Best Bread Dressing (or Stuffing)

This is one of those recipes that takes a bit more effort, but the results are worth it! I confess that for many years, I bought the pre-packaged stuffing/dressing at the store. A few of my family members thought that they didn't like stuffing/dressing, until I decided to make it by scratch.

The nice thing about this recipe is you can make it a day ahead of time. This is great, because we all know holiday cooking can be exhausting! I usually get another person to help with the chopping of the herbs and veggies, so it isn't too much work for one person. This recipe is by Victoria Granof and was published by Bon Appétit in 2012. If your dressing or stuffing is just ho-hum, I really encourage you to try this. Those family members that thought they didn't like dressing, now, it's one of their favorite foods for the holiday!

Bon Appetit!

Tips:

You can make this one day ahead to help with holiday planning.

Total time is 2 hours and 40 minutes. For make ahead: cool time is 1 hour and 30 minutes, and an extra 15 minutes added to regular total time.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 pound good quality day old white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
2 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups celery sliced into 1/4 inches
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, approximately 1 hour. Let it cool and transfer to a large bowl. Melt a 3/4th cup butter in a large skillet over medium/high heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, approximately 10 minutes. Add to the bowl with the bread in it; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1 1/4 cup chicken broth, and toss gently.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the rest of the chicken broth (1 1/4 cup) and the eggs in a bowl. Add to the bread mixture; fold it in gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160 degrees, approximately 40 minutes. To make ahead: Uncover; let cool. Once cooled, re-cover and chill until ready to bake.

Bake dressing, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes (if chilled, add 10 to 15 minutes). Serves 8 to 10.