Ingredients
1 large (1 lb.) sourdough boule, cut into cubes (8 cups)
6 tbsp. butter, divided, plus more for baking dish
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp. freshly chopped sage
1/2 tbsp. freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 tbsp. freshly chopped rosemary
2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1 c. dried cranberries
2 1/2 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
Preparation
Step 1Spread bread onto a baking sheet and leave uncovered overnight to dry out. (Alternately, bake at 200º for 20 minutes.)Step 2Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a large baking dish. Step 3In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add apple, celery, and onion, and cook until soft and fragrant, 8 minutes. Stir in rosemary, sage, and thyme, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons butter and parsley. Step 4 Place bread and cranberries in a large bowl and add onion mixture and vegetable broth. Step 5 Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until cooked through, 45 minutes, then remove foil and cook until bread is golden, 15 minutes more. Step 6 Garnish with additional parsley before serving.
Any tart, firm baking apple (like a honeycrisp or a golden delicious) will work well in this stuffing. Basically, you just want to make sure that the fruit will hold its flavor and not go completely mushy while it’s baking. As for the dried cranberries, they’re a classic fall staple, but if you’re not a fan, you can swap them out for golden raisins or even dried sour cherries. Read on for more tips on this classic Thanksgiving side. Looking for more ways to use those cranberries? Check out this cranberry pie—it’s a stunner. Do we have to use dry bread to make this stuffing? Yes and no. Stale bread will absorb the liquid better, but you don’t want it bone dry. To get the best possible texture, spread the cubed or torn bread out in a single layer on a sheet pan and leave it sitting overnight. This will dry out the bread just enough to help it absorb the liquid without getting soggy. Don’t have overnight? You can cheat this step by tossing it into a 200° oven for 20-30 minutes. The results won’t be quite the same as the overnight method, but it’ll be pretty close. How do I keep this from drying out? The best way to keep stuffing moist while baking is tightly cover it with foil for most of the baking time. In this recipe, we actually suggest that you keep in under wraps for the first 45 minutes, which prevents it from drying out until the stuffing is cooked through. At that point, you can uncover it for the last 15 minutes of baking, just long enough to get beautifully brown and crisp on top. Can I make this vegan? You sure can. Since this version doesn’t contain eggs in the liquid mixture, it’s extra easy to veganize. You’ll just need to swap out the butter for a plant-based butter or margarine—or even a neutral oil, if you like—and make sure you’re using a vegan sourdough bread and a vegan vegetable stock. Otherwise, you should be good to go. Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
