Simple bread stuffing

For anyone who needs last-minute Thanksgiving stuffing support, this Cooks Illustrated recipe is simple, delicious and feeds a crowd. Cube some bread, saute some celery and onions, toss it all together with herbs and broth. You can make it a day ahead and stick it in the oven an hour before you want to eat. Super easy and saves you from the extra-salty stuffing mixes out there, many of which also have loads of MSG (aka autolyzed/hydrolyzed yeast extract) and preservatives. I also usually use light-textured whole wheat bread for a third to a half of the bread cubes, and no one ever knows the difference.

For those of you who don’t have sage, thyme and marjoram in your kitchens, Bell’s Seasoning (cute yellow cardboard box with a turkey on it) is an easy one-stop shop for stuffing herbs. It’s a combination of fine ground herbs (rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger and marjoram), and you can use it in place of the herbs in this recipe. I didn’t see it in the spice aisle of my local supermarket in Ohio, but my friend Jenny gave me a box of organic turkey herbs from Williams-Sonoma, which has sage, thyme and marjoram.

For anyone new to turkey roasting, it is easier and faster to cook the turkey unstuffed. The eggs in this recipe compensate for the extra moistness the stuffing would get inside the bird.

Dried bread cubes get tossed with celery and onions cooked with butter and herbs.

Add enough chicken broth to soften the bread cubes, but not so much that the bread turns to mush. Final step is adding the beaten eggs, which will help the stuffing bind together nicely as it cooks.

Three pounds of bread conveniently fits well in the large Crock Pot I inherited from my mom. Start it on high for 30 minutes, then cook for 3-4 hours on low.

I’ve become obsessed with stuffing in the crock pot in recent years. I make it in the morning and don’t have to think about it all day.

The main risk is burning the bottom of the stuffing. I set my alarm earlier now to make sure I check it. You can also stir the stuffing once during the day for more even cooking, but I like the browned outside of letting it cook undisturbed.

Bread stuffing for a crowd
I find it easier to cook the turkey unstuffed – cooks faster and more predictably. This is stuffing at its simplest – bread, celery, onion, herbs, with enough broth to hold it together. The eggs in this recipe compensate for the moistness the stuffing would get cooked inside the bird. It’s important to dry the bread out ahead of time so that the broth and herbs can be absorbed into the bread cubes. Adapted from Cooks Illustrated, “Classic bread stuffing for a crowd,” February 2005.

NOTE: Cooking stuffing in a slow cooker is a great time- and oven-saver. It allows the stuffing to be crossed off the list much earlier in the day. 

Ingredients

• 3 pounds high-quality sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and dried (see step 1)
• 12 tablespoons butter
• 4 medium ribs celery, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
• 2 medium onions, minced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
• 4 large eggs, beaten lightly

Directions

1. Dry bread cubes ahead of time. To let them go stale naturally, leave out on rimmed baking sheets or put in a clean brown paper bags and toss occasionally. To dry in oven, place bread cubes on rimmed baking sheets and bake at 300 degrees F for 30 to 60 minutes. Let cool before using. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (if cooking in oven; see notes below for slow cooker method).
3. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in herbs, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add the cooked vegetables to the bread cubes.
4. Gradually add stock or broth to the mixture and toss gently to distribute dry and wet ingredients evenly. You’ll want enough broth to soften the bread cubes but not so much that they fall apart into mush. Taste to adjust seasonings if necessary. Add beaten eggs and stir to mix. Turn mixture into buttered 15″x10″ baking dish (or slow cooker pot).
5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until golden, about 25 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 16.

Notes

• Slow cooker method: You’ll need a 7-8 quart slow cooker for the full recipe. Cook for on high for 30 minutes, then 3-4 hours on low. Stir it once halfway for more even cooking, or if you like the crustier outside you can just let it cook through (just check an hour or so before it’s done to make sure it’s not getting too brown).
• Herb shortcut: if you can find Bell’s Seasoning in your supermarket (a cute yellow box with a turkey on it), it’s a one stop shop of fine ground herbs (rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger and marjoram) that you can use in place of the sage, thyme and marjoram in the recipe. Add to taste, a tablespoon or so.
• I often use light-textured whole wheat bread for 1/3 or 1/2 the bread cubes (don’t do this with a dense, heavy bread). No one ever notices.
• You can substitute three 14-ounce bags of plain dried bread cubes for the homemade dried bread cubes, but you’ll need to increase the amount of chicken broth to 7 cups.
• This recipe can easily be halved and baked in a 13″x9″ baking dish for a smaller crowd.
• The stuffing can be assembled in the baking dish, then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. To bake, let the stuffing stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and bake.
• Leave out the eggs if you want to cook the stuffing inside the turkey.

Here’s the link to a printable version: Bread stuffing for a crowd.