to make a batch spring and fall. I don’t know if this works with all yeast rolls.
Hi Marsha, She sounds like the kind of friend I would love to have live next door to me. We used to pass a bread bakery on our way to my mom’s and the smell was amazing. I can just imagine the smell of her kitchen. I have made rolls her way and froze them and they were wonderful. It just seems like I never get around to it anymore. I am going to put it on my “to do” list. Thanks for sharing! Mama