Sourdough Stuffing

Throughout the year when we have extra odds and ends of sourdough bread, we slice it and store it in plastic baggies in the freezer. This makes for a perfect piece of toast whenever we need it. Simply pop the sliced, frozen piece of bread into the toaster and toast for a few more seconds than you usually would and you have the perfect piece of toast at any time. That being said, we always have more bread than we can consume but never want any piece of it to go to waste. Instead of throwing it out, we continue to store it throughout the year for our sourdough stuffing. 

Sourdough bread:

Each Thanksgiving, we pull out all the odds and ends of sourdough bread that we have stashed in the freezer and set it on the counter to thaw. It is a cherished moment for so many reasons. Not only do we get to clean out our freezer, which as avid cooks is always packed to the brim, but we also get to put all the odds and ends of sourdough bread to good use. 

If you don’t have a habit of stashing all your sourdough bread ends like a squirrel with their nuts, simply buy a few loaves of sourdough bread and dry it out just as we do with our frozen odds and ends. Regardless of the bread’s origin, this sourdough stuffing is seriously delicious. 

We bake our stuffing with crusty sourdough which creates a stuffing with crusty edges and a golden top. Underneath the crusty edges is a soft sourdough center with apple, leek, onion, celery and herbs scattered throughout. The stuffing is bound together with butter and chicken stock for even more flavor. This stuffing is not your average stuffing. It is full of texture and flavor making it a delicious addition to a Thanksgiving table but also delicious on it’s own. You may or may not catch us pulling out cubes of bread from the baking dish on Thanksgiving day because it is that irresistible! 

The bread for sourdough stuffing:

We are of the firm belief that stuffing is only as good as the bread you use. Yes, all the add-ins are important to building flavor and making the most delicious stuffing, but if you start with bad bread, there’s not much you can do. In order to create the best stuffing possible, we like using sourdough bread. This adds so much flavor to the stuffing and makes even those who don’t think they like stuffing go back for seconds (it’s true! Our dad’s plate every Thanksgiving is proof of this). 

Although we use a quality sourdough bread, it does not need to be anything fancy or fresh. Day old bread or odds and ends you stashed in the freezer will work great here. The first step of this stuffing is drying out the bread so it is more about the flavor than the freshness for this recipe.

The herbs:

We use a large mixture of herbs. Tarragon, parsley, sage, and thyme all get scattered throughout the stuffing. The herbs are what give the stuffing the unique “Thanksgiving” flavor so use lots of them throughout the dish. If you only have dried herbs, just use half the amount listed.

The add-ins:

The add-ins in this stuffing make it extra flavorful. Although the sourdough bread and herbs provide most of the flavor, the butter, leeks, onion, celery, and apple provide even more texture and flavor. These all get sauteed down to make a caramelized, sweet base to stir into the stuffing. 

Making the sourdough stuffing:

Start by tearing or chopping sourdough bread into 1” cubes. We like tearing it with our hands to create more crusty edges. Lay the cubed bread on two sheet trays. The bread should be in an even layer across the sheet trays. Let the bread sit out at room temperature overnight or for 24 hours until dry. 

To make the stuffing, start by melting a stick of butter into a pan. Once the butter has melted, add the diced onion, leek, salt, and pepper. Cook these down for a few minutes then add the peeled, diced apple and celery. Continue cooking until the mixture is soft and onions are translucent. Once the onions are translucent, add in the chopped herbs and stir until fragrant. Remove the onion, herb mixture from the heat. 

Place the dry bread in a large bowl. Pour over the onion, herb mixture and chicken stock. Stir the mixture until evenly combined. Place the stuffing into a 9×13” baking tray and bake until the top is golden brown and crusty. 

Notes on sourdough stuffing:

1. Bread: we like to use sourdough ends and pieces we’ve frozen throughout the year, but any mixture of bread will do. We strongly recommend using a sourdough loaf or sourdough baguette with some crust for the best textured stuffing.
2. Herbs: we use a number of herbs in this recipe, but swap out any of them or if you don’t have one just add an extra tablespoon of another. The goal of the herbs is to add freshness and flavor.
3. Baking the stuffing in a dish: Traditional recipes often call for stuffing the stuffing inside the bird (as the name suggests). Although this is the way many recipes used to do it, we are looking for a stuffing with a crispy top and edges and soft center. If you stuff the turkey with stuffing, the stuffing will be mush by the time the turkey is done. Instead bake your stuffing in a baking dish. This allows for a great crust and texture with pieces of crusty bread scattered throughout that still resemble bread instead of applesauce. 

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Sourdough Stuffing

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

drying bread 12 hours hours

Total Time 12 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 16 cups crusty sourdough bread dried or toasted (~2 loaves)
• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups diced yellow onion
• 1 leek sliced
• 2 cups chopped celery leaves included
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tart apple peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons parsley leaves chopped
• 1 tablespoon tarragon leaves chopped
• 1 tablespoon sage leaves chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1.5 cups chicken stock

Instructions

• Cut or tear sourdough bread into 1” cubes. Place all 16 cups of cubed bread onto 2 cookie sheets. Spread the bread in an even layer and place it out overnight or for 24 hours until it is dry. If you don’t have time for this step you can also dry it out in a 325 degree F oven for ~15 minutes until the cubes are just dry throughout
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
• On medium heat, melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan. When the butter is melted, add chopped onion, leek, salt, and pepper. Saute together for ~5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add in the celery and apple. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent (~5 more minutes)
• Add in the herbs and stir until combined. Remove from heat
• Place the dried bread into a large bowl. Add in the onion herb mixture and chicken stock. Stir until evenly combined
• Place the stuffing in a 9×13 baking dish and loosely cover with foil
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes then remove the foil and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the top gets golden. This creates a golden brown and crusty but the center will remain soft and not too dry

Entertainer’s Note:

Foil the baking dish before placing the stuffing inside. This will allow for a dish that is easy to clean after your guests leave!