Spoon Rolls

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:

Quick Mayonnaise Dinner Rolls

Easy Dutch Oven Bread Recipe

Homemade Dinner Rolls (a.k.a Preston Rolls)

Soft Unleavened Bread

Easy Challah Recipe with Honey

 

“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?