This recipe was based on the stuffing my Mom made when I was growing up. Very classic flavors and simple ingredients. My herbed sourdough stuffing does have a couple (optional) ingredients that makes it extra delicious though- I like to use sourdough bread for a little tang, and fresh lemon for brightness and flavor. You of course are welcome to make this with any standard bread and omit the lemon, if you prefer. This recipe is slightly tweaked from the version in my seasonal cookbook. Just like many of you, when I make things over and over again through the years, I make notes and adjustments on my pages, even to my own recipes, I guess!
Ingredients Needed
- Bread – I prefer to use a sourdough sandwich bread. Feel free to use a bread of your choice though. You’ll see a photo of the Seattle Sourdough loaf I tend to get. I love the thickness of the slices and the flavor of the bread, and it’s the perfect size for this recipe.
- Butter
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken broth – I love the flavor of chicken broth in this recipe, but feel free to use vegetable broth if needed, for dietary restrictions.
- Egg – I’ve made this many times without the egg. If you have an allergy, feel free to omit it. It helps bind the ingredients together, so without it the stuffing will be “looser.”
- Salt and Pepper
- Herbs: sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram. I’ve specifically used dried herbs for ease, with the exception of rosemary, which I think is just so much better fresh. It adds a lot of flavor combined with the lemon as well. Fresh parsley is optional. I add if if I have it and skip it if I don’t!
- Lemon (optional) – I use both the juice and the zest of a lemon.
Bread Tips for Stuffing
Stuffing is one of those things that people tend to have particular opinions about. You like it softer, or fluffier, or crunchier, or more or less herby…this stuffing recipe is a great base that can be adjusted based on your preferences. Stuffing is SO flexible! One of the things that’s flexible is the bread, and how dried out it is.
There’s really no best way to dry your bread. And you might prefer it really dried out and crunchy, or super soft and hardly dry, like my Mom made it growing up.
- You can leave the crusts on your bread, or cut them off. I usually leave mine on.
- You can cube your fresh bread and lay out on a baking sheet covered by a light towel for 2-3 days to dry out naturally.
- You can toast it in the oven. Many people do this really low and slow, but I’m usually in a hurry so I do it a little warmer. If you have time, bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes and then toss it, and bake for another 10-ish minutes.
- If I’m slow on time, I toast it at 400. Keep an eye on it so you don’t overdo it, but this will produce bread cubes that are toasty on the outside and soft in the middle.
How to Assemble and Bake Stuffing
- Prepare bread by cutting sourdough into cubes and either drying out on the counter for a day or so, or popping in the oven.
- Saute celery, onion, and garlic in butter. Add herbs.
- Toss with prepared bread cubes.
- Pour liquids in and gently toss to combine. This is the step with some personal preference. Some people like more liquid, some like less.
- Bake! I like to stir once during baking which I feel gets even cooking and avoids soggy stuffing.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use a sturdy sourdough sandwich bread. You can also use a loaf of french bread, or any other hearty variety. Keep in mind the heartier the bread, the more liquid you will probably need.
The egg is used as a binder, and you can absolutely leave it out. It will be a slightly “looser” stuffing.
You bet. I love the taste of fresh lemon with sourdough, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer, for a very traditional stuffing.
Absolutely! Use whatever fresh herbs you love, keeping the proportions about the same. Keep in mind that in general, 1 tablespoon fresh herb = 1 teaspoon dried herb.
Herbed Sourdough Stuffing
Ingredients
- 12 cups fresh bread cubes about 1lb
- ¼ cup fresh minced parsley
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme
- ¼ teaspoon marjoram okay to omit if you don't have any!
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary
- 1½ cup chicken broth divided, more as needed
- 1 large lemon
- 1 egg optional (okay to leave out if needed, see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉
- Butter a 2 ½-3 quart baking dish. (I take a pat of butter and with clean hands rub a thin layer of butter around the dish and up the sides). This is equivalent to about a 9×9 dish. You can bake this in a 9×13 as well (I've done that here in these photos since I know that's what many people have). It will be a thinner layer of stuffing. You can easily 1.5x the recipe in a 9×13 and even double if you like your stuffing thicker or need to serve more. Keep in mind it might extend the baking time by just a bit.
- Dry out or toast your bread cubes. Cut bread into cubes (about ½"-1"). You can carefully cut off crusts if you prefer, for softer loaves I just leave them on. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. You can cover lightly with a towel for 2-3 days, or toast them in the oven when you make the recipe. To toast in the oven bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, stir, and then bake another 10 minutes (longer if needed) until they are toasted a little crisp on the outside. they don't need to be completely crunchy like croutons- this is a bit of personal preference! I like them to be crunchy on the outside but a bit soft in the very center. When finished and slightly cooled place bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl.
- Add chopped parsley to bowl with bread cubes.
- Heat a large saute pan to medium-low heat. Melt butter and then add celery and onion. Saute until tender, about 6-7 minutes. add garlic, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary. Saute for about 30 seconds.
- Carefully pour the buttery celery and onion mixture over the bread cubes and toss well so everything is well coated.
- Whisk together just 1 cup of the broth with egg. You'll be pouring this on your bread mixture, so it's helpful to mix in a glass measuring cup with a spout, if you have one.
- Juice lemon and add 3 tablespoons lemon juice to broth mixture. (If you love lemon, you can optionally add about 2 teaspoons zest as well!)
- Gently drizzle the broth mixture evenly over bread, tossing as you go to evenly distribute.
- From here, you can add more broth to desired consistency. I usually add up to about 1/2 cup more. It depends on how toasted your bread was and what kind of bread, and your personal preference etc. If you omitted the egg and/or lemon juice you will need more liquid as well. Stuffing should be moistened, but not soggy.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then gently toss, then continue baking for about 20-30 minutes more, until toasty and golden on top. Baking time will vary on quite a few factors so keep an eye on it. If it gets too browned too quickly, cover with foil.
Notes
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- You can leave the crusts on your bread, or cut them off. I usually leave mine on.
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- You can cube your fresh bread and lay out on a baking sheet covered by a light towel for 2-3 days to dry out naturally.
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- You can toast it in the oven. Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes and then toss it, and bake for another 10-ish minutes.
- The egg does not make or break this recipe, it simply helps bind the bread cubes together. You can leave it out if you like for a slightly looser stuffing.
