Bread Rolls By Anna Mae Southern Bread Company

Anyone can throw a few turkey sandwiches and a bottle of water in a bag and call it a picnic. But in the South, the word is imbued with a cadre of specifics that create an event: deviled eggs, cold fried chicken and country ham, to name a few.

Falling within the fold of this culinary aesthetic are the sweet, puffy rolls from Anna Mae Southern Bread Company. Shana Martin, who uses her grandmother Anna Mae's recipe, started the North Carolina-based company last year and offers rolls in three flavors: original, cheddar with chives and sweet-potato-molasses.

The rolls, which go through a 24-hour process, are baked and then frozen to retain their freshness. Pop them in the oven, however, and they're the ideal warm canvases for many delectable fixings.

At Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in Greensboro, North Carolina, chef Jay Pierce uses them to bookend a handful of different slider fillings. His Throwback Burger combines crumbled sausage, caramelized onions and local mustard from the Lusty Monk inside a Anna Mae original roll, while the sweet-potato iteration is a fine complement for egg salad and green-tomato chowchow.

Summer's on a roll.