Stuffing Basic Bread

This recipe will yield enough to stuff a 14 to 17 pound turkey. Many of the variations will yield enough for an additional small casserole of stuffing. To stuff an oven roaster or 6 to 8 rock Cornish hens, halve the recipe. For a larger turkey, increase all the ingredients by half. The optional egg makes the stuffing firm. If you prefer the bread to be moist, skip the toasting step.

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast cubed bread until golden brown. Turn bread into a large bowl.

Step 2

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Remove the onion mixture from the heat and stir in the herbs and spices.

Step 4

Stir the onion mixture into the bread cubes and toss until well combined. Depending on how much butter you started with and how firm you want the stuffing, stir in chicken stock and egg, a little at a time, until the stuffing is lightly moist but not packed together. Adjust the seasonings.

Step 5

To use as a stuffing, reheat just before spooning into the bird(s). Or moisten with stock and/or egg and turn into a large, shallow buttered baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the top has formed a crust and the stuffing is heated through, 25 to 40 minutes.

Step 6

Stuffing Baked in a Dish: Stuffing baked outside of the bird should first be moistened with 1/2 to 1 cup of stock, milk or wine to make up for the missing juices that would absorb when cooked inside a roasting bird. Cover the stuffing with foil, if you wish, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes. If you have covered the stuffing with foil but would like a crispy brown crust, dot the top with butter and bake uncovered for the last 20 minutes. If you are roasting a bird at the same time, baste the stuffing with the pan drippings a few times during baking.

Step 7

Allow 3/4 cup per person.

Step 8

Making Stuffing Ahead: All stuffing can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Stuffing intended to be baked inside a bird should be reheated before you stuff the bird with it. If making stuffing ahead, do not add any egg to the mixture until you have reheated it and are ready to stuff. The simplest method for reheating a stuffing is on the stovetop, stirring gently so as not to turn the whole mixture to mush. Stuffing to be baked in a dish can go directly from the refrigerator to the oven.