Ingredients
2 baguettes or country-style or sourdough bread loaves (about 1 lb.)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 1/4 c.)
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
Preparation
Step 1Tear or slice bread into 1/4" cubes. Arrange on a baking sheet or transfer to a large bowl and leave out overnight to dry. (Alternately, place bread on baking sheets and bake at 200º until dried, about 20 minutes.) Step 2Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 13"-by-9" baking dish with butter.Step 3In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1/2 cup butter. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more; season with salt and pepper. Step 4Place bread in a large bowl, add onion mixture, and toss to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk broth and eggs and pour over bread mixture; generously season with salt and pepper. Toss until completely coated. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with foil.Step 5Bake stuffing 45 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until bread is toasted and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing? Stuffing and dressing are basically the same, except that stuffing is traditionally stuffed inside a bird for roasting. But we prefer to bake our dressing/stuffing on the outside instead of in the bird and consider the two basically the same. At its simplest, stuffing is a seasoned bread cube mixture of onions and herbs. The first step of making stuffing is simply sautéing celery and onion in plenty of butter (which just might be the most incredible smell ever). Then you combine those sautéed aromatics with your dried bread, chicken broth, and beaten eggs and toss until everything’s coated and moist before baking. Do I need to dry my own bread cubes? You don’t need to, but the key to amazing stuffing is freshly dried bread, not store-bought bread cubes. Cut your favorite type of bread into 1/2" cubes and lay them out on a baking sheet or in a large bowl. Let them dry out on the counter overnight or toast them at a very low temperature in the oven until the bread is dehydrated. You want them very dry so that they can absorb all the flavors you’re about to inject into them—the chicken broth and veggies will help moisten them. What kind of bread should I use? That’s totally up to you! We like using rustic breads like a sourdough boule, baguettes, or French bread, but it’s really a matter of taste. A good white pullman loaf or a homemade bread like a sandwich loaf is also excellent, and challah bread tastes amazing too! If you try your hand at this stuffing recipe, let us know how it went in the comments below!
