Homemade Stuffing Recipe from Scratch
This stuffing is likely to become a new Thanksgiving tradition in your home! Once you try it homemade you’ll never look back! Every time I make this people love it! It’s just good old fashioned stuffing the way it’s meant to be, made with bakery bread and fresh ingredients! And trust me cutting and drying your own bread cubes is worth the extra step. Keep in mind you can do this in advance to save time on holidays.
Can I Make it Ahead?
Probably the biggest question here will be “can this be made in advance”? Yes this can definitely be done. To do so:
Prepare the stuffing as directed the day before. Pour into the baking dish, cover and refrigerate. The following day remove from the fridge while the oven preheats. Bake as directed while adding about 10 extra minutes to the baking time since it will be going in cold.
Want to go one step further? The bread cubes can even be cut and baked a few weeks or months in advance then frozen. Thaw before using.
Ingredients for Stuffing:
Hearty bread – use hearty French bread or sandwich bread. “Hearty” as in not light and delicate bread. It should have some structure to it (like Granny Sycamore’s if using sandwich bread). Low-sodium chicken broth – unsalted or regular chicken broth will work too, just adjust salt amount as needed as some have more or less. Want to make this even better? Try it with homemade chicken stock. Eggs – these help bind the stuffing together. I don’t know of a great substitute here but instead they could be omitted stuffing just won’t hold together as well. Salt and pepper – I start with about 1 tsp salt but that’s my taste preference, adjust as desired. Unsalted butter – salted butter will work here too, just keep in mind 1/2 cup butter generally has about 1/4 tsp added salt so you won’t need to add as much. Yellow onion, celery and garlic – these aromatics add so much background flavor to the dish don’t skip them. It’s also important that they are cooked until almost softened because they won’t soften up much while baking. No one wants stuffing with crunchy celery. Fresh parsley, sage, thyme and rosemary – these poultry style herbs compliment turkey and chicken perfectly, because stuffing and poultry were made to go together right? Dried marjoram – fresh will be great if you are able to find it. Use 3 times the amount listed. If you don’t have either or this herb could be omitted.
Scroll down for my printable recipe.
Tip for Bakery Bread:
If you are using fresh bakery bread here with a hard crust I recommend wrapping in a plastic bag and letting it sit overnight before slicing and cutting into cubes. This makes it so much easier to cut as the moisture of the loaf softens the crust, and it makes lest crumb mess.
How to Make Stuffing:
Dry bread cubes: preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spread bread cubes out evenly onto two 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven, tossing bread 3 times and rotating pans throughout baking, until bread cubes are almost fully dried through, about 45 – 60 minutes. Set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, move oven rack to center.
Mix liquids: in a liquid measuring cup whisk together 2 1/2 cups chicken broth with eggs, salt and pepper until well blended. Set aside.
Saute vegetables until nearly soft: melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion, saute until tender, about 10 – 12 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
Mix stuffing ingredients: Place dried bread cubes in an extra large mixing bowl. Add in parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary and marjarom. Pour in sauteed vegetable mixture and drizzle over chicken broth mixture then immediately toss.
Moisten as needed: Slowly pour in more chicken broth while tossing until bread is just barely soaked through.
Bake: Pour mixture into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Spread into an even layer. Cover with foil and bake in 375 degree oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cooked through, about 15 – 25 minutes longer. For a further browning on top you can broil just briefly (don’t walk away!).
Tips for the Best Stuffing Recipe:
Be careful with the amount of broth added. Based on the type of bread used and how dry it gets the amount needed can vary. You just barely want the broth to soak the bread. If you don’t add enough the stuffing can be dry, if you add too much it can be wet and soggy. Press on a few cubes as you are tossing to ensure they get moistened through. If possible stick with fresh herbs. It adds the best flavor. It’s hard to come by fresh marjoram so that one I go with dried. Don’t use margarine, only real butter. Margarine would ruin the flavor. Bake just until cooked through, you don’t want to dry it out. Broil briefly for a golden brown top.
Will Dried Herbs Work?
Yes, if you don’t wan to pay the higher price for fresh or don’t have access to them you can use dried herbs. Use 1/3 the amounts listed. I would recommend though at least using fresh parsley if possible, it’s inexpensive and easily accessible.
Can I Use Store-Bought Bread Cubes?
Yes (with reservation). For the best stuffing you’ll want to dry the bread cubes yourself but for a quick and easy stuffing you can substitute store-bought unseasoned bread cubes. You’ll need about 15 cups of those small store-bought dried bread cubes for this recipe.
Variations on Stuffing:
Want to make stuffing in the crockpot? Try my Slow Cooker Stuffing. Add fruit! Try my Apple Cranberry Rosemary Stuffing. Love it with sausage? You can add 1 1/2 lbs cooked sausage to this recipe, just cut butter in half to 1/2 cup, and add the rendered fat of the sausage.
What to Serve with This Stuffing Recipe?
Roast Turkey or Roast Chicken Cranberry Sauce Green Bean Casserole Mashed Potatoes Roasted Autumn Vegetables Sweet Potato Casserole White Cheddar Cauliflower Gratin
